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Line 34: ==History== ===Planning and construction=== The project was originally conceived as a joint venture by Marathon Realty (the real estate subsidiary of [[Canadian Pacific Railways]]) and [[Husky Oil]] for their new head offices in Calgary. They proposed building the tower both to honor Canada's [[Canadian Centennial|centennial]] year of 1967 and to encourage urban renewal and growth of [[downtown Calgary]].<ref name="Sun25th">{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Mike |title=Towering tribute to landmark |work=[[Calgary Sun]] The urban renewal project was announced to the public on December 10, 1965 and consisted of a transport terminal, hotel, parking, office facility and a 550 foot "restaurant-observation tower".<ref>{{cite news|last=Perry|first=Fraser|title=Renewal Plan Spans Tracks|work=[[Calgary Herald]]|date=December 11, 1965|page=1|id={{pq|2253788807}}}}</ref> The chosen site housed Canadian Pacific's Calgary passenger station which was demolished a year after the announcement to make way for the development. The provincial government reviewed the tower proposal for consideration as a publicly funded centennial project, but Public Works Minister [[Frederick C. Colborne]] recommended against the use of public funds for the project.<ref name="19651210CgyHldProv">{{cite news |title=Provincially-Built Pylon Likely Out |work=[[Calgary Herald]] |date=December 11, 1965 |page=1 |id={{pq|2253788807}}}}</ref> The concept of a centennial tower was originally proposed for Edmonton, but the project was opposed by residents near the chosen site.<ref name="19651210CgyHldProv"/> Former Calgary Mayor [[Grant MacEwan]] asked the provincial government to move the project to Calgary, until Marathon and Husky decided to build the project independent of public funds.<ref name="19651210CgyHldProv"/> The plan for the tower continued to change as construction delays occurred and the planned height rose from 550 feet to 600 feet.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tower Start Delayed Year|work=[[Calgary Herald]]|date=September 15, 1966|page=1|id={{pq|2253699621}}}}</ref> Line 42: Upon completion, the Husky Tower stood {{convert|190.8|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall and was the tallest structure of its type in North America.<ref name="Sun25th"/> It dominated the Calgary skyline, standing well over twice the height of the previous tallest structure in the city, [[Elveden Centre (Calgary)|Elveden House]].<ref name="HeraldOnTop"/> Developers deliberately misled the public, claiming the tower would stand {{convert|187|m|ft|abbr=on}}, in the hopes of preventing competing developers from surpassing the Husky Tower's height record. Shortly after officials in [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]] attempted to claim the record in announcing the completion of the {{convert|190|m|ft|abbr=on}} [[Tower of the Americas]], developers revealed the Husky Tower's true height.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JWhkAAAAIBAJ&pg=3752%2C5022180|title=Overnight growth kept city on top|work=Calgary Herald|date=June 28, 1968|access-date=July 21, 2015|page=23}}</ref> The Husky Tower officially opened on June 28–30, 1968, in three separate ceremonies.<ref name="TowerHistory"/> The observation level featured a lounge/restaurant called the ''Hitching Post''.<ref>{{cite news ===Later history=== [[File:Calgary Tower 1978.jpg|right|thumb|The Calgary Tower in 1978, showing the original red and yellow paint scheme]] Marathon Realty acquired a controlling interest in the tower in 1970.<ref name="CPLCornerStones">{{cite web|url=http://calgarypubliclibrary.com/library/historic_tours/corner/tower.htm The [[Suncor Energy Centre|Petro-Canada Centre]]'s west tower overtook the Calgary Tower as the tallest structure in Calgary in 1983.<ref name="CPLCornerStones"/> | |||