CALGARY- A push to use the original lions from the Centre Street Bridge as public art along the west LRT is gaining support.
The lions, which date back to 1916, have been sitting in a storage yard since the bridge was refurbished in 2001. The lions currently on the bridge are replicas. One of the originals is on display at city hall.
It would cost an estimated $625,000 to restore the original lions and that figure does not include the cost of finding a site than can support their size and weight.
Still, the two city councilors who sit on the Calgary Public Art board support moving them to the west LRT.
“It will send us off to work with a roar,” says Councillor Richard Pootmans. “I think it qualifies in a number of dimensions as public art. It ties into history – one of our most important public infrastructure projects was the Centre Street Bridge.”
Councillor John Mar agrees, saying the cost would be well worth it.
“The physical limitations are that these are very, very heavy and very, very large,” says Mar.“But I would like to see them inside, ideally at the Sunalta station and at the 69 Street station.”
The proposal will go before a city hall committee on Wednesday. No public art money has been budgeted for the west LRT.
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