Bankers Hall is a building complex located in downtown Calgary , Alberta , which includes twin 52-storey office towers (197 metres high), designed by the architectural firm Cohos Evamy in postmodern architectural style.
8-540: The first building, known as Bankers Hall East, is located at 855 2nd Street SW and was completed in 1989. It was followed in 2000 by Bankers Hall West, at 888 3rd Street SW. After its completion, they became the tallest twin buildings in Canada. Both buildings contain four-level podiums with an upscale retail gallery connected to the Plus 15 skywalk network. The Core Shopping Centre , the largest shopping complex in downtown Calgary,
16-517: Is directly connected via Plus 15 . The northeast corner of the complex incorporates the historic Hollinsworth Building, whose intricate terra cotta facade has been fully restored. The distinctive crowns of the buildings are intended to resemble cowboy hats when viewed from afar; Bankers Hall West is topped by a gold roof structure while the East building's crown is in silver. A white cowboy hat has long been an iconic symbol of Calgary, being portrayed on
24-482: The Downtown Commercial Core , while proponents cite extensive use of the system, enhancing the flow of human traffic to businesses downtown, especially in the winter. In 1998, the city began to re-evaluate the system. Part of the goal of these studies was reinvigorating decreased daytime street life on some downtown streets. The possibility of limiting expansion to encourage more pedestrian street traffic
32-467: The city's flag, and presented as gifts to foreign dignitaries by the civic government at "white hatting ceremonies". The complex previously featured a fitness centre called Bankers Hall Club and, prior to that, a multiplex movie theater, however both facilities are now closed. The bottom 4 floors of the Bankers Hall complex feature a shopping mall of the same name, which has skywalk connecting it to
40-424: The city's flagship department stores . New developments were required to connect to the walkway system; in exchange for this, they were offered more floorspace (the "bonus density"). When not physically able to connect to nearby buildings, developers contribute to the "Plus 15 Fund", managed by the city, used to finance other missing connections. Critics argue that the system has led to a decline in street life in
48-546: The larger The CORE shopping centre to the north. The shopping mall of Bankers Hall contains 222,000 square feet (20,600 m) of retail floor area. Canadian Natural Resources Limited Plus 15 The Plus 15 or +15 is a skyway network in Calgary , Alberta , Canada . It is the world's most extensive pedestrian skywalk system, with a total length of 16 kilometres (10 miles) and 86 bridges connecting 130 buildings, as of 2022. Calgary often has severe winters and
56-417: The walkways allow people to get around the city's downtown more quickly and comfortably. The busiest parts of the network saw over 20,000 pedestrians per day in a 2018 count. The system is so named because the skywalks are approximately 15 feet (approximately 4.5 metres) above street level. Some Plus 15 skywalks are multi-level, with higher levels being referred to as Plus 30s and Plus 45s. The system
64-587: Was conceived and designed by architect Harold Hanen , who worked for the Calgary Planning Department from 1966 to 1969. This development earned him the 1970 Vincent Massey Award for Merit in Urban Planning. Opening in 1970, the Plus 15 network has expanded to include 86 enclosed bridges connecting 130 downtown Calgary buildings. The central core of the system is a series of enclosed shopping centres, and
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