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Downtown Commercial Core · Calgary office building record

Grain Exchange Building

Office · mid-rise office building · built 1909 · 815 1 St SW

Grain Exchange Building (815 1 St SW) is a 31 m mid-rise office building in Downtown Commercial Core, Calgary, recorded on the City assessment roll as built in 1909. Its main structure is the 148th tallest office roof of the 775 ranked in this record, and 88th of 119 in Downtown Commercial Core. The City assesses the parcel at $1.4M on the 2026 roll, 730th of 822 sites in the record by assessed value. The nearest CTrain platform is 1st Street SW, 218 m away in a straight line. 1,759 scheduled transit trips call within 300 m of the parcel on a weekday. Since 2012 the City has recorded 15 building permits and 14 development permits on the parcel, the largest a $107,000 restaurant permit for alteration, applied for in 2017. It appears on the City’s Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources as Grain Exchange Building.

LiDAR roof height31 m

Storey-equivalent (derived)8

Footprint694 m²

Parcel599 m²

Year built (roll)1909

Assessed 2026$1.4M

Structures on parcel1

Nearest CTrain218 m

Civic address: 815 1 St SW, Calgary, AB
Community: Downtown Commercial Core (DNC)
City sub-property use: C101 Office · all Office sites
Land use district: CR20-C20/R20 — Commercial - Residential Core (Commercial - Core)
Height rank: #148 of 785 citywide · #88 of 111 in Downtown Commercial Core
Footprint to parcel: 116% Above 100% because the LiDAR roof outlines attributed to this parcel cover more ground than its titled pieces, which happens where a roof oversails the lot line or a structure spans neighbouring parcels.
Parcel pieces: 1 titled piece · roll 068107804
Coordinates: 51.044947, -114.0658

Own or manage Grain Exchange Building?

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Massing and site plan

Left: isometric massing of every LiDAR structure on the parcel, at true scale, viewed from the south-west with 3.9 m storey lines. Right: plan of the parcel with surrounding footprints, Plus 15 walkways and nearby stations. Open this building in the 3D city →

31 m · 694 m²

Context within 150 m. Grey footprints darken with height; lime is the Plus 15 network.

How it compares

Roof height against the Downtown Commercial Core median and tallest, and against the city.

Access

Public-geometry tests only; confirm routes, entrances and hours with the building.

CTrain

Nearest station: 1st Street SW, 218 m straight-line (route 201/202). Planned Green Line station Beltline is 172 m away (Downtown Segment, per the City’s Green Line map).

Other office buildings near 1st Street SW Station →

Plus 15

The nearest Plus 15 segment is 35.3 m from the parcel boundary; the parcel itself is not touched by the network geometry.

Cycling

The best-rated cycling facility within 400 m of the parcel is a protected lane (Cycle Track), 324 m away.

Winter access

The parcel fronts a Priority 1 snow and ice clearing route, 8 m from its edge. Priority 1 routes are cleared first after a snowfall.

Accessible crossing

The nearest accessible pedestrian signal is at 8 Avenue and 1 Street, 75 m from the parcel. The closest signalised crossing, 9 Avenue and 1 Street at 33 m, has no accessible signal recorded.

Straight-line tests against The City of Calgary Calgary Bikeways, Snow and Ice Clearing Priority Routes and Traffic Signals, retrieved 2026-09-24. Bikeways are ranked by the City's comfort level, where 1 is a protected lane and 4 a major street. Snow priority is a clearing order, not a clearing time. An accessible pedestrian signal gives audible and tactile crossing cues; a signal recorded as unknown is not counted as having none.

Transit service

Scheduled Calgary Transit service at the door, not only the distance to a platform.

1,759 scheduled transit trips call within 300 m of this parcel on a representative weekday, 222 of them between 07:00 and 09:00, across 18 routes and 18 stops. The closest stop is NB 1 ST SW @ 8 AV SW, 44 m away.

Service class	Trips on the service day
REGULAR	921
LRT	672
MAX	107
BRT	59

Routes: 1 Bowness/Forest Lawn · 2 Mount Pleasant/Killarney 17 Av SW · 4 Huntington · 6 Killarney/26 Av SW · 7 Marda Loop · 10 City Hall/Southcentre · 13 Altadore · 15 Deerfoot Meadows · 22 Richmond Rd SW · 24 Ogden · 66 Lakeview · 90 Bridgeland/University of Calgary · 101 Inglewood · 201 Red Line - Somerset - Bridlewood/Tuscany CTrain · 202 Blue Line - Saddletowne/69 Street CTrain · 302 BRT Southeast/City Centre · 500 Airport Express · MP MAX Purple City Centre/East Hills.

Calgary Transit Scheduling Data (GTFS), service day 2026-09-28 inside the 2026-09-15 to 2026-12-20 service period. A trip is counted once however many stops it calls at inside the radius. Schedules change each service period; this is the schedule, not observed service.

Parking

What the City’s own tariff record says about kerbside parking beside this parcel.

Paid on-street parking within 200 m

146 metered stalls across 23 City parking zones touching this walking radius, at $1.00 to $4.75 per hour depending on zone and time of day. Maximum stay 30 to 120 minutes. Tariff zones 12, 14, 4c.

Enforced 0710-1750 MON-FRI, 0910-1750 SAT; 0840-1520 MON-FRI, 0910-1750 SAT; 0840-1750 MON-FRI, 0910-1750 SAT; 0910-1750 MON-FRI.

Closest zone

1 St SW, Fr 8 Av SW To 9 Av SW — 9 m from the parcel, 4 parallel stalls, tariff zone 4c, 60-minute maximum.

When	Rate
Mon-Fri 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM	$4.25 per Hour
Mon-Fri 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM	$4.75 per Hour
Mon-Fri 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM	$4.25 per Hour
No Parking at this time	See Street Signs
Saturday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM	$1.00 per hour
Sunday/Holidays:	Free parking
Free parking to 7am Mon-Fri	See Signs /Parking Restrictions

The City of Calgary On-Street Parking Zones with Rates, retrieved 2026-09-24. Counts cover Active paid parking zones only: loading bays, taxi stands, accessible stalls and permit-only zones are excluded, and off-street parkades are not in this dataset. Tariffs and enforcement hours change; confirm on the sign.

Heritage inventory

The City of Calgary Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources records the following on this parcel.

Grain Exchange Building

Construction year: 1910
Architect: Hodgson and Bates
Style: Chicago Commercial Style
Typology: Shop and Office
Development era: 1906 to 1913 (Pre WWI Boom, Age of Optimism)
Original use: Commerce
Planning theme: Business and Industry
Designation: Inventory listing only
Inventory class: CWHR

The Grain Exchange is a six-storey, sandstone commercial building in the Edwardian Classical style of the pre- First World War era. It is located on 1 St and 9th Avenue in downtown Calgary, just off the original historic main street of 8th Avenue (originally Stephen Avenue).

At the time of its construction, the Grain Exchange was one of the tallest and most modern buildings in Alberta. Originally called the Hull Block and built on speculation, Hull was persuaded by the Calgary Board of Trade and members of the Exchange to make it the Grain Exchange which it became from 1910-19. It symbolized Calgary's central role as service centre for the grain industry in Alberta. By 1919 the Exchange needed more space and moved to the Lancaster Building. A variety of business and professional people have rented the offices since then.

Source: The City of Calgary Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources, entry 412.

Assessment history

Assessed values are The City of Calgary’s taxation figures by roll year, not sale prices or rents; Alberta does not publish transaction prices.

Roll 068107804 · Office

Series not charted. The City’s published values for this roll number change by more than half or double between years, which usually signals a re-numbered, split or partially assessed account rather than a market movement. The published figures are listed below without a trend claim.

Published values by roll year

Roll year	Assessed value	Change
2005	$2.5M	—
2006	$3.3M	30.3%
2007	$5.1M	54.7%
2008	$9.4M	84.0%
2009	$7.1M	-24.4%
2010	$6.6M	-7.0%
2011	$3.2M	-51.4%
2012	$3.1M	-3.4%
2013	$6.0M	91.6%
2014	$7.4M	24.2%
2015	$7.5M	1.4%
2016	$6.7M	-10.3%
2017	$6.2M	-8.3%
2018	$4.6M	-25.0%
2019	$3.5M	-24.2%
2020	$3.3M	-6.6%
2021	$3.2M	-2.1%
2022	$2.7M	-16.2%
2023	$2.3M	-13.4%
2024	$2.5M	5.6%
2025	$1.8M	-28.9%
2026	$1.4M	-22.3%

Development and building permits

Applications the City has located on this parcel since 2012, from the Development Permits and Building Permits datasets.

Recent development permits 14 since 2012

Applied	Permit	Category · description	Status
2021-06-29	DP2021-4727	Change of Use - Permitted Use CHANGE OF USE: RETAIL AND CONSUMER SERVICE	Cancelled
2018-09-05	DP2018-4241	Change of Use - Permitted Use CHANGE OF USE: RETAIL AND CONSUMER SERVICE	Cancelled
2018-08-17	DP2018-3965	Change of Use - Discretionary Use or Relaxations Required CHANGE OF USE: CANNABIS STORE	Released Approval
2017-10-03	DP2017-4527	Change of Use - Permitted Use CHANGE OF USE: RETAIL AND CONSUMER SERVICE	Released Approval
2017-07-10	DP2017-3071	Change of Use - Permitted Use CHANGE OF USE: RETAIL AND CONSUMER SERVICE	Released Approval
2017-06-30	DP2017-2923	Outdoor Cafe CHANGES TO SITE PLAN: OUTDOOR CAFE (ADJACENT TO 9TH AVE SW)	Released Approval
2017-06-15	DP2017-2630	Change of Use - Permitted Use CHANGE OF USE: MEDICAL CLINIC	Released Approval
2017-03-14	DP2017-0931	Renovations - Non-Residential EXTERIOR RENOVATIONS: RESTAURANT: LICENSED - SMALL (NEW DOOR ON WEST ELEVATION)	Released Approval

Recent building permits 15 since 2012 · 2 in the City’s office class

Applied	Permit	Class · work	Est. cost	Status
2025-05-21	BP2025-09524	3610 - Drinking Establishment · Alteration Occuopants number increased	$1	Completed
2025-01-12	BP2025-00558	3702 - Barber Shop · Alteration	—	Refused
2024-04-30	BP2024-08265	3799 - Personal Service. Misc. · Alteration Interior Alteration	$5,000	Completed
2024-02-20	BP2024-02832	3799 - Personal Service. Misc. · Alteration Interior alteration	—	Completed
2023-12-20	BP2023-21802	3610 - Drinking Establishment · Alteration Interior alteration (Cafe).	$15,000	Completed
2023-03-14	BP2023-03181	3799 - Personal Service. Misc. · Alteration	—	Cancelled
2021-01-12	BP2021-00541	3799 - Personal Service. Misc. · Alteration D Interior Alterations	$5,000	Completed
2019-09-23	BP2019-13020	3106 - Retail Shop · Alteration Group E Superblend Cannabis	$20,000	Completed

Declared estimated project cost across all 15 non-residential building permits on the parcel since 2012: $306,383. Permit descriptions are the City’s records at retrieval; applicant and contractor names are not reproduced.

Inspections

What City inspectors recorded against the permits on this parcel.

30 inspection results are published against 10 of the 15 building permits on this parcel, from 2015-03-13 to 2025-07-18. The most recent occupancy inspection was accepted on 2025-07-18. 1 inspection used a life-safety checklist and 1 a barrier-free checklist.

What was inspected

Result of each visit

Outcome	Inspections
Acceptable	14
Acceptable Add Inspection	9
Acceptable with Conditions	7

Stage

Inspection type	Count
Progress	14
Final	10
Occupancy	4
Framing	2

The 14 most recent inspection results

Date	Permit	Stage	Checklist	Outcome	Inspector note
2025-07-18	BP2025-09524	Progress	All Directives	Acceptable	No deficiencies noted. No further building inspections are required.
2025-07-18	BP2025-09524	Final	All Directives	Acceptable	No deficiencies noted. No further building inspections are required.
2025-07-18	BP2025-09524	Occupancy	All Directives	Acceptable	No deficiencies noted. No further building inspections are required.
2024-08-27	BP2024-08265	Progress	All Directives	Acceptable	No deficiencies noted. No further building inspections are required.
2024-08-27	BP2024-08265	Final	All Directives	Acceptable	No deficiencies noted. No further building inspections are required.
2024-07-16	BP2023-21802	Final	All Directives	Acceptable	No deficiencies noted. No further building inspections are required. - Ok to proceed. No further inspection required.
2024-07-16	BP2023-21802	Occupancy	All Directives	Acceptable	No deficiencies noted. No further building inspections are required. - This occupancy permit only applies to the address and scope of work noted within. Any new scope of work taking place after issuance of this permit will require a new permit application.
2024-07-09	BP2023-21802	Final	All Directives	Acceptable Add Inspection	HVAC inspection and/or permit is required. - Condition of occupancy, contractor to ensure MP completed as discussed, file reviewed with mechanical SCO.
2024-07-09	BP2023-21802	Final	All Directives	Acceptable Add Inspection	Correct noted deficiencies, then may continue. - Ok to proceed. Conditional occupancy GRANTED. MP to be closed before occupancy.
2024-07-09	BP2023-21802	Final	NBC AE 3.8. Accessibility	Acceptable Add Inspection	NBC AE Division B 3.8.3.13. Universal Washrooms - Compliant grab bar and coat hook to be installed in barrier free washroom.
2024-04-08	BP2024-02832	Progress	Directives	Acceptable	Progress inspection called. The salon is a existing space, no work was done to the existing salon. Building permit completed.
2021-06-03	BP2021-00541	Final	—	Acceptable	Mechanical Permit has been inspected and accepted with conditions.
2021-05-18	BP2021-00541	Progress	DOCUMENTS Commercial	Acceptable with Conditions	AHS approval is required prior to serving the public.
2021-05-18	BP2021-00541	Progress	DIRECTIVES	Acceptable with Conditions	Call 311 to book an inspection For Final when the MP has been closed.

An inspection result is a record of one visit, not a verdict on the building. In the City's process a Not Acceptable result is an ordinary step: the inspector lists what must change and the work is re-inspected, which is why the most common outcome across the record is Acceptable Add Inspection. Most results relate to a single tenant improvement rather than the whole building. Inspector notes are The City of Calgary's own text at retrieval, with contact details removed; applicant and contractor names are never read.

The City of Calgary Building Inspections Results, joined to building permits by permit number, retrieved 2026-09-24.

Occupiers and licensed businesses

The public record of who operates on the parcel, labelled by source.

Businesses licensed by the City on this parcel 18 as of 2026-09-24

Licensed business	Address	Licence type	Status	Licensed since
Conjeaniality	815 1 St SW	Personal Service (Tattoo)	Renewal pending	2025
Heliopolis	817 1 St SW	Alcohol Beverage Sales (Drinking Est/Restaurant), Entertainment Establishment, Food Service - Premises (Seating), Retail Dealer - Premises	Licensed	2024
Homestead Tattoo	815 1 St SW	Personal Service (Tattoo), Retail Dealer - Premises	Licensed	2022
Jungle Betty	813 1 St SW	Personal Service, Retail Dealer - Premises, Wholesaler	Licensed	2024
Kopperfox	815 1 St SW	Personal Service	Licensed	2024
Lapres	811 1 St SW	Entertainment Establishment, Alcohol Beverage Sales (Drinking Est/Restaurant), Food Service - Premises (Seating), Outdoor Patio	Licensed	2019
Liberty Custom Goldworks	815 1 St SW	Manufacturer	Licensed	2004
Meat And Bread	821 1 St SW	Alcohol Beverage Sales (Restaurant), Food Service - Premises (Seating)	Licensed	2024
Sacred Goat Tattoo Studio	815 1 St SW	Personal Service (Tattoo)	Licensed	2020
Thai Thien Subs	811A 1 St SW	Food Service - Premises (Seating)	Licensed	2013
Woods Rose Natural Skincare	815 1 St SW	Personal Service	Licensed	2021
Individually licensed practitioner	815 1 St SW	Personal Service (Tattoo)	Renewal pending	2024
Individually licensed practitioner	815 1 St SW	Personal Service (Tattoo)	Licensed	2019
Individually licensed practitioner	815 1 St SW	Personal Service	Licensed	2024
Individually licensed practitioner	815 1 St SW	Personal Service (Tattoo)	Licensed	2024
Individually licensed practitioner	815 1 St SW	Personal Service	Licensed	2023
Individually licensed practitioner	815 1 St SW	Personal Service (Tattoo)	Licensed	2024
Individually licensed practitioner	815 1 St SW	Personal Service	Licensed	2020

Not a tenant roster. The City licenses specific business types (retail, food service, personal services, contractors, wholesalers, schools and similar). Most office occupiers such as professional firms need no municipal licence and do not appear here. Matched by civic address and by licence location inside the parcel; home-based licences are excluded.

No individuals are named. The City issues many personal-service licences to people trading under their own name. Suite numbers are never published, and where a licence reads as an individual rather than an organisation the name is withheld and only the licence category is shown; 7 of the 18 licences on this parcel are withheld on that basis. Names of sources this site does not use are omitted.

Nearby office buildings

The six nearest office building sites in the record, by straight-line distance between parcel centroids.

150 9 Ave SW124.4 m · built 1979 · Office · Downtown Commercial Core · 71 m
207 9 Ave SW95.1 m · built 2008 · Office · Downtown Commercial Core · 107 m
850 2 St SW63.5 m · built 2009 · Office · Downtown Commercial Core · 109 m
110 9 Ave SW72.6 m · built 2010 · Office · 2 accounts · Downtown Commercial Core · 145 m
Stephen Avenue Place225 7 Ave SW159.8 m · built 1975 · Office · Downtown Commercial Core · 173 m
Canada Life Assurance Building301 8 Ave SWheight n/a · built 1958 · Office · Downtown Commercial Core · 183 m

Where this building sits in the record

Every collection this building belongs to, from the same public data shown above.

Downtown Commercial Core office buildings Southwest Calgary All Office sites Built in the 1900s Land use CR20-C20/R20 Heritage office buildings Named office buildings Paid street parking Office buildings near CTrain Transit service ranking Assessment cycle 2015–2026 Construction record

Grain Exchange Building questions

Answers drawn from the record.

How tall is Grain Exchange Building?

The main structure on the parcel has a LiDAR roof height of 31 m in The City of Calgary’s 3D building data, a storey-equivalent of about 8 at 3.9 m per storey.

When was Grain Exchange Building built?

The City’s assessment roll records 1909 as the year of construction. The heritage inventory records 1910.

What is the assessed value of Grain Exchange Building?

The City of Calgary assesses this parcel at $1.4M in total on the 2026 roll, 730th of 822 sites in this record. Assessed value is the City’s figure for property tax, not a sale price or an asking price.

What is Grain Exchange Building zoned?

The parcel is designated CR20-C20/R20, Commercial - Residential Core, under the City of Calgary Land Use Bylaw. Confirm the designation and any amendments with the City before relying on it.

Which CTrain station is closest to Grain Exchange Building?

1st Street SW Station, 218 m in a straight line from the parcel centroid.

Who is in Grain Exchange Building?

The City of Calgary business licence register lists 18 licensed businesses at this address or inside the parcel as of 2026-09-24, shown in the occupiers section. Most office occupiers such as professional firms do not need a municipal licence, so the register is not a tenant roster.

Has Grain Exchange Building been inspected?

The City publishes 30 inspection results against 10 permits here, between 2015-03-13 and 2025-07-18. 1 used a life-safety checklist such as fire separations, firestopping or emergency lighting. 1 used the barrier-free checklist. The most recent occupancy inspection was accepted on 2025-07-18. Each result records one visit and most relate to a single tenant improvement, so this is not a verdict on the building.

How good is transit at Grain Exchange Building?

1,759 scheduled transit trips call within 300 m of the parcel on a representative weekday, 222 of them in the morning peak, across 18 routes. The closest stop is NB 1 ST SW @ 8 AV SW, 44 m away. That is the published schedule for one service period, not observed service, and it counts each trip once however many stops it makes nearby.

Can staff cycle or get there in winter at Grain Exchange Building?

The best-rated cycling facility within 400 m is a protected lane, 324 m away. The parcel fronts a Priority 1 snow and ice clearing route. These are straight-line tests against City layers.

Where can visitors park at Grain Exchange Building?

The City of Calgary's tariff record shows 146 paid on-street stalls in 23 zones within 200 m of the parcel, at $1.00 to $4.75 per hour. The closest is 1 St SW, Fr 8 Av SW To 9 Av SW, 9 m away. Loading bays, taxi stands, accessible stalls and off-street parkades are not counted, and rates change, so confirm on the sign.

Is office space available at Grain Exchange Building?

This profile is built from public records and does not track availability, rents or tenancy. Submit a private requirement and current options in the building or nearby will be confirmed through Commercially.

Open in 3D Downtown Commercial Core office buildings Calgary office space guide Downtown map Skyline Office lease cost guide Office tour checklist

Public record sources: Current Year Property Assessments (Parcel), Historical Property Assessments (Parcel), Assessment Subproperty Use Codes, 3D Buildings - Citywide (LiDAR roof outlines), Land Use Districts, Transit LRT Stations, Green Line Stations, Plus 15, Historic Resource (Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources), Development Permits, Building Permits, Calgary Existing Buildings - Performance Metrics (BenchmarkYYC), Calgary Business Licenses, On-Street Parking Zones with Rates, Building Inspections Results, Residential Parking Zones, Snow and Ice Clearing Priority Routes, Traffic Signals, Calgary Bikeways — The City of Calgary, retrieved 2026-09-24. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. Building names, floor counts and architects, where shown, come from Wikidata (CC0). No brokerage, listing-data or commercial research source is used.

Boundary: Assessed values are the City’s assessment-roll figures for taxation and are not sale prices, asking rents, vacancy or availability; Alberta does not publish transaction prices. LiDAR heights are roof-surface elevations above the lowest ground point at the building perimeter and can differ from architectural heights. Storey equivalents are derived at 3.9 m per storey and are not floor counts. Distances are straight-line. Permit descriptions are the City’s records at retrieval and do not establish current use, tenancy or availability. Read the methodology.

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