For over 60 years, the exclusive Calgary Petroleum Club has been at the heart of Calgary's oil and gas industry. Its unassuming club house on 5th Avenue SW has seen partnerships forged and falter, fortunes made and lost, and dreams both come true and broken. A hub for both business and politics, the space has been the scene of province and nation-shaping meetings and royal visits.
The contemporary Petroleum Club was established in 1950 with a merger of the former Renfrew Club, which had by then dominated Calgary's business scene for decades. Just two years earlier, oil had been discovered near Leduc and the local economy had begun to boom.
By the 1980's, the club still had a men-only membership policy. A controversy erupted when in 1984 when Patricia Carney, Minister of Energy refused to address the Club's membership over the issue. When a referendum among members failed to approve gender-inclusive membership, energy giants such as Petro-Canada and Nova Corp. cancelled their memberships. An inclusive membership policy was finally adopted in 1989.
Following a major fire in 2005, the a giant mural showing scenes from Alberta's petroleum history was commissioned for the club house's rear facade.
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