This Calgary building was named one of Canada’s most endangered places
Following its closure earlier this year, the iconic Calgary Hudson’s Bay building has been added to the National Trust for Canada’s Endangered Places List.
The uncertainty of the building’s future follows the collapse of the Hudson’s Bay Company across Canada. After 355 years in service, the iconic retailer closed all of its department stores in June 2025. The closure has left several landmark Bay buildings vacant.
Built in 1913 and designed by the renowned Toronto firm Burke, Horwood and White, the six-storey building is one of Western Canada’s most architecturally and historically significant commercial buildings.
“Despite its architectural merit and deep social legacy, the Calgary Bay building lacks formal heritage designation, leaving it vulnerable to demolition and redevelopment,” the organization said in a release.
The National Trust for Canada’s Endangered Places annually release a list of the country’s most at-risk sites, aiming to raise public awareness, attract media, and support local groups campaigning to save these important landmarks.
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The organization has labelled the building’s status as an immediate threat.
While other Bay buildings across the country, such as Winnipeg’s, are being converted into housing and cultural hubs, there are currently no plans for the Calgary location.
“Earlier this year, the Calgary building’s financial caretaker stated it will no longer inject capital into the site,” the organization stated.
Located on historic Stephen Avenue, the building has been considered a cornerstone of Calgary’s downtown identity. Featuring Chicago Commercial-style massing, rare cream-glazed terracotta cladding, granite columns, and a sweeping colonnade, the structure is one of the best examples of 20th-century department store designs and was Calgary’s first large-scale commercial concrete structure.
“As a national prototype, Calgary’s Bay building would go on to inspire similar flagships in Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg — setting the tone for a retail empire across the West.”