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Since our last update, progress has been moving along steadily at the Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, soon to be the site of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Collection in the heart of downtown Calgary.
Located on 4th Street SE, the 160,000-square-foot facility will combine the aforementioned galleries with a host of other activity spaces, including school classrooms, conservation and restoration workshops, three recording studios, acoustic and electronic sound labs, retail, and a 300-seat performance hall. Designed via a collaboration of Allied Works Architecture and Kasian, the structure is clad in a striking, gold-and-charcoal-coloured terracotta material which will form an impressive gateway into the city.
Seen above, the restored brick facade of the King Edward Hotel, home to one of Calgary's oldest bars, and most recently known as the "Calgary's Home of the Blues," has been almost completely finished with the 1905 hotel and iconic neon sign having been restored to their former glory. Once complete the structure will become a live music venue.
Carried on inside the larger, modern structure, the exterior's distinct terracotta cladding will add a significant degree of architectural interest to the public gallery spaces (seen above), which feature curvilinear walls and angular hallways and passages.
Seen from the lobby, the 300-seat performance hall will be open to the great hall and entranceway, allowing for an exciting, vibrant atmosphere. The interior walls of the performance hall have been sound engineered to help keep at least some of the sound within the hall, although a pair of sliding pocket doors are also available if needed.
Moving on to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Collection gallery spaces, the exhibition halls will feature an interactive cultural journey through the rich history of Canada's diverse music scene.
Begun in 1978, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and subsequent additions have been serving the interests of Canadian music, promoting the preservation, restoration, and proud display of Canada's national music history for nearly 40 years. From Alanis to Anka, the collections at the Halls of Fame will include several interactive displays, along with a more traditional series of images and texts leading chronologically from the past to the present.
Once complete, Studio Bell will represent more than just a premier gallery, studio, and performance space. The addition of the facility to the East Village district of downtown Calgary is part of that area's ongoing urban revitalization and renaissance. The inclusion of the restored 1905 King Edward Hotel, known to locals only as a seedy, rundown bar and rooming house, the rebirth of Calgary's Home of the Blues, especially in a city largely devoid of historic architecture, will add to the area's urban character and sense of history.
SkyriseCities will be sure to return once Studio Bell is fully complete and open to the public, as the finished result is sure to be worth one last look. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.
