Eau Claire Market, once Calgary’s answer to Vancouver’s trendy Granville Island, has come to the end of its life.

Demolition on the storied mall began on Feb. 2, with Canada’s largest high-reach excavator taking out the northwest promenade that once overlooked Barclay Parade.

According to Greg Morgan, Site Superintendent for Priestly Demolition, the entire demolition project is expected to last one to two months.

“We’re going to be working our way south, and we’re working through the centre portion. The columns on this side, they work from the northeast to southwest. So we’re going to be following that pattern, doing a bay-by-bay sequence,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say it’s crazy technical for our skill set. I mean, it’s a typical building, standard, steel, concrete construction. It’s pretty typical to most of the other buildings around here.”

Although Morgan said that the use of a Kobelco 1600, a nearly 200-ton excavator, was a little bit of overkill for the job, it meant that the demolition process for the former market would be done quicker and easier.

“We’ve got lots of power to play with,” he said.

Eau Claire Market ceased operations in May 2024 and was transferred to the City of Calgary for work on the Green Line in June.

Photos of the start of the Eau Claire Market demolition