The project was originally conceived as a joint venture by Marathon Realty (the real estate subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway) and Husky Oil for their new head offices in Calgary.
They proposed building the tower both to honour Canada's centennial year of 1967 and to encourage urban renewal and growth of downtown Calgary.
[4] 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 170-metre (550 ft) "restaurant-observation tower".
[5] The chosen site housed Canadian Pacific's Calgary passenger station which was demolished a year after the announcement to make way for the development.
[6] The concept of a centennial tower was originally proposed for Edmonton, but the project was opposed by residents near the chosen site.
[9] Upon completion, the Husky Tower stood 191 metres (626 ft) tall and was the tallest structure of its type in North America.
[3] It dominated the Calgary skyline, standing well over twice the height of the previous tallest structure in the city, Elveden House.
The addition of a souvenir shop and a revolving restaurant were part of a $2.4 million refurbishment of the upper levels of the tower.
[3] A glass floor extension was constructed on the north side of the tower's observation deck and opened on June 24, 2005.
They have been entertaining the city from their location in the Calgary Tower since 2003, providing a full season of plays in the mystery genre, for adult and youth audiences.