Manulife Place, Office skyscraper in downtown Edmonton, Canada
Manulife Place is an office skyscraper in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, with 36 floors built from steel and glass. The tower contains office space and ground-level retail, and connects directly to Edmonton's underground pedestrian network.
The site was occupied by the King Edward Hotel from 1906 until a fire destroyed it in 1978; demolition of the hotel ran from September 1979 to early 1980. Manulife assembled the land for $20 million and bought the hotel site at a reported $300 per square foot. After dropping a two-tower plan in July 1980, the company built a single 36-storey tower, begun in June 1981 and opened on 12 October 1983 at a cost of $100 million.
The building shapes Edmonton's downtown landscape and links multiple commercial centers into a unified walkable district. People experience it daily as a workplace and shopping destination in the city core.
The building connects to other downtown towers through Edmonton's Pedway system, which is especially useful during cold winters. The retail areas are accessible from inside the pedestrian network, so you can visit without going outdoors.
From its completion in 1983 until 2011, the tower was the tallest building in Edmonton, holding that position for nearly 30 years. It was eventually surpassed by Epcor Tower, which stands just a few blocks away in the same downtown area.
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