City Hall
3.5
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3.5
41 reviews
Excellent
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Terrible
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mainemountainbear
Texas Gulf Coast, TX1,157 contributions
Jun 2012 • Solo
The sandstone walls, clock tower, cupolas, and red tiled roof of the old city hall lend it character. The free downtown segment of the C-Train runs past it. Near it, statues and plaques commemorate fallen city police and firefighters. The old city hall's lines, shapes, and colors stand in harmony with those just across the street in the Olympic Plaza. Its modest scale is much less overbearing than the mirrored steel and glass municipal office building that looms behind it. If you appreciate Alberta’s architectural history and its surviving legacies from earlier eras, this older structure is definitely worth a visit. So be sure to bring a camera — just be mindful of your valuables if you stray too near the C-train line stop!
Written May 21, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Country_Wife
Calgary, Canada28,791 contributions
Aug 2012 • Business
I was part of a tour of Calgary’s city hall (and the adjoining blue glass municipal building) during Historic Calgary Week in August 2012. I was surprised to learn that the century-old sandstone city hall building is a Canadian National Historic Site. It received this designation because it is one of the few remaining examples of the type of large public building that was being built across western Canada in the early 20th century. ( http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8981 )
Our tour started in the main foyer of the large modern blue glass & steel municipal building (sometimes called the “blue ice cube”). The foyer has a number of works of art that have been donated to the civic art collection by philanthropic Calgarians: Roy Leadbeater’s abstract bronze, “Joy”; Suzanne Sablé’s trio of impressionistic bronze bears; and John Seward Johnson Junior’s sculpture of two painters, “As the Bishop Said to the Actress”. There are also rotating displays on various historic themes in the main foyer. If you head to the right hand side from the main foyer, towards the access to underground parking, you’ll come to a large illustrated wall that describes the history of the area now occupied by the municipal building and old city hall.
The outdoor plaza in front of the municipal building has one of the original lions from the Centre Street Bridge (inspired by the lions of London’s Trafalgar Square), Harry O’Hanlon’s bronze “Family of Horses”, and a large memorial to fallen Calgary police and firefighters.
You can go inside the old city hall building (during business hours) and have a peek at the lovely restoration of the interior; unfortunately the areas that are open to the public are fairly limited, as most of it is office space for the mayor and councillors. I think the old sandstone building is even nicer from the outside; there’s more to see. The entire south side of the old city hall was invisible when I was growing up in Calgary, blocked from view by another building. So now I really like looking at the huge balcony on the south side (the tour guide told us that no mayor has ever made a public address from there), the red roof with the big glass dome and the smaller roof lanterns, and of course the clock tower with the century-old mechanical clock still ticking away the minutes and ringing out the hours.
If you’re in the area, I recommend spending some time to have a closer look at city hall. And bring your camera – there’s lots to photograph.
Our tour started in the main foyer of the large modern blue glass & steel municipal building (sometimes called the “blue ice cube”). The foyer has a number of works of art that have been donated to the civic art collection by philanthropic Calgarians: Roy Leadbeater’s abstract bronze, “Joy”; Suzanne Sablé’s trio of impressionistic bronze bears; and John Seward Johnson Junior’s sculpture of two painters, “As the Bishop Said to the Actress”. There are also rotating displays on various historic themes in the main foyer. If you head to the right hand side from the main foyer, towards the access to underground parking, you’ll come to a large illustrated wall that describes the history of the area now occupied by the municipal building and old city hall.
The outdoor plaza in front of the municipal building has one of the original lions from the Centre Street Bridge (inspired by the lions of London’s Trafalgar Square), Harry O’Hanlon’s bronze “Family of Horses”, and a large memorial to fallen Calgary police and firefighters.
You can go inside the old city hall building (during business hours) and have a peek at the lovely restoration of the interior; unfortunately the areas that are open to the public are fairly limited, as most of it is office space for the mayor and councillors. I think the old sandstone building is even nicer from the outside; there’s more to see. The entire south side of the old city hall was invisible when I was growing up in Calgary, blocked from view by another building. So now I really like looking at the huge balcony on the south side (the tour guide told us that no mayor has ever made a public address from there), the red roof with the big glass dome and the smaller roof lanterns, and of course the clock tower with the century-old mechanical clock still ticking away the minutes and ringing out the hours.
If you’re in the area, I recommend spending some time to have a closer look at city hall. And bring your camera – there’s lots to photograph.
Written January 6, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ben B
Calgary, Canada14,150 contributions
Dec 2018 • Solo
Calgary is diverse through and through. Our Mayor is muslim, but still he and Jewish community joyously come together each year to light the menorah on the first day of Hanukkah at City Hall. There are a lot of Christmas trees, etc too, but I find the Hanukkah ceremony very touching...
Written December 4, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
grassislander
Calgary351 contributions
Jun 2015 • Couples
It remains a very nice piece of our cities history, glad they have kept it a very beautiful building.
Written December 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
S_Leach
Nanaimo, Canada920 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
This beautiful & iconic sandstone beauty stands graciouslyp in time - while it's clock tower reminds us that time is indeed STILL ticking ...it is, as previously mentioned, attached to the more modern municipal building that houses all of the civic employees. There is much to take in around the grounds - rapid transit will get you there for free if you are already in the downtown areap, better yet - walk !
Written September 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Haydar_Baban
Calgary, Canada809 contributions
Aug 2015 • Friends
This gorgeous building which is located in the heart of the downtown of the city of Calgary is one of the beautiful buildings in Calgary , every visitor should visit it and the nice area around it .
Written August 30, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ottawajester
Ottawa334 contributions
Mar 2014 • Solo
Calgary is a city that is continuously changing - the economic cycles see buildings quickly put up and then as quickly replaced when the next boom comes and more and better space is required. The old city hall is a good example of the landmark buildings that were built generations ago as civic landmarks. And this one was saved. It is attached to the modern city hall but the history of the original building is intact. The sandstone exterior with the red tin roof and the clock tower is worth a stop to observe. It is one of the classical buildings in the city that enable you to remember the prairie roots of the city.
Written April 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
guysontherun
Calgary, Canada35 contributions
May 2011 • Business
Not sure how to rate this. It's a place to do business while in Calgary. It has the original lions from the center street bridge. Cosmetically it makes a good pic to add to your travels, as the old and new city halls are side by side, across the street is Olympic plaza....also ther is the police museum inside as well. Did this as a field trip with school class
Written April 17, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Icandyman
Calgary, Canada102 contributions
Apr 2012
Sure it looks great. Has many reasons to draw people to it. Hard to park. Staff was helpful. Basic food available. Have no reason to go there except to pay something. Much better across the street. Take a picture.
Written April 14, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mary2565
Red Deer, Canada44 contributions
Jul 2011
While looking for a bathroom, which we found, and very nice, my grandchildren loved the glass elevator and didn't care that they were missing the stampede parade. I realize it is not a midway ride, but well liked anyway
Written April 5, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mine is actually a question!!!!!!
Why are we paying such exorbetant taxes , while you in City Hall give yourselves a wonderfullu huge bonus????????
WE, the people, the residential tax payers, get no increase in our Pensions in order to cover the deficit you keep creating with your wonderful (????????----definitely not so !!!) Art projects!!!!
Get real!!! If you actually expect to be re-elected stop wastin Our money on a whole pile of nothings !!!!!
This has gone well-beyond anything acceptable to us peons !!!! We are now awake to your stupidity !!!!!!
Let's try and re-thinks this studip nonsense !!!!! We do not have bottomless pockets to keep bailing out City Hall!
Thanks
P & D. Hamp
Written May 29, 2019
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