10 stunning then-and-now photos of Calgary’s changing skyline

While the lagging economy has recently slowed Calgary construction, the city’s skyline has been transformed by construction booms of the past.

“I would expect that as our economy goes, so does the construction of both residential and commercial projects. Having said that, we’ve got a number of residential projects that – despite the economy – are still going ahead given that build costs are so low right now,” Calgary Real Estate Board president Cliff Stevenson said.

Real estate search portal Point2 Homes has released a list of 10 downtown real estate developments started and completed in the last few years, including comparison photos using Google Street View.

The sliding images show dramatic changes to Calgary’s skyline, something Stevenson suggests changing attitudes about living and working in Calgary.

“There’s been a shift over the last probably 10 to 15 years in Calgary…not only the revitalization of the East Village, but also the densification with condo development in general and I think that aligns well with the shift in consumer demand – wanting to live a little closer to where they work,” Stevenson said. “With the number of commercial buildings being built in Calgary obviously there’s more office space, there’s more business downtown in the core area and I think the idea for a lot of people of spending 30 to 40 minutes each way in their cars for a commute is waning.”

Here’s a look at how Calgary has transformed in recent years:

1. Centre 10

This Beltline property was built on the site of the former Gaslight Square retail strip. Two attempts had been made by others to build condo towers there, but eventually Centron Group of Companies bought the abandoned site, changing the concept. The 10-storey building now hosts a mix of office and retail space.

2. Nuera & Alura

Also in the Beltine, Nuera and Alura are twin condo towers spanning several blocks in the city’s historic warehouse district of Victoria Park.  One tower arches 34 storeys skyward, while the other sits at 24. They were completed in 2010 and 2015 respectively by Cove Properties. Perhaps another sign of the times, Alura, the latter tower in the development, sold 148 of  277 units in its first day of sales.

3. Palliser South, 1010 Centre & The Bow

The northeast edge of the Beltine has been a hot spot for development in recent years. Palliser South, standing in the centre, has 19 storeys of office space, a fitness club and a conference centre as part of its design, completed in 2010. The Mustard Seed’s 1010 Centre, meanwhile, is an apartment building providing low-income housing. It opened last year. Another iconic building on the Calgary skyline – The Bow – now stands at 58 storeys. It was completed in 2012.