Burns Building
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| Burns Building | |
|---|---|
 Burns Building (1930s) | |
 Interactive map of the Burns Building area | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Office |
| Location | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Coordinates | 51°02′43″N 114°03′30″W / 51.0452°N 114.0582°W |
| Construction started | 1911 |
| Completed | 1912 |
| Cost | C$350,000 (1911) |
| Owner | Pat Burns (1911–1923) |
| Management | Triumph Mgmt. Realty Ltd. |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 6 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Hodgson, Bates and Beattie (1911) A.J. Diamond and Partners (1981) Carruthers and McCullum (1981) |
| Main contractor | Norton – Griffiths Steel Construction Company of Vancouver |
The Burns Building is a historic six-story building located in downtown Calgary, Alberta. It sits at 237 8 Avenue SE on the end of Stephen Avenue overlooking Olympic Plaza and City Hall.
The building was commissioned by meat baron Pat Burns as the corporate headquarters and flagship market for his empire, Burns Foods. Burns bought the property around 1909 but excavation did not begin until the fall of 1911. Construction commenced in April 1912. 1913 was a big year for building in Calgary. The Palliser Hotel, Lancaster Block, Canada Life Building and the Hudson's Bay store were built. The Herald Building (demolished in 1972 and now the site of the Len Werry Building) was also under construction.[1]
In 1923 Pat Burns exchanged the building for the Glengarry Ranch.
Original use
The ground level provided retail space for Burns' retail meat market. The 130-foot (40 m) long market hall featured twelve 25-foot (7.6 m) high Doric marble columns. Burns leased out the remaining 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) of office space to a wide variety of tenants. Historian Hugh Dempsey wrote, "the list of businesses which occupied the Patrick Burns Building…reads like a corporate Who's Who." Calgary Power, Alberta Investment and Insurance Brokers, Rocky Mountain Cement and a variety of dentists, doctors, lawyers, realtors, insurance agents and accountants were among the first tenants.[1]
Architecture
The building was built in the style of Edwardian Classical. The exterior features Lions' heads and other ornamental mouldings sculptured in the surface of the terracotta. Inside white and green Italian marble was used to finish the main stairways and corridors. The building included modern conveniences like steam heating and ventilation. In addition to electricity, each office was equipped with natural gas lighting.[2]
Between 1981 and 1984 the building underwent extensive renovations designed by architects A.J. Diamond and Partners with Carruthers and McCullum.
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