Worries over future of Olympic Plaza bricks resurface as major makeover looms

Beyond the eastern end of Stephen Avenue, across from City Hall, tens of thousands of brown bricks marked with the names of Calgarians line the surface of Olympic Plaza.

Etched with clever messages and at least one wedding proposal, the bricks were part of a city promotion in 1986. 

For the suitable cost of $19.88, people could buy one and put a message on it — leaving their personal imprint on both the city and on the plaza. 

"It was around '88, 1988, probably," said Brian Hwang, recalling the day he learned of his personalized brick.

"I remember, as a kid, we went to Olympic Plaza and [my father] said, 'You know, somewhere around here, you and your brother's name are on one of the bricks.'"

More than 35 years later, the plaza and its engraved surface seemingly cemented their place in Calgary's history as a site of celebration and a symbol of sporting heritage.

Olympic Plaza is showing its age, however.The original stage and its infrastructure don't work well with the technology needed for modern concerts. 

As a whole, the plaza can no longer serve its intended purpose, says one city councillor.

"When we talk about being a centre and a hub of culture and activity and celebration, it doesn't function as that. It's costly to program, it's labour-intensive to program," said Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner.

"We have a much more diverse population and we have diverse needs, particularly when it comes to technology. When you look at how that space is activated, everything has to be brought in pretty much from the outside."

After more than a decade of dialogue, the plaza — which has been slated for a structural upgrade since 2007 — is going to be redeveloped.

It's part of a broader revitalization of the area that includes a $480-million upgrade and eventual expansion to Arts Commons and is an effort involving the City of Calgary, Arts Commons and the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), which is spearheading the project.

What remains unclear, however, is how Olympic Plaza's physical and symbolic legacy, and its significance to Calgary's history, will be preserved and maintained. 

"If they are going to take it all apart, I was hoping there'd be an opportunity for people to get their bricks … my father, he passed away quite early, in his 50s," Hwang said.