Almost exactly 40 years to the day, ground broke on construction of the original Olympic Plaza in downtown Calgary, dirt was once again turned on its transformation.

Work will now begin on the east section of the former site of the now-demolished Olympic Plaza, with the west side of the parcel well into construction on the Werklund Centre expansion.

It’s part of an overall revitalization of the block overseen by the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) to turn it into an integrated community and arts campus in the downtown core.

CMLC President and CEO Kate Thompson said that it was important to take these moments of pause on long-term projects. She noted discussions on this work began years ago.

“This is a city-shaping, city-building project that is going to impact this city for generations, and we all collectively get to have a hand in that and deliver something generationally for Calgary, and it’s a huge honour,” she said.

“This is taking a 40-year-old plaza and… seeing it take its next step into a modern, inclusive, accessible place for Calgarians and visitors alike to come and celebrate.”

The plaza will have a pavilion, food and beverage locations, public washrooms and a green space. Thompson said that it was important to bind Calgary’s Olympic legacy into the design, with the Olympic cauldron incorporated, along with an archway that has the Olympic motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius inscribed on it.  

The centrepiece will be a 12-metre central feature, one that Thompson is looking forward to seeing.

“It is based on the sun flake… which was the emblem of the 88 Winter Olympic Games, and it’s been put into the central feature that’ll be the center of the splash pad, the center of the skating area, and really just a central feature of the overall plaza,” she said.

Thompson said that given the global landscape, including tariff-related issues and the recent spike in fuel prices, costs are constantly being monitored. Earlier this year, Thompson told city council that they have a contingency set aside for unknown cost escalations, particularly as the building typology has specific requirements.

On Thursday, she said that what’s happening in the world hasn’t yet adversely affected the project budget or design.

“What we always ask the team to do is make sure they have options in the materials in the delivery that keep to the original concept and ambition of the project, and I can say that the project is absolutely meeting the ambition and the design intent, and is tracking really well right now,” she said.

Olympics reshaped Calgary’s culture: Sarian

Alex Sarian, president and CEO of the Werklund Centre (formerly Arts Commons), said that undertaking the Olympic Plaza Transformation is more than just about modernizing a public space.

He said it’s about embracing the legacy of what the 1988 Winter Olympics gave to Calgary.

“The 1988 Winter Olympics were not simply a sporting event. They reshaped Calgary’s culture,” he said.  

“They changed how the city saw itself and what it believed was possible. Olympic Plaza became one of the great civic gathering spaces of our city; a place for celebration, performance, sometimes protest, ceremony, ice skating, and ultimately connection.”

Sarian said that he was asked early on in his time in Calgary, where his front door was, pertaining to the Arts Commons performing arts centre. That eventually morphed into referring to the questions as “what’s your centre of gravity.”

“Today, we are doubling down on that answer. The center of gravity of the future Werklund Center campus is Olympic Plaza, a place open to all and a place designed not simply for people to visit but for people to shape,” he said.

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said that arts investments like this are seen as essential infrastructure.

“There is no city of 2 million people or more that is successful and competitive in this world that does not invest in the arts, and more so invest in the spaces, the places, and the people that support the arts,” he said.

Alberta Minister of Arts, Culture and the Status of Women, Tanya Fir said that this groundbreaking is another important milestone in the project. She said the location has always been one of gathering and connection.

“As we break ground today, we’re honoring that legacy, shaping its future, and ensuring it continues to be a dynamic cultural hub for generations to come,” she said.

Fir said that once it’s complete, the campus will be a magnet for creative talent both locally and from around the world.

“Alberta is home to incredible artistic talent, from performers and musicians to visual artists, storytellers, and creators who reflect the creativity of our communities,” she said.

“This project will create more opportunities to showcase that talent, strengthen collaboration, and bring vibrant experiences to audiences by investing in spaces like these.”

The minister said that she continues to advocate to her federal counterparts for a contribution to the $660 million project.

Transformation is happening across the downtown

Thom Mahler, director of downtown strategy with the City of Calgary, said that this project is just another in a long list of downtown area endeavours that are rejuvenating the core.

Right now, the Glenbow Museum project is ongoing, Stephen Avenue is being transformed, Scotia Place is progressing, and recently the Confluence Historic Site released a site concept plan. The BMO Centre expansion was recently completed, as was Eau Claire Plaza.

“I think what’s happening right now, which makes it so exciting, is they’re all kind of happening at the same time under the same collective vision about, how do we revitalize our downtown, how do we make it a global destination for tourism, for economic development, but more importantly as a destination for Calgarians,” he said.

All of the so-called city shaping doesn’t come without some hiccups, which Mahler acknowledged. There’s a lot of construction impact to roads, sidewalks and other mobility corridors in the area, not to mention the impact to area businesses.

“We are trying to do as best as we can to coordinate, and part of that is just communication and making sure people know well in advance what things are coming,” he said.

“It is a balance, but we also try and keep the focus on what’s positive and what’s transformational about all this stuff coming, and it’ll be worth some of the headache as we go through it.”

Mahler said the downtown construction comes at time when they’re also trying to bring more people to live in the area.

“We still have a very solid office core, we have a strong employee base, but now we’re adding and layering all these other things – a lot more residential, the hotels, and then the things that people do when they come to visit the city, but it also brings Calgarians down, everybody likes to see new things,” he said.

The completion goal of the Olympic Plaza Transformation is to coincide with the Werklund Centre expansion in 2028. After that, the modernization of the Jack Singer Concert Hall, funding permitting, will happen.