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It has been more than a year since Harvard Developments unveiled their ambitious plans to redevelop the Eau Claire Market site in downtown Calgary, and the controversy surrounding the pending relocation of the heritage-designated smokestack from its original placement to a site 10 metres away has not been resolved. Local heritage groups are angered by the dangerous precedent that they say the City will set by temporarily de-designating the structure in order to allow for its relocation and re-designation.
At 27 metres tall, the 1947-built red-brick smokestack was once part of a much larger structure. The former Calgary Transit Garages that once occupied the historically industrial sector of the city stood until 1988, and their current replacement, the 1993-built Eau Claire Market shopping centre, is itself slated for demolition as part of the site's imminent redevelopment.
While more than 80 percent of Calgarians support the decision to relocate the smokestack to a site just steps from its original location, those on the side of heritage preservation have reason to be wary of the move. They believe that the process of designating a historic structure should represent a much more permanent solution to heritage, one that cannot be undone on a whim. Should City Hall proceed with the move, heritage supporters fear that it will only be a matter of time before other more significant structures face similar circumstances, as Calgary's rapid pace of development will certainly run up against the historic fabric of the city sooner rather than later.
Missing completely from project renderings, the smokestack has never been a part of the redevelopment plans, further proof in the eyes of preservationists that the developer is taking too many liberties.
Sprawling over 2.95 hectares of prime downtown real estate, from the edge of the Financial District to the banks of the Bow River, the Eau Claire Market redevelopment could easily accommodate the smokestack, so the developer's claim that it must be relocated does not sit well with preservationists who believe otherwise.
While it looks more than likely that the smokestack will be relocated, it will be up to local preservationists and city councillors to ensure that this does not become a habit, as the repercussions of such an outcome could be potentially disastrous for the future of the city.
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