BANFF – A local hotel and restaurant operator revived an iconic Banff location nearing its century mark.
Caribou Corner was restored by The Banff Lodging Company to its 1930s original look after undergoing an extensive renovation that returned its façade, roofline and signage to its original architectural style and design.
“We wanted to create a modern vibrant and active street frontage, while maintaining the unique and historic value of Caribou Corner," said Gord Lozeman, The Banff Lodging Company’s president and CEO, in a release.
Located on the corner of Banff Avenue and Caribou Street, 202 Caribou Corner was originally designed by Albertan architect company Fordyce and Stevenson. The design was influenced by the streamline modern stylistic approach of aerodynamic lines and forms often found in ocean liners, airplanes and railway trains at the time.
The building features smooth surfaces, curved corners and horizontal lines. It was originally built for the Gray Line and Brewster’s sightseeing tours that ran a bus service between Calgary and Edmonton to Banff.
It later housed the Hudson’s Bay Company and a florist shop.
The Banff Lodging Company owns and operates 14 hotels, seven restaurants and two spas in the Bow Valley.
The exterior renovation was designed and managed by Katie Hesketh, who came to Banff from her native Australia after receiving her master’s degree in architecture in 2016.
Among the project’s features are using siding materials made from a mixture of stone, porcelain and glass, raising the parapets to conceal the HVAC system on the roofline and using minimal canopies on the upper and basement floors.
“It’s a bold look and will stand out among the Rocky Mountain style buildings in Banff,” she said in the release. “We are excited to bring this bygone nostalgia back to the present and hope visitors and residents alike will enjoy it.”
Ericka Chemko, the vice chair of the Banff Heritage Corporation, said in the release the investment can lead to greater appreciation of the Town’s long history.
“The project will create a consistent look that honours the building’s original architectural style," Chemko said. "Investment in telling Banff and Bow Valley stories from those that have always been here, to those that have come later as visitors and guests, allows everyone to appreciate and understand what a special place this is and will continue to be.”
