Transform King Edward

Press

King Edward School Interview on CBC's "The Homestretch"

Guest host Frank Rackow speaks with Reid Henry, President and CEO of cSPACE projects about intention to transform Calgary's historic school into an arts hub and community centre.

Listen to Interview

100-year old school to become a 21st century model for cultivating leadership, collaboration and creativity in Calgary

Calgary Arts Development and The Calgary Foundation today formally announced the purchase of the King Edward School site from the Calgary Board of Education.

King Edward School is a distinctive heritage building located on a three-acre site in South Calgary at 1720 – 30 Avenue SW. Built as one of nineteen sandstone schools between 1894 and 1914, the School is centrally located in the community of South Calgary.

The King Edward School site is the first of a future portfolio of spaces for cSPACE Projects. After five years of research, advocacy and planning, cSPACE Projects has been founded as a non-profit real estate enterprise dedicated to developing a network of multi-disciplinary creative workspaces across the city.

Read Entire Article

Community unites to transform old Marda Loop school into vibrant new arts hub - BY STEPHEN HUNT, CALGARY HERALD

Calgary's arts community just got a sturdier foundation under its feet.

That's how it felt when a jubilant group of arts administrators, philanthropists, politicians and community representatives gathered at King Edward School in Marda Loop on Friday to talk about plans for the transformation of the 100-year-old school into an arts incubator.

"It's a phenomenal plan," says Ald. John Mar. "This is very, very avant-garde in its design and concept, and the community, fortunately, has been very, very positive and welcoming towards the concept of creating an arts hub for the community of Marda Loop."

Calgary Heritage Initiative forums

The Calgary Heritage Initiative Society is dedicated to the preservation, productive use and interpretation of buildings and sites of historic and architectural interest in Calgary.

Calgary Heritage Initiative forums is a place for the discussions of issues affecting Calgary's heritage sites.

Here is the link to background articles on King Edward School from March 2006 - Present

City backs plan to transform old King Edward school into arts and culture centre

CALGARY – A city committee has voted unanimously to kick in $5-million to preserve a piece of Calgary history while helping the art community.

Calgary Arts Development needs $25-million to preserve the Old King Edward School on 30th Avenue and 17th Street S.W. The school has been vacant for the past six years.

It plans to turn it into a mixed-use arts and culture centre. Artists of every discipline would be able to live and work in the space.

“We feel the collisions of disciplines creates the energy we are looking for so it will have social entrepreneurs, music industry, fine artists, emerging and long term, so we are really excited about the mix,” says Reid Henry, Calgary Arts Development Authority.

View Video and Read Entire Article

Arts centre one step closer

Arts centre one step closer It's unanimous. A city committee has voted to kick in $5 million towards a bid to turn the historical King Edward School into an arts hub for the commnity. Calgary Arts Development needs $25 million to preserve the southwest school site to turn it into a mixed-use arts and culture centre. Project lead Henry Reid told Fast Forward Weekly last week the centre would benefit the entire city. Two former bids to the Calgary Board of Education fell through but there seems to be much more support for this project. The bidders have until August to meet the sale obligations.

Read Entire Article

"Potential home for the Arts" BY LEA STORRY

After months of research, the decision on whether to buy a 100-year-old Calgary school and transform it into an arts centre is now centre stage. Calgary Arts Development and The Calgary Foundation put in a combined bid in 2010 to buy the surplus King Edward School from the Calgary Board of Education. The two partners are headed to City Hall on June 29 to ask for a $5-million contribution to help with the purchase cost. "It's a big task," said Reid Henry, Calgary Arts Development director of art spaces initiatives. "The past eight months have been focused on a duel development process and we know everything from the risk of the building, to the community and cultural sector settings, and we're confident on what this project can be and how to make it happen."

Read Entire Article

"Strike one, strike two, home run?" - Krista Sylvester

The third time could be the charm for the sale of an iconic school. After two strikeouts by previous private buyers, Calgary Arts Development and The Calgary Foundation are heading to a community and protective services committee meeting on June 29 to seek a $5-million city contribution to help purchase the 100-year–old King Edward School to transform it into an arts centre. The partnering organizations put in a bid to purchase the vacant school in the city’s southwest from the Calgary Board of Education in 2010 in hopes of transforming the historic facility into an arts hub. Calgary Arts Development director Reid Henry says the organizations have been zealously working for the past eight months on a duel-development process. “It’s been a lot of work but we really believe this will be an important asset for the arts community in the city,” Henry says of the project. “This building represents a lot of things I look for in this type of facility.”

Read Entire Article

"Saving the other King Eddy" by Deeter Schurig

Once a hub of activity in the neighbourhood of South Calgary, the King Edward School now stands dormant atop its prominent outlook, on sale by the cash-strapped Calgary Board of Education. Classes ceased several years ago, the school’s doors are locked, and despite being an integral public institution for nearly 100 years, the future of this iconic sandstone structure is uncertain.

While interest in acquiring the school site has intrigued developers since its first public tender in 2007, several purchase attempts have fallen through. In part, this has been due to unfavourable community reaction towards proposals that are not sensitive to the school’s rich heritage. With the third tender deadline on Thursday, August 19, hopefully these new bids have plans that will enhance the community’s future.

Read Entire Article