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The very first edition of Throwback Thursday published on SkyriseEdmonton pictured Jasper Avenue, just east of 101 Street, in the late 1960s. At the time, a number of mid-rise brick buildings, including the famed Capitol Theatre, brought significance and finesse to the streetscape. But Downtown Edmonton certainly wasn't immune to the international skyscraper trend, which introduced skyline-defining office blocks to the core across the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Many of those modest pre-war buildings were deemed obsolete and replaced by large towers, which themselves are now meeting their own judgment day. The 10-storey Bank of Montreal building at Jasper Avenue and 101 Street was one such victim of a recent modernization project.
After 48 years of anchoring a major Edmonton intersection, despite the pleas of heritage enthusiasts, the Bank of Montreal building underwent deconstruction. While there were initial hopes for something larger to be built at the site, those hopes were dashed when owner GE Real Estate unveiled plans to build a two-storey podium — not exactly the intensification urbanites were looking for, though it represented a promising drive to invest into the future of the corridor. The First and Jasper project would also revitalize and rebrand 200,000 square feet of office space in the adjacent 15-storey Epcor building.
The DIALOG-designed project brought ground-level retail space to Jasper Avenue and direct access to Central LRT station. The new podium features large glass expanses and a unique geometrical envelope further emphasized by an angular crystalline atrium. Stone planters and benches outside the corner restaurant help enhance the pedestrian experience.
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