![\"Text](\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/a\/assets\/texttospeech.svg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Listen to this article<\/p>\n
Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n
The federal government is investing $40 million in Contemporary Calgary’s redevelopment of the Centennial Planetarium on the west end of downtown.<\/p>\n
The funding, announced Friday, comes from Ottawa’s $51 billion Build Communities Strong Fund<\/a>, and will support the third and final phase of the arts group’s years-long retrofit of the planetarium into a public art gallery.<\/p>\n “Together we are transforming one of our city\u2019s most important civic gathering places into a globally significant destination for contemporary art,” Contemporary Calgary CEO David Leinster said in a news release.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, the provincial government made a $40 million investment in the project<\/a>, with the remaining funds expected to come from the community and private donors, according to the project’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Federal Heritage Minister Marc Miller said the funds will help write the historic building’s “next chapter.”<\/p>\n “By transforming this iconic landmark, we’re creating a place where more people can experience art, learn, connect and come together \u2014 while preserving a space that means so much to all Albertans,\u201d he said in the release Friday.<\/p>\n The project consists of three phases, two of which are already complete, with the total cost estimated at $190 million, according to Contemporary Calgary.\u00a0<\/p>\n The final phase is expected to cost $160 million, and involves a new entrance pavilion, a three-floor education and gallery wing, expanded event spaces, a public art park and garden, and the transformation of the planetarium dome into a LED Art Dome.\u00a0<\/p>\n Upgrades also include improving the building’s efficiency through geothermal energy and high-performance building systems, with the goal of reducing the building’s total energy consumption by 41 per cent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Calgary Confederation MP Corey Hogan said the renovations will also “address the need for more cultural infrastructure and public gathering spaces in Calgary\u2019s Downtown West End, helping revitalize the area.”<\/p>\n Renovations are expected to get underway in the fall of 2027, with completion scheduled for 2030.<\/p>\n Planetarium revamp in the works for several years<\/p>\n Built in 1967 to mark the centenary of Canada’s confederation, the building previously housed the science centre until it moved in 2011, reopening as the Telus Spark Science Centre.<\/p>\n The site sat vacant for eight years, during which time Contemporary Calgary entered, and walked away from<\/a>, negotiations to transform the planetarium.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783209557_498_default.jpg\")
Part of the final phase of the planetarium redevelopment involves a new entrance pavilion with a caf\u00e9, gift shop and visitor information desk. (Contemporary Calgary)<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783209558_230_default.jpg\")
The new gallery will be located on the second floor of the Art and Education wing. The entire third phase of the renovation is expected to cost $160 million. (Contemporary Calgary)<\/p>\n