UCalgary landmarks and their interesting history!
January 31, 2024
Karah Schmidtler
When you walk around campus you may spot some well-known UCalgary landmarks, but do you know the stories behind why they became so infamous? Come and explore the UCalgary's main landmarks and learn a bit more about thier history!
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Leon the frog
This well-known UCalgary landmark has been around since the 1970s and is in UCalgary’s Social Sciences building. Leon the Frog follows the journey of a frog through his experiences of feeling lost, unsure of where to go, and slowly finding his place in the world as he travels up the stairwell to the 12th floor. Before the University of Calgary grew, the Social Sciences building had many other departments as occupants such as nursing, social work, anthropology and more, with arts residing on the 12th floor. With Leon’s journey up the stairs, he passes through these different departments, looking for where he fits. This piece of art was first created by students 50 years ago but has been restored multiple times throughout the years to keep Leon’s story alive on the UCalgary campus. As many students can see themselves as Leon the Frog throughout his journey, this landmark has worked to create a sense of community and belonging amongst all UCalgary students. The next time you visit campus be sure to take the leap and follow Leon’s journey up the stairs to the top.
The Zipper
Created by Katie Ohe in 1975, the Zipper is a sculpture that lives in the Science Theatres outside of two of the largest lecture halls on campus. This UCalgary icon is said to bring good luck to students that spin it before exams, making its placement outside of the Science Theatres ideal as many students will take midterms and final exams here. If you are an engineering student, however, it is best to avoid this UCalgary tradition as it is said to bring bad luck to any student in this program that spins it. Come and give it a spin for yourself on a campus tour to gain some of that UCalgary luck!
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MacKimmie Tower
The MacKimmie Tower, which was initially known as the Library Extension, was built to meet the growing needs of the student population and library. When the University of Calgary opened they were amassing 20,000-25,000 new books per year, as a new institution, they needed to expand. After construction was completed, the building began to settle, leading to rumours among UCalgary students that the library had too many books for its structural integrity. However, this myth stems from the initial plans of the building being 21 stories tall with a final construction ending at only 12 floors. This led students to believe there was a miscalculation in the design that did not consider the weight of the books, however, it was the elevator that caused the final floors to not be completed. After significant redesigns and construction, this building is one of the most environmentally conscious buildings at the University of Calgary, being certified Zero Carbon and LEED certified, and it is home to administration offices after all library functions moved to the Taylor Family Digital Library in 2011.
The Atrium
Known as one of UCalgary’s most beautiful study spots, the Atrium is located inside of the Administration building, one of the first constructed buildings on the UCalgary campus. This building is home to many different professors' offices as well as the atrium, an indoor greenhouse with comfortable seating and beautiful tropical plants to look at. The Atrium didn’t always look the way it does now, when it was first constructed it was made to be an open-air courtyard in the center of the building! In 1970, it received a glass roof to ensure it could be used all year round by students and staff. If you visit the atrium, you may also notice three distinct sculptures in the back of room. Depicting Socrates, these statues were donated by Jimmie Condon back in 1980. Each statue weighs around 3 tons and traveled all the way from Greece to the University of Calgary to be on display for students.
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The Rock
In 1968, a rock appeared on the UCalgary campus, dug up from underneath the Social Sciences building during the construction. This rock, which is estimated to be between 30-50 million years old, was subsequently placed on campus and became a hot spot of student activity. Throughout the years, it has survived many student pranks, one which split the rock into three separate parts, and thousands of layers of paint. These rocks have seen the University of Calgary in its infancy in the 1960s to the flourishing campus it is today, welcoming new students every year. The rocks have become a communal communication platform and allows students to share their thoughts and feelings, student events and news, and spread messages across the UCalgary campus. The most important rules for students wishing to paint the rock are to be respectful of other’s messages and the environment. When the rock is freshly painted, the message must be kept on it for 24 hours and a special type of paint is suggested for students to use that is not harmful to the environment. Wanting to visit The Rocks today? You’ll find one outside of the Hunter Student Commons, one between the Taylor Family Digital Library and the MacEwan Student Centre and one over by the Dining Centre in Residence.
Door to nowhere
The Canadian Natural Resources Limited Engineering Complex is one of the largest buildings on campus, with all of the engineering buildings being combined back in 2016. When the buildings were initially constructed, Engineering Block E was opened first in 1964 followed shortly by blocks A, B, C and D. The addition of F block was last in 1982. In more recent years, to match the growing expansion of the Schulich School of Engineering, a final G block was added which aided in combining the rest of the engineering buildings in the center. This created additional space for students, such as study areas, a communal staircase and more labs and classrooms. When you walk into the main doors of the building you may notice a strange doorway to your right, known as the door to nowhere by the campus community. Even before the construction of Block G, the engineering buildings had their mysteries. This door is located on the side of the wall, no hallway lines up with it and nobody can enter or exit through it.
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