Historic City Hall, City of Calgary
2021 Heritage Calgary Award: Special Recognition
So much more than meets the eye, historic city hall has been standing watch over Calgary for more than 100 years. The rehabilitation of City Hall was the most significant and complex heritage conservation project ever undertaken by the City of Calgary.
Ready to learn a little more? We spoke with Darrel Bell, Director of Facility Management at the City of Calgary.
HC: Tell us a little bit about your project.
Darrel: Built between 1907 and 1911, historic city hall is one of the city’s most familiar landmarks. It is a municipal, provincial and federal heritage resource, and in 2016, we started extensive restoration efforts to help the building last for the next 100 years.
The work included site and landscaping rehabilitation, grade repairs and drainage improvements; rehabilitation of the masonry envelope including entrances and balconies; roofing replacement of both low slope roof and tiled steep slope system; rehabilitation of the cupola and skylight, window frames and glazing, door frames and doors, and ornamental stone and metalwork.
We replaced 1542 pieces of sandstone, equaling 13,050 tonnes that was sourced from around the world.
HC: What’s your background in this area?
Darrel: I manage historic buildings on behalf of the city, taking a proactive approach to heritage conservation. I have had an opportunity to work on a number of projects, including Rouleau House, Holy Angels School, Fire Hall 6, and the Centennial Planetarium.
HC: What inspired you to do this work?
Darrel: The overall deterioration of the building over the years was substantial. The city of Calgary is committed to taking care of its buildings, and as a relatively young city, this building is an important historic landmark. We wanted to protect, rehabilitate and renew the building to last for at least 100 more years.