For years now, a mysterious man has showered a 7th Avenue C-Train station with enormous bubbles blown out of his downtown office, just across the street.

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Jonathan Sunstrum's quirky setup consists of a bowl filled with soapy water, an automatic fan and a bright green and cherry red bubble gun that peeks out of the second-storey window at 125 7th Ave. S.W.

"The question in my mind was, how can you take a bleak street and make it neat, for cheap?" he wondered.

'My notion at that point in time was, how can you put a little spit and polish on this thing and make it shine?' says Sunstrum. (Andrew Brown/CBC)

"Let's see if we can do a whimsical, off-the-cuff street art gallery that in six months it'll all be done and I can carry on my merry little way," he told himself.

Except this little social experiment has been running for more than four years.

Transforming Calgary's 'worst street'

Sunstrum's efforts to inject a little charm have been remarkably well received by regular pedestrians, tourists and kids of all ages, he said.

From Flames fans leaving the Saddledome who spontaneously cheer the soapy suds as they float on down, to wide-eyed tots in strollers who point and smile in wonder, Sunstrum says it's brought a badly needed change to the neighbourhood.

"This was Calgary's worst street. Drugs, drinking, fighting, people passed out, puke," he said.

"There is a really inherent beauty that is in any place and space, but without someone actually taking charge of it then I don't think it would have happened," he explained.

"It's part of a quality of life aspect in this city. People should feel comfortable in places and spaces. And if this is something that assists in that endeavor, great."