Edmonton is the capital and second largest city of the Canadian province of Alberta. With a city population of 1,010,899 and a metropolitan area population of 1,418,118 as of 2021, it is the fifth-largest city and sixth-largest metropolitan area in Canada. As the northernmost city in North America with a population of over one million, Edmonton has the northernmost skyscapers and high-rises taller than 100 metres (328 feet), 150 m (492 ft) and 200 m (656 ft) on the continent. As of 2025, Edmonton has 25 buildings taller than 100 m (330 ft), two of which reach a height of 150 m (492 ft).
Edmonton's first true skyscraper, and the tallest building in Western Canada for five years, was the CN Tower, built in 1966. A building boom did not really begin until the oil shocks of 1973 and 1979, which prompted construction of many office towers. High-rise construction was virtually non-existent between the mid-1980s and the early 2000s due to low oil prices, upon which Edmonton's economy is largely dependent on. The rapid oil price increases of 2003-2008 had created a new boom in Alberta and prompted new construction again. By the late 2000s, the city was experiencing a building boom, with 780,000 square feet (72,000m2) of office space under construction in 2008 and vacancy rates then falling.[1] Due to the time lag between the beginning of the boom and when buildings are completed, the next wave of new high-rise buildings really began construction in 2006 or 2007 and many were not completed until after the 2008 financial crisis had caused a drop in oil prices.
Until late 2013, the presence of aircraft taking off and landing at the Edmonton City Centre Airport restricted any building from reaching an elevation higher than 815.34 metres (2,675.0ft)above mean sea level, about 150 metres (490ft) above downtown.[2][3] The removal of this limit allowed for the construction of the city's current tallest and second tallest building: Stantec Tower, completed in 2019 at a height of 250.9 m (823 ft),[4] and JW Marriott Edmonton Ice District & Residences, which was built in 2018 at 192 m (630 ft).[5] It held the title of the tallest building in Edmonton for only a year before it was overtaken by Stantec.
The history of high-rises in Edmonton begins with the Tegler Building, an eight-story office building. When it was built in 1912, it was the largest building in western Canada by floor area at 15,750 square meters. It would remain as Edmonton's tallest building for under two years, until the completion of the Alberta Legislature Building in 1913, to serve as the meeting place for Alberta's legislature. Edmonton was designated as Alberta's capital only eight years earlier, in 1905, when the province was formed. Prior to the completion of the current legislature building, the Legislative Assembly met in a hall annexed to the old Terrace Building.[6][7] While Edmonton's population grew over tenfold from 24,900 to 281,027 between 1911 and 1961, it was still a relatively small city, and so very few high-rises were built in the city before the 1960s. The Alberta Legislature Building remained the tallest building in the city for over half a century.
A major addition to Edmonton's skyline came in 1966, with the construction of the CN Tower, now often called Edmonton's first skyscraper. The Canadian National Railway Company had sought to build a new station, and revealed their plans for a new civic centre project in 1962.[8] Built in the international style, it was the first building to exceed a height of 300 feet, as well as 100 metres (328 ft). Built to overlook the old Canadian National rail yard, the basement of the tower formerly housed Edmonton's main passenger railway station until 1998.[9] Almost twice the height of the Alberta Legislature Building, it was also the tallest building west of Toronto upon completion.[10] The first residential high-rises in Downtown also appeared in the 1960s, with the twenty-storey The Churchill and the 27-floor Mainstreet Tower both built in 1967.
Skyscraper construction increased rapidly in the 1970s. Work on the two-tower Telus Plaza complex (now renamed ATB Place) started in the late 1960s; the southern tower, AGT Tower (now Telus House Edmonton) became the tallest building in the city when it was completed in 1971. The complex was built to house the headquarters of Alberta Government Telephones, and continues to be used for telecommunication companies, as the provincial headquarters of Telus. The building's 33rd floor was home to Vista 33, a telephone and telecommunications museum, until 1993. The oil shocks of 1973 and 1979 encouraged more commercial towers in Downtown in the 1970s, such as Oxford Tower, TD Tower, and MNP Tower. As with other North American cities at the time, these buildings were designed in the modernist style. Surpassing all of those in height was Edmonton House, an apartment tower that was the second tallest building in the city for most of the 1970s.
The construction boom continued into the early 1980s, with significant developments including the Bell Tower, Canadian Western Bank Place, and the Rice Howard complex, continuing the modernist architectural trend. This culminated in the completion of Manulife Place in 1983 at a cost of $100 million. The building became Edmonton's tallest building at 146.4 m (480 ft), a title it would retain for 28 years. However, by the mid-1980s, demand for commercial space in the city was severely weakened, partially due to the 1980s oil glut, affecting Edmonton's oil-dependent economy. Only 12 percent of the office space in Manulife Place was leased upon opening, due to the poor office leasing market.[11]
As a result of the downturn, few commercial high-rises would be built in Edmonton over the next 20 years. One major exception is Commerce Place, which was completed in 1990 at 125 m (410 ft). The opening of the building's mall was also affected by the downturn, and was delayed to 1991; the developer, Olympia and York, went bankrupt in 1992 and plans for another skyscraper in the second phase were put on hold indefinitely. Also in 1992, the current city hall was completed, featuring a prominent 60 m (197 ft) clock tower.
The 2000s saw a gradual resumption in high-rise construction, such as the residential towers One River Park and The Century in 2005, and The Jasper Properties in 2006. Icon II was completed in 2010, the first building to reach a height of 100 m (328 ft) since 1990, and continuing the increasing presence of residential high-rises downtown. It was soon followed by Epcor Tower, serving as the new headquarters of EPCOR Utilities, and the office skyscraper overtook Manulife Place as the city's tallest building in 2011.
Throughout the 2010s, Edmonton's skyline expanded significantly towards the northwest of downtown. In particular, the development of Ice District, centered around a new home arena for the Edmonton Oilers, Rogers Place, formed a new peak in the relatively flat skyline. The first skyscraper in the district to be built was Edmonton Tower in 2016. The second, JW Marriott Edmonton, is a mixed-use building with residential and hotel components. It became the city's tallest building when it topped out in the end of 2017, at a height of 192 m (630 ft). However, the building would only hold the title for less than a year, as Stantec Tower topped out in 2018 at a height of 250.9 m (823 ft). Housing the headquarters of consulting firm Stantec, it is remains the tallest building in Canada outside of Toronto. The new Walterdale Bridge across the North Saskatchewan River was completed in 2017, and is now often pictured with the skyline when viewed from the south.
Residential high-rises have also expanded the scope of the skyline. The Pearl, built in 2014 along Japser Avenue, became the tallest building in the neighbourhood Wîhkwêntôwin (then known as Oliver) upon completion. Directly to its north, Citizen on Jasper was completed in 2024. Other residential developments such as The MacLaren (2019) and Glenora Park (2022) have brougth the skyline towards the western end of Jasper Avenue, where it meets the river valley. The Parks, a two-tower residential complex, is planned to be built in between downtown and Wîhkwêntôwin, connecting the skyline further; the first tower was completed in 2024. The skyline has also grown southwards towards River Valley Victoria with high-rises such as The Hendrix (2016), The Augustana (2016),[12] and The View (2024).[13] Two new high-rises have been built near the University of Alberta in the 2020s: Laurent, a 20-story student housing tower in 2023,[14] and The Eleanor, a 30-floor residential tower in 2024.[15] The buildings are connected at the base, forming the Garneau Project.[16] Eleanor is currently the tallest building in Garneau.
Edmonton passed a bylaw to upzone several areas of the city in 2025,[17] allowing for taller buildings of up to 8 stories in certain residential neighbourhoods.
Tallest buildings
This list ranks buildings in Edmonton that stand at least 100 metres (328ft) tall as of 2025, based on CTBUH height measurement standards. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The “Year” column indicates the year of completion.
Was the tallest building in Edmonton upon completion
The following table ranks high-rises that are under construction in Edmonton that are expected to be at least 100 m (328 ft) tall as of 2025, based on standard height measurement. The “Year” column indicates the expected year of completion. Buildings that are on hold are not included. Table entries with dashes (—) indicate that information regarding the exact building height or date of completion is not known.
The following table ranks approved and proposed high-rises that are under construction in Edmonton that are expected to be at least 100 m (328 ft) tall as of 2025, based on standard height measurement. The “Year” column indicates the tentative year of completion. Table entries with dashes (—) indicate that information regarding the exact building height or date of completion has not yet been released. Sources disagree on the name of some buildings, which may change before officially opening. Even if not indicated, heights may be estimated, and may change during construction.
The following map shows the location of buildings in Edmonton that are taller than 100 m (328 ft). Each marker is coloured by the decade of the building's completion.
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