St. Albert could have a new home for the arts.
The Arts and Heritage Foundation on Monday unveiled conceptual drawings for a proposed St. Albert Visual Arts Centre that could become an anchor draw for the downtown. The project involves a massive addition to Profiles Public Art Gallery, and possibly the St. Albert Community Hall next door.
"It started with a fairly modest idea of, how do we get the existing [Profiles] gallery main floor to be accessible for people with disabilities," said AHF executive director Paul Moulton. "Not only did we love [the expansion concept] … we haven't shown this to anyone who hasn't liked it."
The early designs were shown during the public hearing for the city's downtown area redevelopment plan (DARP). AHF chair Alan Murdock said the gallery was in need of more space to expand, and the new design would allow the centre to become an anchor in the downtown.
Glass tower
The designs, completed by architect David Murray and Sturgess Architecture, show an extension to the current Profiles gallery with a glass and steel structure built on the lot behind the former Banque d'Hochelaga building.
The expanded building would wrap around the St. Albert Community Hall, turning the nearly 70-year-old building into a new children's gallery. Moulton said the characteristics of Profiles and the community hall would be preserved.
Behind the community hall, a glass tower would rise up to 18 floors, depending on final plans. Inside the tower, Moulton said a mix of office, retail and residential space would be considered. He added the tower component would allow the AHF to explore the idea of using a public-private partnership to fund the project.
Moulton said the AHF reviewed three different design options before nailing down the latest vision. Costs for the project have not yet been determined.
"We decided we wanted to look at the biggest option," he said. "We could look at it from … a broader palette and put things where we think they need to be."
Discussions
Murdock said the AHF presented the plans informally to council a year ago, where he said it was well received. However, the AHF held off going public with the plans until now to coincide with the DARP consultations.
Murdock believes the new visual arts centre is a good fit with the downtown vision created by Toronto-based consultants Urban Strategies, Inc.
A major part of the design plan involves using the community hall as a children's gallery, and the AHF and the city have talked about the possibility of the city purchasing the site, Murdock said. The St. Albert Community League currently owns and operates the building.
Mayor Nolan Crouse said in an email council was in discussions with the St. Albert Community League about the future of the hall. He said major work that's needed for the building, including a replacement of the roof, would require a plan sooner rather than later.
"That planning … will continue needing to be a collaborative effort and no one group or person has a monopoly on that plan," he said. "It is an important building in our history."
Officials with the community league were not immediately available for comment.
