Toronto-Dominion Square, originally Oxford Square, is a full-block building complex in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

built by Oxford Developments. The project was designed by

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an American architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel A. Owings, Nathaniel Owings in Chicago, Illinois. In 1939, they were joined by engineer Jo ...

of New York, with J. H. Cook and Associates as the architect of record. It is located on the block between 7 and 8 Avenues South and 2 and 3 Streets West. The structure consists of a three-storey base with two 35-storey towers. The south tower is named for the Home Oil Company and the north tower is named for

Dome Petroleum Dome Petroleum Limited was a Calgary-based oil and gas company. Founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of the Toronto company Dome Mines Limited, Dome was built by Jack Gallagher, who remained with the company until 1983. In 1988 Dome was purchased by A ...

. The base includes a large botanical garden called the Devonian Gardens. In 1980, SOM designed a near replica of the Calgary building in its UBS Plaza in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

. The tower has a height of and holds 35 floors. Designed by ''CPV Group Architects and Engineers Ltd'' in late

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

style, it was built by ''PCL Construction'' and was completed in 1977. The building is managed by ''Cushman and Wakefield''. Devonian Gardens is a large indoor park and

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

located in the

downtown core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buildi ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

, Canada. In 2012 a major $37-million renovation was completed. Located on the Stephen Avenue pedestrian mall (8 Avenue SW) between 2 Street SW and 3 Street SW, the park is completely enclosed with glass and covers (one full city block) on the top floor of

The Core Shopping Centre The Core (stylized The CORE), which consists of TD Square, the Holt Renfrew building, and the former Calgary Eaton Centre, is the dominant shopping complex located in the downtown core of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It spans three city blocks and c ...

(formerly TD Square). It is maintained by The City of Calgary Parks. The gardens include a living wall, koi ponds, fountains, a children's play area, and over 550 trees, as well as meeting/function space for special events. A full-service restaurant is also planned. DevonianGardens-9

Opened in 1977, Devonian Gardens was designed by J.H. Cook Architects and Engineers and donated to the City of Calgary by the Devonian Group of Charitable Foundations and Calford Properties. The construction cost was 9 million

dollars Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, U ...

. The original gardens contained more than 20,000 plants representing 135

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and local species, decorated with waterfalls, bridges, koi ponds and sculptures by local artists, showcased as a permanent art exhibition. A major redevelopment of

(formerly TD Square) beneath the park began in 2008, requiring the gardens to close for renovations for 4 years. The changes include a wider, taller circulation space in the mall below and installation of a 3-block long, continuous skylight above. The gardens reopened on June 27, 2012, and features additional seating for the CORE food court, a playground and space for corporate events. In 2016 it had to be closed again to repair persistent leaks.

References

Buildings and structures in Calgary Skyscrapers in Calgary Buildings and structures completed in 1977 Modernist architecture in Canada Skyscraper office buildings in Canada {{Alberta-struct-stub