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- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
David A
Senior Member
Yeah, sorry I don't think trying to revive a tired old petition is going to work at this point. There will have to be public pressure in a much more noticeable and vocal way, perhaps along with some good viable alternative ideas about what to do with the space.^
That petition was started on March 6, 2016.
That is not a reason not to sign it but if this government has yet to pay attention, I have reservations over whether they’ll pay any more attention to this one than the myriad others that have failed from their putting ideology ahead of good decisions…
Gronk!
Senior Member
Architecture bracket exposes history at risk
This year's edition of the "Arch Madness" showdown for iconic Edmonton buildings will focus on properties at the highest risk of demolition, examining both what the city stands to lose and opportunities for renewal.
edmonton.taproot.news
Manasc’s Reimagine is working alongside Beljan Development for a proposed revitalization of the former home of the Royal Alberta Museum, despite the fact that the Alberta government earmarked $30 million for its demolition in Budget 2026.
Finance Minister Nate Horner has said the province remains open to pitches to save the old RAM. The press secretary for the Ministry of Infrastructure confirmed this to Taproot in an email, saying there are three proponents with plans to adapt the RAM, and that the ministry is working with the first of the three. Should those negotiations fail, the rep said, the government will move on to the second proponent and then to the third. The press secretary declined to name any of the proponents due to non-disclosure agreements, but Manasc confirmed that her proposal with Beljan is one of them.
“We are not giving up by any means,” she told Taproot.
Manasc and Beljan have proposed the new life at the old RAM could be a mix of retail, food service, recreation spaces, and cultural facilities, but a transformation project must be amenable to the needs of tenants rather than locked into one usage or another.
“The art of repurposing an asset is just understanding how you create that flexibility, how you create all the pieces that tenants or different uses will require,” Ivan Beljan, the owner of Beljan Development, told Taproot in 2024.
As for Rose, he suspects the government has already decided to demolish the old RAM regardless of what it has said. However, he said, if the province were to entrust the future of the building to anyone, Manasc and Beljan would make an excellent choice in his estimation.
“If the government (doesn’t) bite on those guys, I can’t imagine what they would bite on,” he said.
David A
Senior Member
I hope the Finance Minister's statement is a sign that something is happening behind the scenes or will be worked out to save the old RAM.