RoyalAlbertaMuseum

There has been a growing backlash to the provincial government's announcement to demolish the former Royal Alberta Museum (RAM). The former Royal Alberta Museum opened in 1967 as part of the federal government’s Confederation Memorial Centennial Program and closed its doors in 2015. The building which overlooks the North Saskatchewan river is an example of Midcentury Modern architecture and appears to be in good condition but would require a large investment to renovate and update its interior. As Keith Gerein of the Journal writes, that is where reality and sentimentality of what to do with the former Royal Alberta Museum must be considered.

On Thursday, Arts, Culture and Status of Women Minister Tanya Fir on behalf of the Alberta Government announced that the former Royal Alberta Museum (Ram) would be demoloished. The old building was built in 1965 and closed in 2015.

The estimated cost of demolishing the old building would be $22 million - $48 million and the cost of “deferred maintenance on the structure is estimated to be $75 million.” Officials said Alberta Infrastructure currently “absorbs over $700,000 in operating and maintenance costs annually” for the vacant building. The old museum will be demolished while Government House and the Carriage House will remain standing at the site. The Alberta government has posted a survey on its website that Albertans can fill out to provide their thoughts on what the new green space should look like. People have until Aug. 30 to fill out the survey.

The cost to repurpose the building for another use would have been at least $150 million, including the deferred maintenance cost.