Engraved bricks won't be saved in Olympic Plaza redesign, city confirms

Calgarians have just a few months left to appreciate the engraved bricks that line Olympic Plaza before the park closes for construction at the end of 2024. 

The more than 33,000 bricks etched with names and custom messages won't be preserved in the plaza's transformation project, the City of Calgary announced Tuesday. 

Removing and returning the bricks to the people who paid for them would be too expensive and could damage them, said Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) president and CEO Kate Thompson. 

"Though they look fantastic, to take them out is a huge expense and also not necessarily going to be a successful endeavour," she said. 

"I think Calgarians would want us to make sure that we're being mindful of how we use our funds and how we approach this."

Revamping the downtown plaza, built to host the 1988 Winter Olympic Games medal ceremonies, is expected to cost $70 million. 

Bricks important part of city history, says software developer

The bricks were sold in the lead-up to the Olympics for $19.88, and people were encouraged to leave names or short messages on them.  

At least one wedding proposal is captured on an Olympic Plaza brick. 

"This is part of our history. This is part of Calgary's story as an Olympic city," said Ron McMahon, a software developer who created an app cataloging every custom brick in the plaza.

He said the city should have found a way to restore the bricks and keep them in the new design. 

"It's a lost opportunity … to hear that they're just going to be thrown in the dump is so crushing."

Even though the bricks won't be part of the re-imagined downtown plaza, the space will continue to reflect Calgary's Olympic history, said Kate Thompson.

"The good feelings of 1988 need to be embedded in this design, just like other places that exist within our city," she said.

The city has organized six brick commemoration events in September to allow people to get photos taken with their bricks, and do a name rubbing of brick inscriptions. 

Calgarians weigh in on design plans

The CMLC also shared the results of a public survey on the redesign project on Tuesday.

More than 3,100 Calgary residents expressed what design features they want to see in the Olympic Plaza transformation. 

Among the most requested features are more green space, a concert area, and a skating rink. 

That wish list will help guide the design process, the city said. 

"It's an opportunity to rethink, well, what does Calgary look like 40 years out?," said Thom Mahler, Calgary's director of downtown strategy. 

"It really is reinventing a very much loved public space, but also one that's been heavily used and needs some refurbishment."

Residents also want the plaza to feel safer and to accommodate a broader range of events, according to the city. 

Olympic Plaza will be closed for construction from the end of 2024 through 2028, for both the Arts Commons transformation project and the Olympic Plaza transformation project.  

The city is expected to release the design plans for Olympic Plaza early next year.