The Hudson’s Bay building has stood as a staple in Calgary’s downtown core for over a century, but today, the historic space faces an uncertain future.
With no concrete redevelopment plan in place, the building’s past, present, and future were the focus of a recent public discussion hosted by Heritage Calgary, where experts outlined both the possibilities for the site and the challenges standing in the way.
Andrew Doudican, director of urban strategy for the Calgary Downtown Association, spoke about the building’s challenges.
“This is currently a rapidly decaying, largely vacant space that invites vagrancy, vandalism, and actually detracts from the vibrancy of the avenue,” Doudican said at the event.
The building is still home to three businesses: The Guild, Hudson, and Sub Rosa, showing that there is still a demand for historic spaces like this.
However, given its size, its vacancy following the closure of Hudson’s Bay presents ongoing challenges for maintenance and upkeep in a building of this age.
“Buildings of the size, age, and complication are going to take time to transact, but this building is the heart of our city, so we’re hoping it’s worth the wait,” he said. “Successful redevelopment would act as a catalyst for revitalization on Stephen Avenue.”
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As for what could become of the Hudson’s Bay building, Philip Vandermey and Jessie Andjelic, founding partners of Spectacle Bureau for Architecture and Urbanism, spoke about potential redevelopment ideas for the site.
They emphasized that while the building’s future is still undefined, its scale, location, and heritage value make it a strong candidate for reuse rather than demolition.
“Sustainability is one of the key issues of our time, and the most sustainable building is one that is already built,” Vandermey said.
They added that the building’s future will likely require a mixed-use approach, combining residential, cultural and commercial spaces to keep the site fully active.
They suggested the building could become a layered downtown hub, with possibilities ranging from cultural and creative spaces to housing, post-secondary spaces, and public gathering areas, following the footsteps of other Hudson’s Bay buildings, like the one in Victoria, B.C., which now serves as higher-end housing on top of retail space.
For now, the building’s future remains uncertain as it does not currently have heritage protection in place, and it has even found itself on the National Trust for Canada’s Endangered Places List.