Tuxedo Park School future use planning
Tuxedo Park School future use planning
The City of Calgary is conducting a future use and feasibility study to find the best future use for the 2.39 acres site that was formerly the location of the Tuxedo Park School.
Project overview
The City acquired the Tuxedo Park school site after exercising its Right of First Refusal, as directed by the Council, when the Calgary Board of Education decided it no longer needed the site. The City onboarded the school site in December 2022.
The 1920 heritage school and the annex built in 1956 are in very poor condition. With a deep respect for the 1920 heritage school, The City is interested in conserving the historic bungalow school, while the annex will be demolished. Right now, the heritage schoolhouse is being kept in cold storage until a decision is made and funding is available for its conservation.
The City is doing a Future Use Exploration and Feasibility Study to confirm the needs over the next 25 to 30 years for the site and the historic schoolhouse. The study will also tell us what capital improvements are needed to address those needs especially related to the heritage building’s conservation.
Best Future Use
The City is working on the future planning of the entire site and how the 1920 schoolhouse can be conserved for adaptive reuse. What we do know is that this site has great value and potential for Transit Oriented Development. It is currently serviced by Bus Rapid Transit and is in proximity to a future Green Line LRT station.
This work will take time to complete, and The City will consult with internal interest holders (departments and service lines) and civic partners before communicating the long-term plan to the public. Once the proposed plans are ready for release, we will share them with the community and let community members know if there will be opportunities for engagement.
Project update
The City has shored up the 1920 school to make sure it is safe when the demolition of the 1950 annex begins. The 1920 school roof replacement also began in late February.
Demolition of the 1950s annex is anticipated to start in May and completed in July 2025, weather dependent. As part of the demolition project, we will do the necessary abatement on the annex to safely remove hazardous materials and conditions such as asbestos and mold. Following demolition, The City will cover the ground with gravel until we can move forward with future projects. The existing grassed area will be minimally maintained by Parks & Open Spaces to prevent it from becoming fallow and will be available for public use.
Annex demolition
To make way for the future use of the site, The City has determined that the 1950s annex needs to be demolished. When The City decides to demolish a building there are always questions. The truth is, not all buildings are worth saving. In this instance, this annex building:
- Is in extremely poor condition
- Would be costly to renovate, and
- The future potential reuse or leasing to a third party would not justify that investment.
In addition to the annex, the basketball court will also be demolished because it will continue to deteriorate and will eventually become a safety issue. The funds are available to demolish the 1956 annex and the failing paved areas surrounding the school. Our research supports this decision as the best course of action.
The benefits of this work are to improve the look of the site for the next few years, help ensure the future viability of the 1920 schoolhouse, and remove the hazard created by the continued deterioration of the other facilities.
Heritage significance
The original school built in 1920 is an example of the Bungalow school design. Between 1913 and 1920, the Calgary School Board (governing body at the time) erected a series of "bungalow" schools in response to Calgary's rapid growth. The buildings were intended to be sold and converted into four-unit apartment buildings when larger schools were built. Several of these bungalow schools continue in use today (Cliff Bungalow School is an example).
Tuxedo Park School site is identified by the City’s Heritage group as:
- A well-preserved example of a later phase of bungalow school design — a design unique to Calgary and one of a few remaining in Calgary.
The one- and two-story addition (annex) was constructed in 1956-1957 and has no heritage value as it is based on generic design that could be constructed quickly.
Site overview and location
The site is a 2.39-acre parcel of land on the corner of 1 Street N.E. and 28 Avenue N.E. in the community of Tuxedo Park. The vacant land appraisal is about $8M. The cost to maintain the site as it was purchased from the CBE costs about $28,000. These holding costs will be significantly reduced when the 1956 addition and some concrete areas are demolished.
Timeline
- Future Use and Feasibility Study
Replace roof on heritage school and secure building against further deterioration.
- Demolish annex to make way for future use and improve site.
- Master plan for future of site and test fits.
- Detailed designs
- Construction documents
- Procure contractor(s)
- Groundbreaking ceremony
- Construction
- Official opening
- Multi-service Site open for use
Investment
The City is investing $400,000 into the Future Use and Feasibility Study for this site. We will use this information to provide information for a budget request in the 2027-2030 budget cycle.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is the heritage significance of the site?
The original school built in 1920 is an example of the Bungalow school design and is very similar to the Cliff Bungalow School. Between 1913 and 1920, the Calgary School Board erected a series of "bungalow" schools in response to Calgary's rapid growth. The buildings were intended to be converted into four-unit apartment buildings when larger schools were built. Several of these bungalow schools continue in use today (Cliff Bungalow School is an example).
The original Tuxedo Park School site is identified by the City’s Heritage group as:
- A well-preserved example of a later phase of bungalow school design - a design unique to Calgary and 1 of only 4 remaining (Riverside – CBE, Tuxedo Park – City, Cliff Bungalow – City).
- A community landmark and a well-preserved example of a later phase of bungalow school design - a design unique to Calgary, in the community.
City Policy advocates for creative and adaptive reuse of City-owned heritage buildings.
The annex was not built until 1956-57 and has no historic value.
What are the benefits of demolishing the annex?
Demolition will result in several benefits:
- Reduce security and safety issues at the site and avoid escalating security costs associated with empty buildings.
- Reduce further deterioration of the heritage building due to the attachment to the annex building.
- Reduce carrying costs for the site.
- Allow for the comprehensive future development of the site.
Why would you not keep the basketball court since children are using it?
There are several reasons why the basketball court is included in the demolition:
The demolition recommendation was based on a thorough assessment of the buildings and amenities on the site. The assessment included both internal specialists and an external consultant. The basketball court will continue to deteriorate and over time will likely become unusable and unsafe.
Even a small amenity such as the basketball court requires an assigned operations and maintenance budget to ensure it is maintained to meet The City’s high standards for usability and safety. There is no budget to maintain and operate the basketball court.
Decisions about park amenities and other infrastructure are based on future use planning by City business units and services lines. If a need is identified, construction and operations and maintenance budgets can be requested. This is important to ensure City budgets are used to deliver high value amenities and infrastructure to meet the needs and desires of citizens now and into the future. Amenity decisions are seldom made on a one-off basis and there are currently no plans to operate this amenity.
In addition, not only may the amenity’s condition be impacted by the demolition activities, but it will eventually have to be removed to make way for the master planned future development.
With respect to the parking lot, we are not planning to demolish it at the same time as the annex. It will be used for staging during demolition and can continue to be used until the site is redeveloped.
Why would you not finish the demolition site with grass rather than gravel?
The site will be finished with gravel and leveled off to ensure it remains in a presentable state until future construction starts. Gravel has no maintenance costs whereas sod requires maintenance and irrigation, both of which need a budget that we do not have. We also cannot ask for a long-term project budget until the next budget cycle — 2027-2030.
As part of the future state investigation, we must take a holistic approach and go through the proper process. If irrigation installed now does not align to a future design park space, it may have to be removed at an additional cost.
Will you keep the community association informed as the project progresses?
Yes. We have a communications plan for the full project. We are also aware that this community is experiencing construction fatigue, and we will do what we can to minimize this fatigue. We are committed to making sure we inform the community association, in advance, of upcoming work once we are certain of the schedule. This includes the shoring of the 1920 school and the demolition work.
Following that, once we have a future use and feasibility study approved, we will inform the association and share that with the community including next steps and any opportunities for formal engagement.
Will you do engagement on the future use?
Once a future project begins, we will consider the need for community input or if our efforts will focus on informing community members about the plan. In the meantime, until there is budget and direction from Council to start developing the site, engagement does not make sense as we won’t know what input we need.