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Calgary Board of Education to leave iconic symbol behind

CALGARY – When the Calgary Board of Education leaves its downtown location behind, It will also be leaving behind the Family of Man statues, a Calgary landmark the past 50 years.

Originally commissioned for the British Pavilion at Expo ’67, the statues were donated to Calgary in 1968.

The statues have since become the CBE’s official symbol.

Currently the statues sit on the CBE’s headquarters along MacLeod Trail. Now that the school board is moving to its new facility on 12th Avenue and 8th Street S.W., it was hoping to move the statues with them.

But the city owns the art and won’t be moving the 21 foot tall icons to the new site.

“The statues belong to the city, we are very fond of them, we love them, they have been part of our identity for quite some time but they belong to the city and they are staying on these premises,” says Ted Flitton, spokesperson for the CBE.

A special citizens committee reviewed a number of potential sites back in 1968 before selecting the CBE location.

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