A 28-year-old mural in downtown St. Albert is slated to be removed and destroyed because of significant deterioration and safety issues.
Hanging on the Perron Block Building on St. Anne Street facing southeast, Saturday at the Market was one of the city’s earliest mural installations. The vibrant mural, painted and installed in 1997 by Stan Phelps and Keith Holmes, depicts energetic throngs of crowds buying, selling and socializing at St. Albert’s famed Saturday outdoor market.
But after nearly three decades of standing up to Alberta’s harsh winters, hot summers and generally unpredictable weather, the artwork has suffered from environmental exposure. Additionally, pieces are beginning to fall off the mural and pose a safety hazard.
The Arts Development Advisory Committee recommended pulling $6,000 from the Public Art Lifecycle and Maintenance Fund for the removal and destruction of Saturday at the Market. This figure also includes any repair costs in returning the wall to its original state.
The recommendation was presented to St. Albert city council on Tuesday, Feb. 4. There was no discussion at the meeting, and the recommendation was passed unanimously on consent.
“That was an amazing piece of public art that decorated our downtown for many years,” said Mayor Cathy Heron. “I understand why, but it is very sad to see it go.”
Andrea Bowes, public art associate and registrar for Community Services, checked the 12-foot by 32-foot mural in the summer of 2024 and submitted a condition report.
In the report she noted the mural’s panels made of exterior grade crezon plywood were rotting. Crezon plywood is a specially treated plywood with a smooth faced surface specifically designed for the sign industry. It resists humidity, yields high strength and is lightweight.
The paint layer covering the crezon was faded and powdery, and the varnish sealing each panel had coalesced into opaque clumps allowing moisture to seep into the base. The frame had started to come away from the wall and screws that attach panels to a backing system were corroded posing a safety risk.
Bowes also said city records showed no maintenance work was ever completed during the mural’s lifetime.
“This type of mural deterioration is not unusual. Our environment is unrelenting. Although, it’s unfortunate, this is something that happens,” Bowes said.
She added the mural’s deterioration is so extensive any form of conservation is cost prohibitive. The mural’s condition also prevents it from being installed in an indoor setting and the City of St. Albert does not own long-term storage facilities to house artwork.
The artists, Stan Phelps and Keith Holmes who currently live on Galiano Island, initially submitted a proposal for a mural competition in 1996 and were selected.
"The panels were painted in a mall. Safeway had just vacated one end of it and we got the space to prep our boards and put the base coat on. Then we put an easel in the mall so people could watch us paint," said Holmes. "To paint we put rollers on poles so we could get far enough away to get the proportions right and see what we were doing."
Phelps and Holmes were advised of the city’s recommendations and agreed to the mural’s removal and destruction. Holmes has no regrets about the mural's take-down.
"These things happen to murals. We've done a lot and some don't last. Big fires took one out at Slave Lake and another one was taken out by floods in High River. We've had to redo four at the Calgary Stampede. Things happen."
The owner of the Perron Block Building was also notified and supports the artwork’s removal and repairs on the wall.
Saturday at the Market is scheduled for removal in April.
