{"id":781769,"date":"2026-07-05T12:33:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/781769\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T12:33:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:33:34","slug":"federal-government-investing-40-million-in-contemporary-calgarys-redevelopment-of-old-planetarium-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/781769\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal government investing $40 million in Contemporary Calgary’s redevelopment of old planetarium"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/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

\"Part<\/p>\n

(Contemporary Calgary)<\/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.<\/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.<\/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.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

(Contemporary Calgary)<\/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.<\/p>\n

When discussions were renewed in 2018<\/a>, the arts group and the city signed a 25-year lease of the building with an option for a 10-year extension. Contemporary Calgary began its tenancy the following year.<\/p>\n

At that time, the city also spent $24.5 million to modernize the building in the first phase of the revitalization project.<\/p>\n

The second phase of the project consisted of a $5.5 million investment from the city, as well as other public and private sources, to renovate what are now the Morris & Ann Dancyger Observatory Gallery and the Heather Edwards Theatre.<\/p>\n

While the building does not have formal heritage status, Leinster said the latest funding ensures the building’s legacy will continue for future generations.<\/p>\n

“This project demonstrates how heritage preservation, adaptive reuse and environmental leadership can come together to build stronger communities while creating a lasting cultural legacy for Calgary and Canada,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The federal government is investing $40 million in Contemporary Calgary’s redevelopment of the Centennial Planetarium on the west…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":781770,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48,22296,208465,276704,251],"class_list":["post-781769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-calgary","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-canada","tag-contemporary-art","tag-contemporary-calgary","tag-public-art-gallery","tag-the-federal-government"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=781769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/781770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=781769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=781769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=781769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}