Transform
King Edward

A huge thank you to Minister Klimchuk and our partners at Alberta Culture! cSPACE has received $125,000 to support our design development process on the King Edward Arts Hub and Incubator. In addition to funding provided in 2011 through Alberta Historical Resources Foundation, early investment by the Province in the project has been critical to advancing our vision. The Community Facility Enhancement Program grant has allowed us to begin the tendering process for our design team - an announcement of the multi-disciplinary team will happen in June!

On January 23, 2012 in Calgary Council Chambers, three schools were acknowledged for their heritage significance with plaques presented by the Calgary Heritage Authority. King Edward School along with Cliff Bungalow and Earl Grey School were each selected as recipients of plaques based on the significance of their architecture, history and context. The plaques will signal to the community the significant role that these schools played in Calgary's development.

King Edward School Arts Hub and Incubator recieves 10k from the City of Calgary's Financial Incentive Pilot Program to support the rezoning process for our intended mix of uses. FIPP is a great municipal program that provides much needed early-stage investment in affordable housing projects across Calgary! Thanks to Alderman Mar and the South Calgary Community Association for their letters of support!

On Wednesday, October 26^th 2011 a 4^th Open House was held with an engaged group of 70 arts, heritage and community members in attendance. The presentation comes four months since the June Open House and conveys the evolution and refinement of the site plan since that time while anticipating an assurance of community support for the transformation of the King Edward School site before finalization of the purchase agreement.

The presentation to the community includes: an overview of the project’s objectives, the site plan last proposed in June; a revised site plan that meets the projected parking requirements through surface provisions and comparison with previous plan; and a preferred site plan proposal that delivers more artist housing and complete the streetscape by engaging alternative opportunities for parking and transportation. This may include partnerships, relaxations, permitting, curating of tenants and promotion of alternative transportation choices that require further study. 

As presented, the site renderings suggests the intent of the development – conveying images that distinguish the different residential types in terms of proposed massing, heights and footprint. Appropriate density for the site will require further study in the way of traffic assessments and design development for the proposed buildings. Subsequent public consultation will occur when the project is determined feasible.

4th Community Open House Presentation (VIDEO)

4th Community Open House Presentation (PDF) 

4th Community Open House Panels (PDF)

4th Community Open House Virtual Masterplan Flythrough (VIDEO)

4th Community Open House Community Feedback (PDF) 

King Edward School Site Master Plan 
Community Open House #4 
Wednesday, October 26th, 6:30pm - 9:00pm 
Calgary Community Reform Church, 1638 30th Ave. SW  

Calgary Arts Development and The Calgary Foundation invite local residents, the arts community and not-for-profit representatives to see the most current site plan options for the development of the King Edward School site. We look forward to discussion opportunities that consider how King Edward School and its site can be envisioned as a sustainable and vital arts hub for the community. Your support and engagement is valued as we move towards finalizing the purchase of King Edward School. 

6:30pm - Doors Open

7:00pm - Formal Presentation

7:45pm - Open Q&A

8:45pm - Closing Remarks

The Calgary Community Reform Church is located across from King Edward School at:

1638 30 Avenue Southwest, Calgary, AB T2T 1P4

From October to November 2010, Calgary Arts Development conducted a detailed Space Market Analysis that included 151 individual artists and representatives from 60 organizations who completed the survey. This research provides a grounding for creative infrastructure development with the space and preferences that Non-Profit Organizations and artists require to fulfill their mandates.

We are pleased to announce that the King Edward School transformation project was awarded a $25,000 grant from the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation to support our feasibility analysis.  The Province's contribution through the Heritage Preservation Partnership Program will help our team undertake the architectural and engineering work required for our due diligence on the historic school.  Many thanks to Minister Lindsay Blackett and the rest of the Cultural and Community Spirit office for their support!

What fantastic weather and attendance at this year's Marda Gras Festival - one could not ask for a more a perfect day to hit the streets and celebrate another cultural event in the city! Calgary Arts Development was pleased to join in these festivities with an invitation by the Marda Loop BRZ to share our vision for the  transformation of King Edward School into an arts incubator and we are glad we did.

Throughout the day we spoke with hundreds of you from the neighbourhood and other parts of the city who had interest in the project or stories to tell. It was great to hear the legacy of those who attended the school including accounts of  grandparents who were one of the first pupils, stories of fondly remembered reunions and parties in the gym to vividly remembered fire drills to the sound of an air raid siren! These stories all remind us of the formative value that is embedded in the walls of this landmark and how richly they can be brought back to life in a dialogue between friends.  

We are so pleased that you shared these memories and feel invigorated that our proposal keeps this heritage in the public trust for future generations' stories to  grow. Your support and sentiments that these are the types of places that Calgary needs - affirms that we are moving in the right direction, that the arts have a vital role in anchoring and promoting sustainable communities, and that community grows through engagement and participation at events like this. While much work continues, we look forward to further dialogue in realizing a continued legacy for King Edward School. 

As a final note, I leave you with sentiments from C.A. Johnson, a past teacher at King Edward School from the 1960's who captures it well:

“The school, every school, is a continuous tradition. It is a personal, life-receiving, life-giving. More than any other work-place, this institution is built with the spirits, lives and minds of all who come together here. There is really no past, no present; there is only the milieu in which we all grow. When we leave, we take with us the part of the school that we personally have become, we leave something of ourselves.” 

We are thrilled to announce that City Council unanimously approved a $5 million contribution today to the acquisition of the King Edward School site.  Pending the outcome of our due diligence work and a successful rezoning process, achieving the vision of the arts hub and incubator has taken a huge step forward thanks to Council's investment. Thank you to everyone who attended the City's Committee and Council meetings to advocate for the project and its immense potential for the South Calgary and broader arts community!

A major milestone has been achieved today for the King Edward School transformation project!

A late afternoon presentation from CADA and The Calgary Foundation to the City of Calgary's Standing Policy Committee on Community and Protective Services showcased our community engagement process and our proposed concept for the arts hub and incubator. The unanimous recommendation to allocate $5 million to the project by the Committee, subject to a few regular conditions, will be forwarded to Council as soon as late July.

Many thanks to those attending the meeting and speaking on behalf of the project:

• Dan Thorburn, V.P. of Grants and Community Initiatives at TCF
• Marc Doll, President, South Calgary Community Association
• Evangelos Diavolitsis, Executive Director of Quickdraw Animation
• Bernadette Geronazzo, Executive Director, Marda Loop BRZ