Groundbreaking ceremony held for Calgary’s Arts Commons expansion
Posted Dec 11, 2024 6:30 pm.
Last Updated Dec 11, 2024 6:34 pm.
A groundbreaking ceremony with some major political names on hand was held Wednesday for Calgary’s Arts Commons expansion project.
The first phase of the $660 million transformation project will add a new building with a 1,000-seat theatre, and a 200-seat studio theatre to the campus at Olympic Plaza.
Kate Thompson, President & CEO of Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), says the actual construction work will kickoff in January 2025.
“A groundbreaking is an exciting moment in any project,” says Thompson. “It represents the culmination of years of advocacy, design, approvals and planning, and marks the beginning of really bringing a project to life.”
Designs for the expansion project were released earlier this year. Construction is expected to wrap-up by the 2028-29 season.
Premier Danielle Smith was on hand Wednesday, as was Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek, Smith says the transformation project will improve the Arts Commons visitor experience while adding to the city’s economy overall.
“This expansion will create nearly 3,500 full-time construction jobs,” she says. “It also will fill-in some gaps in available venue size and increase the variety of entertainment options for residents and visitors.”
Earlier this year, a $75 million donation was announced from Canadian entrepreneur David Werklund and his family — it will see the renovated venue change its name to the Werklund Centre by 2026.
Werklund is a CEO and philanthropist behind many projects built across the city.
Design is also underway for the Olympic Plaza Transformation (OPT) project and is expected to be revealed early next year.
“We’ve heard from Calgarians how important it is to incorporate the Olympic legacy into that plaza,” says Thompson. “The design team has been working on that challenge for the last many months since we announced the team selected.”
