TELUS BUILDING formerly the Alberta Government Telephones Building. The Alberta Government Telephones Building, later named the TELUS Building, was constructed in 1955 and was the first utility office building in Banff. At the time of construction, Alberta Government Telephones was the exclusive telephone provider in the province. This building marks the modernization of Banff and is representative of the monumental investment into public infrastructure that took place in the 1950s. Still a telephone exchange today, it was previously managed by human switchboard operators, until automatic operations took over in the early 1960s. In the past it also functioned as an office location and a retail outlet where one could rent a listening room, shop the latest answering machines, or pay a bill in person. Currently, the second floor houses the exchange for landlines and infrastructure has been added as technology transformed over time, such as the antennas on the roof to enable the use of cell phones. The architectural style of the building suggests a modernist design with horizontal massing of the first and second storey windows, flat-rectilinear finishes of the facade, and emphasis on utility and minimal ornamentation. The philosophical ideals of the modernist movement, such as commercial efficiency, embracing of new technology, and a separation from historical association, correspond well with the building's use, acting as a hub for the once new, ground-breaking communication tool. In juxtaposition, the stone facade and retaining wall, mature coniferous trees, and wooden, gable-roofed payphone booth with Parks Canada colours, pay tribute to the locale within Banff National Park.
