It doesn’t look like much from the outside. A small, squat, pale-yellow building with the words "Civil Defence Edmonton" engraved on one wall.
"One day several years ago when I was out biking in the river valley I came across this facility," says local photographer Fred Armbruster. "It all started there."
As it turns out, what’s visible above ground is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg – the real story behind the structure is what you can’t see.
"It was a command post for the city of Edmonton, that’s the bottom line," Armbruster says.
Armbruster did some digging and discovered the facility was a relic from the Cold War era – a bomb shelter designed to protect prominent Edmontonians in the event of a nuclear attack. However, little else is known about how it came to be.
"There’s no records of the people who constructed this facility," Armbruster says.
After more than a year of discussions with city officials, Armbruster was granted permission to enter and photograph the bunker. He was amazed at how well the structure has held up.
"After inspecting the entire structure there’s no cracks in the foundation anywhere, there’s no excessive moisture, there’s no flooding," Armbruster says.
Armbruster hopes to work with the city to create a non-profit organization and turn the shelter into a museum.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.