Garneau Theatre Receives Historical Designation
October 28, 2009
The City of Edmonton has added a local landmark to its list of over 80 designated municipal historic resources. The Garneau Theatre, designed and built in 1940, received the official designation this morning from City Council. The Garneau is located at 109 Street and 87 Avenue.
Receiving designation as a Municipal Historic Resource legally protects the property from being significantly altered or torn down. In exchange for having those conditions placed on the property, the City provides financial incentives of up to 50 per cent of the total cost of restoration work.
“Edmonton has developed one of the most generous financial incentive programs in the country to help owners protect, restore and rehabilitate heritage buildings,” says Robert Geldart, Principal Heritage Planner with the City.
The owners of the Garneau applied to have the historic designation earlier this year. The City will pay up to $547,239.30 of the total cost of the restoration work of $1,026,526. The budget for renovating the entire building (interior work, electrical, mechanical, etc.) is an estimated $3,200,000.
The city has over 600 properties on the Register of Historic Resources in Edmonton, an inventory of buildings or landmarks having important historical value. Eighty-four of those, including the Garneau, have received official designation as Municipal Historic Resources, and thus are protected from changes that would alter their heritage character.
The Garneau Theatre has heritage value as an early suburban movie theatre that was built during World War II. It is an excellent example of the Art Deco “moderne” style of theatre architecture, reflecting the work of its architect William G. Blakey, an important architect of that time in Edmonton.
“We are really pleased that this historic landmark now has this protected status,” says Geldart, “and that the owners of the Garneau share the City’s commitment to fostering and preserving our heritage buildings.”
For more information:
Robert Geldart
Planning and Development
| Title | Principal Heritage Planner |
|---|---|
| Telephone | 780-496-6123 |
