For a place to become a heritage site, it must first survive its 20th birthday! Two different stories on Olympic Plaza this week, as the 20th anniversary of the 1988 games approaches...
The Olympic Plaza is the major downtown reminder and remainder of this important time in Calgary's history, the site of the medal presentations. A study of downtown parks seems to be recommending that the park be renovated in a way that would destroy much of its historic value, including the removal of the Olympic colonade that was the backdrop of the medal ceremony:
The (Olympic) plaza, which features a skating rink in the winter and a wading pool in the summer, is one of the 19 parks being looked at by the city, said parks planner Patrick Mahaffey.
"Some aren't that well used and haven't been redesigned for years," he said.
For example, Mahaffey said, Olympic Plaza is both well loved and well used, yet the city has heard some concerns about safety in the evenings.
"So do we do a complete redesign?" he asked, noting those are questions they hope to answer through the public input process.
Here is the full story:
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/new ... e93f40ef4b
But before any of that happens (or not), City Council is also planning to add tribute plaques for Olympic athletes. This arguable re-inforces the historic importance of Olympic plaza.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/new ... b8a6c078dc