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.

Henry says the plan calls for some of the school site to be sold to developers for a housing component.

Preserving the 100-year-old school would be a founding part of the project for artists struggling to find space.

The plan calls for $5-million each from the city, province and federal governments with the Calgary foundation already contributing $3-million.

The Calgary Board of Education is asking for $8-million for the site which has been conditionally sold twice in the past only to have the sales fall through. CADA has until the fall to meet its obligations.