Burns Building, Calgary

Ask any tourist back from Calgary and he will tell you that no matter what, one should not miss a visit to Burns Building. Located at 237-8th Avenue right across the City Hall and Olympic Plaza, this six storied edifice was constructed by Pat Burns, the meat baron, and was meant to serve as a flagship market and corporate headquarters for Burns Foods. Burns building was constructed during the historically significant year of 1913 when many prominent buildings, such as Lancaster Block, Palliser Hotel, Hudson’s Bay Store and Canada Life Building, came into existence.

Immediately after construction, the Burns Building housed a retail meat market on the ground floor. Enter this level and you will find a dozen towering Doric marble columns that are 25 foot high each. A variety of different tenants occupied the other 35,000 square feet of office space in the Burns.

Burns Building was constructed in Edwardian Classical architectural style. You will find ornamental sculpted moldings including lion heads on the terracotta exterior. The main corridors and stairways of the building are finished with green and white Italian marble. Even back then, this structure featured conveniences such as ventilation and steam heating. Every single office had natural gas lighting apart from electricity. Pay a visit to this historically significant building on your trip to Calgary.