Considering it's a building that last had a touch-up in the 1960s, the Banque d'Hochelaga that houses the Art Gallery of St. Albert (AGSA) is due for some work.
There are no access ramps for the physically challenged at either the front or back doors. There is only one set of washrooms, located in the basement, accessible only by a narrow set of stairs. The plumbing, wiring and furnaces need replacing. In certain rooms, blazing yellow stickers warn of the presence of asbestos, a known carcinogen.
But Arts and Heritage Foundation (AHF) director Paul Moulton is looking beyond a simple touch-up. He wants to see a new space that can become the focal point for St. Albert's Perron District, that can host classes in the same building it houses its art, that can draw from a greater cross-section of artists and, that at night, can glow in a way that will keep people's attention firmly fixed on the downtown.
"Cities are realizing that if you put performing or visual arts centres in your somewhat dormant downtown core, it brings people downtown," Moulton said. "It's something that would bring people downtown more regularly and the surrounding businesses would benefit."
But when the proposed extension to the AGSA was presented to city council April 2, it attracted a lot of criticism for its price tag, pegged at $4.5 million. Many wondered how you could argue for a whole new building when all you really needed was a ramp out front and an elevator or lift in the back.
Moulton says it's not as simple as that. Restraints on the building, availability of funding and the dismal state of the city's cultural infrastructure are reason enough to invest in a new building, one he argues would save the city money in the long run.
"There's a chunk of the community that wants to see more of its arts infrastructure developed, and (currently) it's somewhere between disappointing and frankly embarrassing," Moulton said.
In concept
David Murray, working with Jeremy Sturgess, was asked to take what funds had been allocated for barrier-free access and come up with something. Murray saw the project as really two in one – the first was restoring the Banque d'Hochelaga building to its appearance as it was in the 1960s, when another addition was added. The second was how best to incorporate barrier-free access and the more he worked, the more he became convinced a new building was the way to go.
"We felt the original building could play an important role in the downtown as an anchor, given the arts are certainly one of the things St. Albert is known for," Murray said. "The question was, could we enhance the building into an anchor?"
Esthetics and legislation affect any proposed changes to the original building. Designated as a municipal historic resource by the city, there is a long list of restrictions to how the building can be altered. Plus, Mouton maintains simple esthetics come into play – a modern ramp nailed into a classic building would just look ugly.
"It just doesn't fit, so esthetically it's going to look like crap," he said.
So Murray started to explore possibilities, such as adding on to the building along St. Anne Street. What he's come up with are two different plans – identical in design with one slightly smaller, that he thinks would create a real focal point for the downtown.
"We didn't want to imitate [the Banque building]," Murray said. "It would not be imitated because that's not deemed as particularly respectful. What is recommended in the guidelines we follow is that if you're going to make an addition or change, that it be distinct – it can be easily recognized as different from the original building and of its own time."
What Murray and Sturgess developed is a looming piece with glass frontage, an accessible entryway shifted from Perron to St. Anne Street, and a basement area with a light pool where visitors can see program participants working.
Holding classes in the same building that houses the art, says director of arts Frances Gagnon, is a very important point for the gallery.
"I think it's very important to have our programs in the same location as the art because that's what drives it," she said. Right now, classes are scattered between the satellite space and school classes at St. Albert Place.
"Art classes are better if you can see the art and create your work at the same time and we said that would bring some money to the table," Mouton added.
The addition also incorporates the barrier-free washrooms, as well as adding new gallery space that can allow the AGSA to host more shows. With the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton taking a more worldly focus, smaller galleries are being targeted by regional artists for shows. Gagnon received more than 100 applications for showings for 2013, up from the usual 50.
"With more space and a better-kept facility, we can do more of that," Gagnon said.
At night, the transparent panelling allowing people to see what's happening inside would help to illuminate the night, helping maintain its focus as a potential driver for downtown traffic.
Lynda Moffat, president and CEO of the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce, said the committee responsible for the Perron District will meet in May to discuss the idea.
"It's pretty interesting," Moffat said. "It's always fun to know that people are looking forward instead of backward and there are organizations that are visionary and that's very positive."
The cheaper option
There are four options, as the AHF sees it, all of which tackle the issue of accessibility. But the farther the program reaches, argues Mouton, the more the cost to the city drops.
A barebones, base option that simply adds a ramp and renovates the existing space would cost $2.25 million, but almost all of that would be borne by the city. The reduced scope would make the project less likely to attract substantial grant funding or fundraising. Plus, because it would not consolidate the AHF's office space and satellite space into one location, the city would not save on the $74,000 per year it currently gives the AHF to rent those two locations. Consequently, the city's take in total would be almost $1.7 million.
But the largest option, which adds the new gallery space and St. Anne Street frontage, comes in at $4.5 million. By consolidating their other spaces, the AHF would ask for a reduction in its funding from the city by $74,000, which over the course of a mortgage would add up to a $1.85 million saving for the city. Coupled with a federal grant of $950,000 and a provincial grant of $225,000, the city need only put up another $500,000 in capital costs over what it has budgeted for the next two years.
And the AHF would be seeking its own private and corporate donations, including potentially branding the new gallery space in a company's name.
"You have to start somewhere. You have to be really smart about making sure it's tasteful and controlled," Moulton said. There would be no blazing company symbol on the AGSA's exterior but instead a plaque denoting the name of the company.
The AHF sees it as a win for everyone, with all parties chipping in so no one entity is bearing a disproportionate amount.
"We can't put this on the backs of the taxpayers or on any one level of government," Moulton said. "We have to be there, too."
