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The century-old King Edward Hotel on 9th Avenue SE in Calgary has been restored to its former glory. With each brick painstakingly removed and polished, the careful reassembling of the famous venue has been a sight to behold. The preservation process has been captured on our Forum alongside a neighbouring mass of custom glazed terracotta that marks a brand new music facility. It's all part of Studio Bell, a major project that will become a spacious and bright home to the National Music Centre.
The innovative new 160,000-square-foot exhibition, performance, and recording space will also house the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Collection. A vast array of audio presentations, video screens, and artifacts will bombard the senses and tell the story of Canadian music. A 300-seat performance space combined with a distance learning education centre, classrooms, workshops, sound labs, broadcast facilities, and an Artist in Residence program each work in harmony to create a world-class mecca of music.
Allied Works Architecture and Kasian Architecture have partnered to create a grand gateway to the city, which is defined by two volumes on either side of 4th Street SE linked by a sprawling upper connection. Depending on the light, the glossy cladding emits a charcoal or gold hue that complements the ornamentation of the preserved historic hotel. With the reclamation project nearly complete, live music will return to the hallowed halls of the affectionately-called King Eddy, which has stood as a local cultural landmark since its founding in the early 1900s.
Recent photos from Forum contributor Surrealplaces show the majority of the $191 million CAD project clad, with the exception of the building's western leg. A sneak peek of the facility in early April gave some lucky people a preview of what to expect when the building fully opens to the public in July.
Additional images and information can be found in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion or share your photos? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
