Audio Transcript

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Welcome to the Downtown Calgary walking tour! The tour is 4 kilometres long and and will take around 2 hours to complete, but you can take as long as you like!

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The tour is a loop, so we’ll start & finish right here at City Hall. As we explore downtown Calgary, you’ll get to see much of the city’s artistic expressions and explore a lot of the commercial structures that made up the foundations of Calgary’s economic growth!

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Some highlights of this tour include Arts Commons, Stephen Avenue, The Palace Theatre, the Calgary Public Building, the Devonian Gardens, and The Grand!

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Let's get started shall we!? If you look to the north, you'll see a big old building with a red roof. That's Calgary’s City Hall, which totally looks like a medieval castle if you ask me. This building was completed in 1911, with a four storey addition being built in 1962. Before 1930, there were a number of these monumental civic halls built in various Prairie cities. City Hall was designated a National Historic Site in 1984!

You're also just in front of Calgary's Municipal Building, which houses many of Calgary's City offices.

 

Now you may also notice some horses hanging around. These sculptures are part of a piece called Family of Horses!

 

The sculptures were donated by Spruce Meadows in order to show their appreciation for the city. Spruce Meadows is a sports facility centre, with a focus on equestrian show jumping! If you look closely at the statues, you might notice that the stallion is watching over both the mare and the foal. This is a part of the piece’s double meaning!

The sculptures are meant to represent not only Calgary’s love of horses, but also the strength of its families! This is definitely a great place to get a picture, since it has both these amazing statues and it’s in front of the majestic City Hall!