After being abandoned for years, a historic Edmonton landmark has new life.
The City of Edmonton and the Telus World of Science-Edmonton have reached an agreement to renovate and restore the Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium, located at Coronation Park, as a teaching, reception and production space.
The city has commissioned Architecture Tkalcic Bengert to create designs to restore the building, which was the first public planetarium in Canada and served as a science education centre and observatory.
The building received attention for its unique designed, which includes a round glass and gold building, with a silver-domed roof and glass walls.
On Wednesday, city council approved a motion to designate the planetarium as a municipal historic resource.
Construction is scheduled to start in 2017 and the plan is to have the building reopen in 2018. The city said the renewal and restoration project will support the preservation of the building and renew its identity and purpose.
A funding request for renewal was approved in Dec. 2014 for the 2015-2018 capital budget. The project will have a budget of $6.6 million.
The planetarium project also supports the Coronation Park Master Plan by reactivating and enhancing the centre of the park.
The city said the Coronation District Park Master Plan identifies the planetarium as a crucial element in the centre of the park that’s intended to be a community gathering place.
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