Bankers Hall is a building complex located in downtown Calgary which includes twin 52-storey office towers (197 metres high), designed by the architectural firm Cohos Evamy in postmodern architectural style. 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. As the photograph is form 1996, only the first one is visible here. Both buildings contain four-level podiums with an upscale retail gallery connected to the Plus 15 skywalk network, and incorporate the historic Hollingsworth 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 brown roof structure while the East building's crown is in white. A white cowboy hat has long been an iconic symbol of Calgary, being portrayed on the city's flag, and presented as gifts to foreign dignitaries by the civic government at "white hat ceremonies.". The Home Oil Tower and the Dome Tower are the darker ones right of the Bankers Hall. The base of the structure, shared with its twin, the Dome Tower, consists of the TD Square shopping mall and the Devonian Gardens urban park. |