Bids to save the engraved bricks of Calgary's Olympic Plaza resurface as demolition looms

Standing next to one of nearly 33,000 engraved bricks covering the surface of Calgary's Olympic Plaza, Valerie Salkeld casts her eyes downward as she reminisces about memories from more than 30 years ago.

"It was January and so it was a little chilly, but they had a skating rink here in the winters. I worked downtown, [my husband] met me afterward and he brought me to Olympic Plaza," said the Calgarian.

"He gave me an envelope … and the envelope said look down and I looked down and there was the little ring box right beside the brick and he was on his knee and he proposed to me."

Etched on that brick was a marriage proposal, albeit spelt incorrectly: 'Will you mary me Val.'

Valerie's husband, Laird, bought the couple that brick in 1988, but she was unaware of it until two years later when she ultimately got engaged.

That brick, along with the tens of thousands of others that have become synonymous with Calgary's 1988 Olympic Games, were sold as part of a fundraising campaign.

People could buy them at the time for $19.88 and were encouraged to engrave names or memories on them.

Decades later, the commemorative bricks face demolition as the city moves ahead with redevelopment plans for the area. The plaza is set for closure at the end of 2024.

The downtown Calgary park will be shut until 2028 as a major transformation project of both Olympic Plaza and neighbouring Arts Commons, which begins in early 2025. 

The etched bricks are not included in the redesign plans, according to the Calgary Land Municipal Corporation (CMLC), which is spearheading the project.

In a statement, the organization told CBC News that while they understand and recognize the significance and sentimental value of the bricks, a number of factors makes preserving them nearly impossible.

"The project team has examined the possibility of removing and returning the bricks to purchasers, but individual excavation of the 33,000 bricks is not feasible and is unlikely to be successful without causing significant damage to the removed bricks and those around them,"  reads a statement from the CMLC.

"Due to their age and condition, the bricks will not be re-purposed and integrated in the revitalized plaza."

The organization said that restoring the bricks will also "come at significant cost" and impact the project's construction schedule.