Construction set to begin on Calgary’s Olympic Plaza

An artist rendering from the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation depicts what Olympic Plaza will look like after at $70-million facelift. (Supplied)

Work to revitalize one of downtown Calgary’s busiest areas begins Thursday.

The Olympic Plaza Transformation project (OPT) is a full redesign of the space located on 7 Avenue between Macleod Trail and 1 Street S.E.

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The city says the work will create an accessible, flexible outdoor gathering space for day-to-day use as well as having the capacity to support large-scale events for up to 5,000 people.

“OPT will create an inclusive, accessible arts and culture-focused gathering space, building on the momentum of the investment and work already underway in downtown Calgary,” the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) says on the project’s website.

The new Olympic Plaza will also have a fountain and splash pad in the summer, a skating rink in the winter and a new pavilion with seating for year-round activities.

The $70 million transformation is fully funded by the Alberta government, City of Calgary and the Dave Werklund family.

Officials will be on hand to celebrate the start of work. The CMLC will be joined by Werklund Centre president and CEO Alex Sarian, Alberta’s Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Tanya Fir and Mayor Jeromy Farkas for the ceremony in the Jack Singer concert hall lobby at 10 a.m.