J. Whyte Photography

Calgary has a number of brutalist buildings. In fact, the city came of age at a time when brutalist architecture was popular, and so we have religious buildings, education buildings and many office structures spread around the city.  One of the acknowledged brutalist landmarks is Nelco Square.  Nelco Square was completed in 1979 in the community of Franklin. According to Heritage Calgary , Nelco Square is considered "a  superb example of a late Brutalist-style office building in Calgary."   Designed like many brutalist buildings, Nelco Square has a multi-story building plan with the higher levels wider than the lower ground level floor. Nelco Square also has "symmetrical fenestration separated by pronounced vertical window fins at the top storey and decorative concrete panels with embossed rectangular motifs" while the "lower recessed two storeys have exaggerated pilasters and minimalist ribbon windows."  (Source, Heritage Calgary) Discovering the  Mystery...

Fort Macleod in southern Alberta is great place for photography. The town's main street is one of the most beautiful in Alberta with several historic stone buildings jammed together in two long rows.   For Macleod is so fantastic that one of the films in the Ghost Busters franchise was recently filmed here. There was a great car chase ghost scene that caused havoc all over town.  But one of the most interesting buildings to photograph is the old, abandoned American Hotel on the edge of Fort MacLeod's downtown.   History of the American Hotel It has been a challenge to find historical information on the American Hotel. According to the Alberta Heritage Survey Program database, the American Hotel originally opened in the 1890s as the Klondyke Hotel.  In 1900, the name was changed to the American Hotel and sold to one HH Wash. In 1901, Tom Atkins Purchased the hotel from HH Wash.  Later in 1913, WH Atkins constructed addition to the hotel which included 4...

Medicine Hat is one of Canada's most historic prairie cities. Its built along the Trans-Canada Highway just west of the Saskatchewan border and has many historic buildings that remain in its commercial centre.  One of the most historically significant buildings is the historic Monarch Theatre. Located in the city's old and very historic downtown, the Monarch has a long and storied past.   I was not aware of it when I first visited Medicine Hat, but this building catches your eye immediately. I have not seen anything like it in other small prairie cities that I have visited. Historical Significance of the Monarch Theatre The Monarch was the first building in Canada to be purpose built as a movie theatre, and since it remains in use as a movie theatre today, it remains the oldest operating movie house in Canada.  Originally, the facility also included a billiards room and tobacco shop making it an entertainment destination of sorts.   The Monarch screened its...

  Like many North American cities that grew rapidly after World War 2, Calgary had a building boom that was not untouched by brutalist architecture.   If the idea of brutalist architecture is new for you, brutalism was a type of architecture that developed in the UK during the 1950s. Architects typically used exposed concrete and brick, or a combination of the two materials, in a manner that emphasized utility over decoration, but often with very interesting geometric designs. The term brutalism does not originate or take its inspiration from the English word ‘brutal’ but comes from the French phrase beton brut.   Perhaps the most well know brutalist building remaining in Calgary is the former Calgary Board of Education building in the city centre.   It is believed that the Education Centre Building was inspired by Boston’s brutalist City Hall. While the Calgary building is much smaller, the resemblance is certainly there. The Stevenson Raines Barrett Hutton ...