It’s very likely Calgary’s Olympic Plaza will be getting a facelift and the donated bricks lining the plaza aren’t in the plans.
City of Calgary urban strategy lead Carlie Ferguson says the bricks, inscribed with the names of donors, are in poor shape.
“They are starting to crumble and show wear and tear,” Ferguson said. “The likelihood of being able to remove them in their current form and replace them is not feasible because of their condition.”
The bricks were purchased for $19.88 and laid during construction of the Olympic Plaza in 1987.
The city has been looking at revamping the plaza since 2007 and earlier this year, asked the public for input on upgrades and new ideas.
“It’s an opportunity to look at how we can improve it and at the same time, capture some of the legacy pieces that are here,” Ferguson said.
Manfred Baum, who bought a brick, doesn’t like the idea of the bricks being tossed aside.
“It is kind of a sad thing to lose. Unfortunately in Calgary, we’ve lost a lot of old things over time. I mean, this is only 30 years old, so it’s not unusual to have the city let go of things fairly easily.”
Right now, the city doesn’t have a time frame for re-development, or any funding in place for a new design.
Comments