DOWNTOWN GEM FOR SALE
CP Rail puts complex on the block
When the Royal Canadian Pacific luxury train would leave downtown Calgary for the Rockies, passengers looking to experience the romance of rail travel climbed the marble steps of the Fairmont Palliser Hotel’s lower level up into the magnificent glass-domed rotunda that spans 1st Street S.W.
After the Penn West office complex was built, a new home was needed for the CP kitchens that provided meals for the train passengers.
In 2008, Canadian Pacific built a new commercial kitchen in an attractive office building alongside Penn West that fronts onto 9th Avenue. Today, the complex is for sale through Bryan Walsh and John Moss of CBRE.
The offering includes the office block, rotunda and great hall.
A 2,500-square-foot reception area under the spectacular glass dome would still be a classy spot for corporate functions, weddings and other events.
Moss said one interested party mused about building a mezzanine floor in the dome and using the top portion as a classy executive office. I like the idea of keeping it as a public space where guests can marvel at the overengineered curvature of the glass walls.
The rotunda and great hall is accessed by a rising, covered walkway alongside a glass wall that overlooks 1st Street and the Fairmont Palliser.
The great hall is really a huge shed that houses two sets of railway tracks where the historic carriages were kept. It, too, has a showy roof structure with a number of skylights and CPR memorabilia still hangs from historic designed hanging light fixtures throughout its 440-foot length.
The space lends itself to some creative thinking about its best use. It would be a great space for a museum or art gallery — or perhaps a downtown urban market. Another idea is to build within it two floors of covered parking.
The office building has the full commercial kitchen with cold storage and walk-in freezer on the 5,400-square-foot main floor, accessed through a recessed entrance on 9th Avenue into offices. More office space is located on the 4,000-square-foot second floor, which includes a boardroom looking over the busy intersection and across to the historic Grain Exchange Building. Walsh said this floor could also be enlarged with a rooftop patio.
Another 5,100 square feet in the basement area is primarily taken up with mechanical and storage space.
I look forward to seeing this eye-catching building put to good use again.
NEWS AND NOTES
The Alberta Champions Society was created by Gordon Hoffman in 2003 to commemorate, recognize and honour those who have made a significant lifetime contribution to Calgary.
It has since placed inspirational Fields of Fame monuments in four prominent locations around the city. On Sept. 15, six more stainless steel “stalks of wheat” will be unveiled on the main square of Heritage Park Historic Village — a perfect spot — to recognize Wilf Carter, Harry Hays, Harley Hotchkiss, Sam Livingston, Dr. Clara Christie Might and Chief Walking Buffalo.
The Organization of Canadian Women in Public Relations is hosting a networking reception on Sept. 8 at the Bank and Baron Pub. It is one of a series of events being held across Canada following the official launch of the new organization in Vancouver.
Talia Beckett David, chair and president of CPWR, will outline the organization’s commitment as an important source of information for women in the field of public relations.