Private sector proposal aims to repurpose old Royal Alberta Museum building

An Edmonton architectural firm and development company are teaming up to try to save the old Royal Alberta Museum building.

In August, the provincial government announced that the landmark in the Glenora neighbourhood would be demolished and converted into a new green space.

For years, the former museum has been a topic of debate regarding its fate. Once a hub of cultural and educational activity, the building has sat vacant since 2015.

This week, Reimagine — an architecture firm — and Beljan Development announced a joint proposal to keep the vacant building standing by repurposing it into a new community hub.

Vedran Škopac, a principal at Reimagine, told CBC's Edmonton AM that the two groups planned to preserve the exterior of the building while redeveloping its interior into a "cultural, food, and recreational centre."

"We are dramatically opposed to demolishing this tremendous mid-century modern jewel that carries so much memory," he said.

Škopac said the potential redevelopment plans could involve bringing in a small grocery store, restaurants, coffee shops and even a microbrewery into the building — as well as recreational facilities like pickleball, squash, and indoor soccer courts.

"We are basically proposing a public-private partnership where the developer would invest in this property so the province would not have this burden. Then it is off the books for Albertan taxpayers," said Škopac.

Vivian Manasc, founding principal and architect with Reimagine, said that the proposal's vision for the building is a community facility operated as a business.

"The building will certainly require an investment, and we're proposing that the private sector bring that money to the table and enter into a 99-year lease with the government for the property, then get a return on that investment down the road after fixing the building up and bringing in new tenants," she said.

The provincial government estimated that the cost to demolish the building would be between $22 and $48 million. It costs $700,000 yearly just to maintain and operate the vacant building. 

Stuart Adams, an Old Strathcona resident lobbying to save the old building, said that the proposal is a realistic solution to save the building.

"The building has served its purpose for almost 60 years. That purpose has passed, and now it could be reincarnated into a new role." 

 Škopac said the original proposal for repurposing the vacant Royal Alberta Museum building is a few years old.