Buildings' heritage preserved in Mancal renovation project
David Parker
Calgary Herald
Thursday, October 20, 2005
We get a little concerned when we see big tarps surrounding older buildings: there's always the danger that they will disappear behind the screening. No need to worry about the stylistic former AGT/Telus building across from Petro-Canada Centre and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on 6th Avenue S.W.
One of the reasons it was purchased by Mancal Properties Inc., part of the Mancal Group controlled by Fred Mannix, is that the company wanted to make sure the historical building was retained and, although the interior has been gutted back to the walls in the renovation, I'm assured that when the facade is revealed again it will not be changed other than new windows, which were needed.
Actually, there are two buildings on the site -- 115 and 119 6th Ave. S.W. -- one built in 1929 and the other in the early 1930s as a telephone exchange, and boasting the province's first automatic elevators. Long since deemed non-functional for today's technology, they are being transformed into modern office space with new elevators, electrical, mechanical, security -- the whole nine yards, including converting the basement into 20 parking spaces.
The street level will provide 15,200 square feet of retail or office space and the second level, which runs right through both structures, is being transformed into 21,500 square feet of much needed office area by CANA Construction working with designs by Gibbs Gage Architects.
No. 119 has two additional floors of 13,000 square feet offering a total of 62,700 square feet that will be available for occupancy by the second quarter of 2006.
The buildings were sold to Mancal through Alex Wong of Avison Young who has been retained as exclusive leasing agent. He says Mancal anticipated the market correctly as today's tight vacancy rate is only going to get tougher by year-end and larger areas of space will be very difficult to find until some of the newer construction comes on stream.
It is certainly in a great location, just a Plus-15 walk into Hanover Place and a couple of doors down from where EnCana is to build its new office tower.
Go to this page for a rendering of the project: