Calgary Then & Now: From Tom Campbell Hill

Tom Campbell Hill (alt: Tom Campbell’s Hill) is located a little northeast of downtown Calgary of which it overlooks. At one time it was pasture and got its name from a billboard erected here by a fellow with that name who was owner of a hat firm in town (chapeaus were big business then). We saw some old Glenbow photos and yup, there’s his ad high up for all to see.

Later, the Calgary Zoo, just to the south, acquired the land and put it to use as a paddock for hoofed (hooven?) beasts. You know, camels, zebras and as you’ll see in this post, mountain goats. The property served this purpose from 1950 to 1985 and soon after was acquired by the city.

There were proposals to redevelop the hill after the animals moved out but this was met with opposition and shelved. How different things would have been up here! The city says it the plans were for industrial use, but other reports suggest – you guessed it – condos instead. The latter sounds more plausible, given the scenic potential (ie: its real value was location and that means cha-ching). The land has since be made into a doggie park and was a busy place on our visit. What’s the deal with all that yellow snow?

But enough of that and now it’s on to the fun stuff. Let’s compare!

The then photo has no date but based on the towers seen in the core we could place it sometime about mid-1970s. This was just before the BIG BOOM with the downtown skyline soon to change. Some goats are seen lounging about and seem indifferent with the view.

Below it’s the community of Bridgeland and most prominent in the scene is the old General Hospital (right frame). Built over several years in the 1940s-1950s period, it was demolished in the late 1990s to make way for condos and coffee bars. In a cloud of dust and it became a memory.

Is that a stubby beer bottle on the ground lower centre and if so just what’s been going on up here?

Now it’s 2020, and we see the profile of the hill has changed a bit with the removal of those big rocks. The look out over the city, however, is just as good as ever and it’s not bad in other directions too.

Has downtown grown and the towers seen in the old photo are now lost among the clutter with so much having been built up in the ensuing years. Most of these newer skyscrapers date from two economic booms, one in the late 1970s to mid-1980s period and another that happened in the 2010s.

The Calgary Tower, from the late 1960s, amazingly remains visible in the recent photo. Once the city’s tallest building and of course its symbol, it’s set back from most of the heavy development and not obscured by this angle. From other directions, though, it’s often hard to see.

Where as most of the buildings in downtown present day are pretty featureless slabs of glass, there’s a couple standouts. Telus Sky, completed about a year ago, is that twisty building (twisty: an official architectural term) on the left side of the photo and is perhaps the most unique tower design wise. They actually put some effort into it and broke away from the block model most often used out this way.

By virtue of its huge mass, the Bow (2012), just to the right, is similarly prominent. It’s not the tallest building in town (as of 2020 – but is close) but from this view appears as such. Also of note are the two Banker’s Halls (1989 and 2000) put in between the two main boom periods and to the left of Telus Sky. These change it up and have hip style roofs instead of the usual flat ones.

As for the rest, they tend to blend together is sea of blah with each looking little different from the other. Is it us or is architecture out this way bland? Of the towers seen in the then photo we can make out little bits of one or two peeking out here and there, but that’s it. They’re surrounded!

In the foreground, both images, is a health care facility (that three spoke building) from the late 1960s and it’s little changed over time, in a town where change is the norm. Also connecting the two eras is an apartment block (built early 1970s), NW quadrant of the both photos and but it might be hard to pick out in the 2020 version. It’s just one small building against a backdrop of many much bigger, where as before not hard to see.

Otherwise, pretty much everything you see today post-dates the old photo and a reminder that Calgary’s a relatively new city. What was is gone and replaced and it’s done mercilessly. With that said all we have are three elements, a building in the fore ground, one mid-point and in back the “Husky Tower” to tie it all together. Change is constant in this city, not a bad thing necessarily, but it sure did happen fast. There’s nothing more dramatic, in terms a skyline transformed rapidly, than Calgary.

Dogs have replaced the goats on Tom Campbell Hill and we met lots of new four-legged friends shooting this piece. We also got some quizzical looks from the bipedal crowd as we jockeyed for position. “What are you guys doing?” Then we explain, it makes no sense to them, it’s more questions and confusion and then it gets complicated. No one gets it, but then it’s a weird concept.

The then photo comes from an anonymous reader but with no accompanying data. While we’ve search its origins no definite source was found and so we post and speak cautiously. It does appear in the public domain, but if a copyright holder is found, and we’ll keep looking, we’ll take the post down or credit accordingly (their choice).

The now photo lined up pretty well, and while they can never be perfect the way we do them (due to a myriad of reasons), had we moved a wee bit to the left it would have been that close to an ace. But we had fun, so whatever. We had a good time on Tom Campbell Hill.

We’ll see you next time…

To know more about the shooting position: Tom Campbell’s Hill.

They’re saying…

”One of the great places to see great places, online! Wonderful work Chris and Connie…!” Greg Herman.

Some favourite T&Ns…
Sandon BC Then & Now – An amazing ghost town.
Brokeback Mountain Then and Now: Twist Ranch – As seen in the movie!
Fort MacLeod Then and Now: Fort Museum – Many decades apart.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: contact us!

Date of Adventure: February 2020.
Location: Calgary, AB.
Article references and thanks: City of Calgary and Calgary Zoo.

From Tom Campbell Hill maybe 45 years apart.

It affords one an excellent view of the Calgary Skyline.