Old City Hall

Built between 1907-1911 by William M. Dodd, it a four-storey sandstone building with a central clock tower. Constructed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, it features a rough sandstone exterior, rows of recessed windows, arches, and a red pressed metal tile roof. It was opened in 1911 by future Prime Minister Robert Borden, Calgary city hall is one of the oldest City Halls in western Canada. The building is also significant for its single massive clock tower, heavy stone verandas and balconies, a deep recessed front entry and keystones over many of the windows and entrances. The building has a steel structural frame that supports the outside walls of brick and locally quarried sandstone. Construction of the building was anything from smooth sailing in 1909 workers began leaving the project after Dodd had been unable to pay them due to budget overruns. Dodd himself was dismissed due to these cost overruns after asking the city council for an additional $77,000 for the project. Dodd faced harsh criticisms from the press and public for his handling of the project and was ultimately paid $6,500 for his work and left the city immediately after. In 1964 the walls outside the building were coated with a protective liquid to prevent the sandstone from any further deterioration. In 1997 City Hall was reopened following $9.3 million renovations. In 2014 it was announced that city hall would undergo another restoration to stabilize the crumbling sandstone exterior, this restoration is scheduled to continue until July of 2020. The restoration has not been without controversy due to the sandstone utilized for these renovations being imported from Poland and Spain. A former quarry located in Edworthy Park was proposed as a source of sandstone. Still, due to the quarry’s location being in what is now a city park, this idea was rejected by City Council due to opposition to resource extraction occurring in a park.