City of Calgary is turning a historic downtown building into an arts and culture hub
At the corner of 1st Street and 6th Avenue SE, Fire Hall No. 1 has stood for more than 110 years, serving as a reminder of Calgary’s roots as a frontier community.
Operational between 1911 and 1973, it replaced the city’s first fire hall, which was built in 1886.
But the building is old and no longer serves its purpose, and the City of Calgary wants to give the cultural landmark new life and reimagine the site as an arts and culture hub and destination in the city centre.
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They put out a call for expressions of interest to transform the hall and the nearby North-West Travellers Building — a four-storey Edwardian Classical Style red brick building that’s also, in part, a heritage site — last week.
A Google street view of the North-West Travellers building in Calgary. (Google Maps)
Both properties are currently vacant and have been earmarked by the City to develop affordable lease space to support the under-served arts and culture communities in Calgary.
“This opportunity builds on the great work we have been doing to activate the Historic Fire Hall No. 1 site over the last few years,” said Franca Gualtieri, the City’s manager for Arts and Culture, in a statement.
“This is our third year of activating the space and our second year working with Volly to provide programming. The courtyard activation is the starting place for reimagining this space as an arts and culture hub in our city.”
Through the expression of interest release, the City said they are encouraging partnerships between arts and culture organizations and private businesses to create a place where visual and performing artists and artistic groups are supported through affordable lease space and live-in artist studios.
The Firefighter Museum of Calgary Society said they are on board with the idea and would like to see the space become of use for groups that need it.
“The space does not currently meet our needs,” they told Daily Hive Urbanized in an emailed statement.
“We look forward to the historic station being a continued benefit to the community.”
The City believes the historic buildings can be repurposed for arts and culture and food and beverage-based uses to create a new iconic destination.
The expression of interest closes on January 12, 2024.
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