Calgarians looking to preserve their personal legacy from the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics will be getting a chance to do that starting this week, without resorting to theft.
Original brick purchasers, or individuals connected to the original brick purchasers, will be able to register to receive their bricks starting on Dec. 10 and ending on Dec. 18.
Bricks that can be removed without damage by CMLC and their partners as part of the start of redevelopment efforts in the plaza, will then be available to be picked up by registered Calgarians in January.
The decision to attempt to save the bricks followed some attempts by Calgarians to illegally remove bricks earlier this year.
“CMLC and our partners have been working and understanding the importance of this legacy four months, actually, for quite some time, and that’s why we brought the brick-by-brick events to Calgarians,” said Kate Thompson, CEO of CMLC.
“But there still remains interest from some Calgarians to retrieve their brick. So, just before we start construction in January of 2025, we’re offering that as an attempt to retrieve those bricks.”
CMLC previously offered opportunities for Calgarians to take a free rubbing of the imprint on their brick, earlier this year.
Even if Calgarians register to have their brick retrieved, there is a possibility that it won’t be possible given the damage that some bricks have sustained from decades of use, Thompson said.
“It is still not feasible to remove all 33,000 bricks, but for those Calgarians who remain interested, we are going to offer the attempt to remove them,” she said.
Thompson said that the strong mortar used between the bricks would require either force or cutting tools to be used, and when combined with the double basket weave inlay, meant that it was technically difficult to remove the bricks intact.
Previously, Thompson had said that it wasn’t financially feasible to preserve all of the bricks from demolition but said that continued interest by Calgarians meant that plans were put in place to save some of the bricks for interested original purchasers.
“I love to see the passion of Calgarians. I mean, if we’re passionate about our city so much on all other levels, I think we’d have even a stronger city,” she said.
“The ’88 Olympics was a special time for our city, and special times in our city should be honoured and should be remembered. It is something that the design team for the Olympic Plaza transformation project are really factoring in, incorporating into the design, and that design will be revealed next year.”
Thom Mahler, Director of Downtown Strategy for the City of Calgary said that registrants would be required to show that they were the original purchaser of the brick to be removed, or have a legal interest in the brick as the property of the original purchaser.
“After you register, we will reach out and our team will verify the details. It’s important to mention that these bricks have been in place, as Kate said, for almost 40 years, and their condition varies greatly,” he said.
“There is a significant risk of damaging the bricks when we remove them. While we’ll make every effort to retrieve your brick, we cannot guarantee it will it will be removed intact.”
Olympic Plaza will be fenced off beginning in January, as construction begins on the Arts Commons Transformation and the construction of a new theatre venue on the west side of the plaza.
Plans for the Olympic Plaza redevelopment are set to be revealed in 2025.
Calgarians wishing to register to have their brick retrieved can do so at calgary.ca/olympicplaza.
-With files from Paula Tran
