To spot Manulife Place, just look up-way up! Directly in front of you, you’ll see an enormous skyscraper with a shimmering glass façade. This tower is easy to recognize: it’s a tall, almost icy-blue monolith with long dark vertical stripes that stretch from top to bottom. The windows catch the light, reflecting the city and whatever Alberta sky happens to be overhead. At street level, you’ll find the entrance to the shopping concourse-and trust me, you can’t miss it when the sun hits those windows just right.
Now, let’s imagine you’re standing here in 1983. Edmonton’s downtown is buzzing with excitement-a brand new tower has just reached into the sky, claiming its place as the tallest in the city. Until 2011, Manulife Place ruled Edmonton’s skyline at a whopping 146 meters and 36 floors. If you’re counting, that’s about 15 giraffes stacked on each other, give or take a neck!
Before this modern marvel rose from the pavement, the ground you’re standing on belonged to the cozy, wood-framed King Edward Hotel. You could almost hear the clinking of glasses and the shuffle of travelers if you listen closely enough-or maybe that’s just the nearby traffic. After the hotel sadly burned in 1978, there was a bit of drama, plans drawn up and tossed away, until finally, Manulife said, “Why not go all in?” and built this gigantic, gleaming tower with a two-story shopping mall at the bottom. At first, hardly anyone filled the offices up top, but shoppers came for the luxury of Holt Renfrew, which called Manulife Place home for decades.
Edmonton’s famous pedways flow straight through this tower, connecting you to City Centre and Commerce Place so you can dodge those icy Alberta winters. There’s a three-story underground parking garage-that’s a lot of room for you, your friends, and probably a dozen hockey teams’ worth of cars!
Over the years, the building has seen big changes, including the announcement in 2025 that it’ll soon be known as the National Bank Centre. Whether you call it Manulife Place or its new name, Edmonton locals know this tower as a cornerstone-one that’s seen the city glow up, grow taller, and keep looking forward. Soak in that futuristic sparkle before we take off to the next stop! If you feel a chill down your back, don’t worry, it’s just the echo of a tall tale-literally!
