Loving Calgary: New Developments

Love Calgary because something is finally being done at the King Eddy

Calgarians are fortunate the fate of the historic King Edward Hotel site rests in the capable hands of Andrew Mosker, executive director of the Cantos Music Foundation.

Mosker is a hard-wired musician at his core, and understands first-hand what it’s like to have those thumping blues coursing through his veins at “The Eddy” — just the kind of man who will respect the history of this iconic landmark, as the next era begins on its site.

Back in the 1980s, when others were still joking about Calgary’s lack of culture, The Eddy was dubbed “The Home of the Blues,” ladling up live, raw music that revellers could feel under their skin long after they’d stumbled home from the smoke-filled bar.

More than 100 years ago, when the King Edward opened, it was the hub of a bustling, thriving East Village, but over the years the hotel slowly fell into a state of disrepair as a number of restoration plans fell through. When the City finally bought the dilapidated building in 2004, no one held out much hope for the site, or the neighbourhood, which had become a prominent corridor for hookers and drug dealers.

Now the Cantos Music Foundation, Oregon-based Allied Works Architecture and local partner BKDI Architecture will be the catalysts for renewing the East Village by restoring The Eddy as a live music venue, and building a five-storey National Music Centre alongside the historic hotel. The music centre, which is slated to open in 2012, will house a museum, the Cantos collection of rare musical instruments, performance venues and the recently acquired Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame collection, which includes photographs and memorabilia from Canadian Country stars, as well as others who contributed to growing Canada’s country music scene.

“There are so many stories to be told about music in this country,” says Mosker. “The National Music Centre is not only about telling our story, but will serve Canada’s music community."

Love Calgary because we’re getting a kick-ass science centre

Geeky science types get ready; a colossal new science centre is on its way to Calgary.

Construction of the new Telus World of Science began this past June, spurred on by a doubling in attendance over the past decade at the centre’s current digs near Shaw Millennium Park. The science centre’s new location — next to the Calgary Zoo’s north parking lot — overcomes those capacity problems by making it one of the largest science centres in the country, and the first to be built in Canada in more than 25 years. If everything goes according to plan, science-crazed Calgarians will be able to check out the $160-million mega-complex by the fall of 2011.

Love Calgary because someday it will be Stampede all year round

Imagine that the Calgary Stampede never ends; that there’s a place where the blend of cowboy and carnival persists day after day.

That’s the dream of the Stampede’s expansion, which this past year moved forward on its plans to make Stampede Park a year-round multi-use destination. In June, a number of necessary but not-so-glamorous infrastructure projects wrapped up, such as a new 50,000-square-foot exhibition hall at the BMO Centre (formerly the Roundup Centre), a traffic tunnel under Spiller Road S.E. and a bridge across the Elbow River that’ll usher more cowpokes into the park.

One of the next pistol-hot projects in the park’s crosshairs is a trendy retail street development along Olympic Way into the Stampede Grounds that boastfully aims to become Calgary’s “iconic entertainment and shopping district.” Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, a family-friendly restaurant and sports bar, has already agreed to be the main drag’s anchor tenant, and more cowboy-related boutiques and saloon-themed watering holes can be expected before the area opens in time for the Stampede’s 100th anniversary in 2012.

Love Calgary because we’re getting another pedestrian bridge

Consider it evidence that anyone can learn a lesson, even the City of Calgary.

After being chastised by the public for snubbing local talent with its choice of a Spanish architect to design the pedestrian Peace Bridge, which will connect Eau Claire with Sunnyside, a move was made toward inclusion. A design competition was opened to local and international architects and the public was encouraged online to “weigh in on the design” of a second pedestrian bridge that’ll link St. Patrick’s Island with the East Village and Bridgeland.

More than half of the 33 entries came from Calgary firms, with the remainder hailing from as far off as Australia and Europe. The submissions included everything from a Golden Gate-styled bridge to one that resembled a gigantic hamster tube, which one online Calgarian referred to as “scary,” lamenting that its closed-off design “could turn into a haven for drug users.”

Last November, the out-there offerings were whittled down to a shortlist of three that included a submission from a Calgary engineering firm, as well as entries from British Columbia and the United Kingdom. The finalist will be chosen early this year and be constructed in 2011.

Love Calgary because we’re getting more hockey rinks

Hockey players and skaters, get ready to lace up: Calgary is about to gain four sheets of ice, something that is laughably overdue in a city of more than a million people.

Now, add to that a high-performance training centre for pro athletes, plus new headquarters for Hockey Canada and Skate Canada, put it all at WinSport Canada’s Canada Olympic Park (COP), and you’ve reached something close to frozen Nirvana.

By 2011, the $190-million Athletic and Ice Complex will add programming and facilities that will enhance COP’s already-stellar position on the international sports scene. “The complex will be one of the most unique facilities in the world,” says Tracy Cobb, national director of communications and fund development for WinSport Canada.

The complex will house recreational activities, such as minor league hockey and ringette, skating simulators, sports nutritionists and sports therapists, plus a public fitness facility — everything that’s needed to train up-and-coming athletes.

Love Calgary because the Zoo’s Conservatory is open in time for winter

The tropical temperatures inside the Calgary Zoo’s Conservatory have long been a favourite refuge for those seeking to avoid — even for a few hours — the city’s occasional cold snaps.

The only problem was that, until recently, the 40-year-old Conservatory wasn’t exactly the most energy-efficient building. In fact, it sucked power and was in desperate need of repairs.

“We would’ve had to spend millions to get it up to par,” says Don Peterkin, director of facilities at the Zoo. “So we decided to start fresh and build something better.”

The Enmax Conservatory opened its doors on November 20. The $25-million conservatory now boasts greenhouses that are four times as energy efficient, as well as improved exhibits, such as an ethnobotanical display on how humans use plants, a larger butterfly garden and seasonal flower exhibits.

Getting out of the cold has never smelled so good.