Built History of the University of Calgary
These pages provide an overview of the University of Calgary’s physical buildings on its various campuses, as well as those which were planned but never realized — their history, use, location, cost, and their context in terms of the greater whole. The individual pages provide a narrative, map location, photographs and links to archival documents. From the oldest buildings on campus, described as “kleenex boxes”, to the most recent technologically advanced buildings that consistently win LEED awards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), come and explore the built history of the University.
Using this site: Narrow your search using the Timeline feature, or find a specific building within the alphabetical listing. Explore digitized records focusing on the planning and development of campus and of individual buildings, including vision statements, conceptual design plans, artist’s renderings, photographs, official opening programmes, news releases and much more. Additional information may be available on the Facilities site.
Administration
Previously known as the Arts and Education Building, Administration is the first of the two original buildings constructed on campus. Built in conjunctio …
Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets (ACWA)
The Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets (ACWA) facility is “the only fully integrated, fully contained university research facility in the world located w …
Art Building and Parkade
Beginning in the 1960s, parking on campus (or the lack thereof) was a constant topic of conversation, both for students and as an agenda item in numerous c …
Aurora Hall
Initially called “the Upper Year Undergraduate Residence Hall”, one of the newest residences on campus is designed for 269 3rd or 4th year students. The r …
Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre
The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The original station was built in 1902 as the final link in the Brit …
Banff School of Fine Arts
The Banff School of Drama began in 1933 as a result of an Andrew Carnegie Corporation grant to the University of Alberta for a fine arts extension program. …
Barrier Lake Field Station
In August 1965, the University of Alberta’s Board of Governors reviewed tentative plans “for a proposed Biological Station at Kananaskis, on a proposed 7-a …
Biological Sciences
The Detailed Design Proposal for the Biological Sciences Building 1968 outlined a “multidisciplinary approach to Biological Sciences,” which the university …
Bow River Pump Station
Constructed in 1966 at a cost of $518,550, the Bow River Pump Station provides water for the air conditioning systems at both the University of Calgary and …
Calgary Centre for Innovative Technology (CCIT)
In November 1998, the Calgary Herald reported that the university had received a provincial grant of $14 million to build the Calgary Centre for Innovative …
Cascade Hall
Housing IV, the next phase for residences on campus following Glacier Hall in 1987, was conceived in late 1997/early 1998 as a 400-bed expansion to campus …
Cenovus Spo’pi Solar House
In 2011, students from the Schulich School of Engineering, the Faculty of Environmental Design, and the Haskayne School of Business entered a project into …
Central Heating and Cooling Plant (CHCP)
The university commissioned an engineering report in 1963 on the need for central power and heating facilities, and again in 1965 given the unprecedented g …
Child Care Centre
In 1974, the Board of Governors “approved in principle the establishment of a day care centre on campus.” Grant money and temporary space in MacEwan Hall …
Child Development Centre
In the June 2005 Capital Projects Report, the university outlined its plans to construct a Child Development Centre (CDC) in partnership with the then Calg …
Craigie Hall
Calgary Hall, now Craigie Hall, is one of the oldest set of buildings on campus. Designed by the Department of Public Works, the Hall was initially meant …
Crowsnest Hall
Built at the same time as the undergraduate residence Aurora Hall, Crowsnest Hall houses 390 graduate students in a mix of suites and apartments. Although …
Demonstration School
Alberta transferred responsibility for all teacher training to the Normal Schools in 1945; the Calgary Normal School became the Calgary Branch of the Unive …
Dining Centre
Prior to autonomy in 1966, many of the university’s buildings were designed by the Department of Public Works. Three of these buildings (Rundle and Kanana …
Downtown Campus
In the fall of 1979, several faculties proposed an “interdisciplinary University downtown presence.” The then Faculty of Social Welfare had approached the …
Earth Sciences
The planning committee for Stage IV of the Science Complex (Earth Sciences) started their work in 1965, and after three years considered it “imperative” th …
Education Block & Tower
Planning for the Education Buildings began in 1964; the 1,200 students then enrolled in education were crammed into the Arts Building (now Administration), …
Energy Environment Experiential Learning
In 2004, the university’s four-year business plan set a goal of creating an “Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy”, or ISEEE. “The E …
Engineering Complex
The Board of Governors approved the site for the new Engineering Building in June 1962. The first Dean of Engineering, G.W. Govier, had definite ideas abou …
Foothills School of Nursing
In the early 1960s, the Faculty of Nursing entered into an affiliation agreement with the Foothills School of Nursing to provide hospital-based nursing edu …
General Storage Building
The university first identified the need for a general storage building in 1974, “to be located on the west side of the campus away from the campus core, a …
Glacier and Olympus Halls
The Housing III project visualized a “very durable, low maintenance long-life building,” for “a more mature independent student, aged twenty years and olde …
Grounds Building
The Department of Public Works oversaw the construction of the Maintenance and Grounds Building in 1961/62 with an extension in 1964 including a vehicle st …
Health Research Innovation Centre/Cal Wenzel Precision Health Building
By 1999, the then Faculty of Medicine required considerably more research, teaching, and administration space than existed in the Health Sciences Centre an …
Health Sciences Centre (HSC)
The Health Sciences Centre is the original building to house the Faculty of Medicine, now the Cumming School of Medicine. The Health Sciences Committee f …
Heritage Medical Research Building
By 1983, the Health Sciences Centre housing the then Faculty of Medicine, was overcrowded, with a pressing need for more research and clinical space. The …
High Density Library (HDL)
Several plans emerged over the years for a large volume storage facility. One of the earliest plans in 2001 indicated a “Multi-Use Managed Storage Facilit …
Higher Education Reserve/West Campus Lands/University District
The original name for the West Campus lands was the Higher Education Reserve (HER). The province first purchased the land by order in council in 1965, to …
Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
Dr. Barton, the Dean of Engineering, clearly foresaw the future in 1982 when he put forward a proposal for a building to combine the then Academic Computin …
Information Booth
Built in the early to mid-70s, the Information Booth sat just inside the University Drive entrance from 24th Ave, where Parking Lot 1 is now located. Stud …
Kananaskis and Rundle Halls
As a satellite campus of the University of Alberta until 1966, the Edmonton Board of Governors chose the design and placement of all early buildings. Foll …
Kinesiology Block A&B
Construction of the “gymnasium building” began in 1960, shortly after the first two campus buildings opened (now Administration and Science A). When the b …
Kluane Lake Research Station (KLRS)
In 1961, members of the Arctic Institute of North America’s (AINA) Icefield Ranges Research Project (IRRP) touched down on the shores of Kluane Lake in the …
MacEwan Hall
While still located at the Provincial Institute of Technology (now SAIT) in the 1950s, the Students’ Union of the University of Alberta, Calgary Branch ope …
MacEwan Student Centre
By 1983, Mac Hall very obviously required expansion. The student population had long since surpassed the 6,000 accommodated in the original designs. In 1 …
MacKimmie Library Block
When the Board of Governors of the University of Alberta reviewed the new plans for the Calgary Campus in fall 1958, they realized there was “no provision… …
MacKimmie Library Tower
With the library acquiring new books at a rate of 20,000 to 25,000 per year; the new building would reach its capacity of 250,000 books by 1968. With a pr …
Mathematical Sciences
Originally called Science III B, the Math Science building is one of several on campus designed to grow in vertical stages. Construction of the first phas …
McMahon Stadium/Olympic Volunteer Centre
One of the fastest major construction projects in western Canada (100 days), the $700,000 McMahon Stadium welcomed the Calgary football club and 20,000 fan …
Nickle Arts Museum/Nickle Galleries
By the early 60s, the university required a dedicated space to house art, other than the small gallery in the Library Block; the Block lacked security and …
Normal School 1 (McDougall School)
Built in 1908 as a teaching training or “normal” school, the McDougall building was home to the first classes that would eventually grow into the Universit …
Normal School 2 (Heritage Hall, SAIT)
Created in 1905, the Alberta Normal Schools trained primary and secondary school teachers. Central School (later the James Short School) housed the first …
Norquay, Castle, and Brewster Halls
When Calgary’s successful bid for the 1988 Winter Olympics was announced in 1981, it was very welcome news for the university. In an interview with the Ca …
Olympic Oval
The university had desired an indoor ice facility since the early 70s. A report from 1975 notes: “It is recommended that a Winter Sportsplex be completed …
Petro-Canada Building (Mechanical Engineering)
In 1979-1980, Petro-Canada built a 5-storey, 60,000 square foot research facility situated just across the street from the Engineering Complex. Fifty perc …
Physical Plant
In 1966, the university proposed a physical plant building to “house the administration staff, workshops, stores and related services provided by the Depar …
President’s Residence
Amongst the buildings never constructed on campus is the President’s Residence. In the 1960s, university presidents regularly resided in accommodations on …
Professional Faculties Building/Murray Fraser Hall
In 1973, the Government of Alberta appointed an ad hoc Committee on Legal Studies to investigate establishing a Law School in Calgary. During the study in …
R.B. Miller Field Station
Located about 110 km west of the university in Sheep River Provincial Park, the R.B. Miller Field Station has contributed to world class science studies si …
Reeve Theatre
In December 1977, the Reeve Foundation donated $1 million to build “an experimental theatre”. Francis F. Reeve started the Foundation in 1954; a member of …
Rothney Astrophysical Observatory (RAO)
In 1970, Mr. Alexander Rothney Cross donated a quarter section of land to the University. At Cross’s request the observatory became the Rothney Astrophysi …
Rozsa Centre
Early plans for a “Fine Arts Building” in the spring of 1992 detailed teaching and performance spaces for the Departments of Music and Dance: Phase I (4,13 …
Science A
Previously known as the Science and Engineering Building, Science A is the second of the two original buildings on campus. Built in conjunction with the …
Science B
Construction began on Phase I of the Biological Sciences Complex (now Science B) in 1964. The complex consists of a six-storey tower with an adjoining on …
Science Theatres
First conceived in 1966 as a “building to fill a need for a learning space capable of handling a very high student occupant load,” Sciences IIIA (later Sci …
Scurfield Hall
President Norman Wagner had a story he liked to tell about the funding for Scurfield Hall. Over lunch with Calgary businessman Ralph Scurfield, the subjec …
Social Sciences
The first plans for the Social Science building appeared in March 1967. The 13-storey, 239, 324 gross square feet tower had an estimated cost of $6.5 mill …
Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station
A 12-foot square stone hut built in 1902 constituted the first meteorological station on Sulphur Mountain. For the next 30 years, Mr. Norman Sanson climbe …
Swann Mall
Until the mid-70s, the area for what is now Swann Mall featured a wide, flat, empty, green space with straight, symmetrical sidewalks. In 1973, the univer …
Taylor Family Digital Library
The TFDL initially grew out of a dream for a larger Information Commons than what existed on the 2nd floor of the MacKimmie Block. This space had so succe …
Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning
In 2012, the university announced that plans were underway to refurbish the former Nickle Arts Museum and make it the location of “the new teaching and lea …
Unbuilt – President’s Residences
When Herbert S. Armstrong accepted the post of the university’s first president in May 1964, part of the agreement included the construction of a President …
Unbuilt Buildings – Faculty Club
In the late 1960s, members of the faculty considered a club space either within the University Centre building (now called MacEwan Hall), or as a separate …
Unbuilt Buildings – Fine Arts/Geodesic Dome
In 1969, the Faculty of Fine Arts proposed building a Geodesic Dome as a perfect solution to the lack of space for the Department of Art. In May 1969, Dean …
Unbuilt Buildings – University Offices Building/Centre Block
An administrative building project envisioned in the 1960s and 70s would consolidate all administrative activities into one large area. The project went …
University Station
Aerial views of the university in the early 1960s show a wide-open space on the outskirts of town with a few buildings but no residences, immediately estab …
Varsity Courts Family Housing
Planning for residences to accommodate married students with families began in 1966 with a formal proposal available in 1968. The first estimated cost tot …
Yamnuska Hall
This residence accommodates students in their second year of study, including international and transfer students. Yamnuska Hall is Phase 6 of the Univers …
Funding for this project provided by the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation.