OLD BUILDINGS, NEW ART
LAUGHING DOG PHOTOGRAPHY
CANADIAN ARCHITECT 06/21
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AN EDMONTON FIRM REVITALIZES A PAIR OF DOWNTOWN BUILDINGS FOR TWO CONTEMPORARY ARTS INSTITUTIONS. PROJECTS
Alberta
Ociciwan Contemporary Art Centre and CO*LAB, Edmonton,
Rockliff Pierzchajlo Kroman Architects Graham Livesey PHOTOS Adam Borman Photography, unless otherwise noted ARCHITECT TEXT
In 2006, the City of Edmonton began the revitalization of a 40-hectare area just east of Churchill Square that is now known as The Quarters Downtown. Historically, this part of the city was called the Boyle Street neighbourhood, after John Robert Boyle (1870-1936), a prominent local lawyer and politician. The district is one of the city’s oldest and has been home to Indigenous and immigrant groups, including Edmonton’s early Chinese community. Today, the area suffers significantly from urban blight, and is occupied by many surface parking lots waiting for reinvestment. The area began its long, steady decline in the 1950s, and urban renewal in the 1970s added to its sliding fortunes. In order to spark new development, the City of Edmonton has invest ed substantially in infrastructure for The Quarters. A pedestrian-focused street upgrade called the Armature (96th Street NW, formerly Kinistino Avenue) and the recently completed Kinistinâw Park, with its
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striking red canopy, are intended to become vibrant public focal points for the district. The new extension of Edmonton’s LRT also runs through the area. Unfortunately, redevelopment has been slow to come, as The Quarters has had to combat its reputation as a down-and-out part of the city. It’s also had to compete for development dollars with other districts in Edmonton, including the Blatchford neighbourhood on the former municipal airport site, and even suburban communities such as Sherwood Park. Despite the challenges of reinvigorating a failing urban district, there are indications of new energy in The Quarters with various projects completed in recent years. A fresh vitality is especially evident in two recently completed centres for young arts organizations. Both are renovations of existing structures, completed through partnerships with the City of Edmonton and various granting agencies. The Ociciwan Contemporary Art Centre is one of the few art spaces in the country dedicated to Indigenous art, and Co*Lab is an organization devoted to supporting the community of artists who live and work in The Quarters. Both projects were designed by Rockliff Pierzchajlo Kroman Architects (RPK) under the direction of its youngest partner, Jan Kroman. RPK was established in 1969 and has undergone many changes during
2021-05-21 8:38 AM