Canada’s ex-Royal Alberta Museum to be demolished

The new Royal Alberta Museum in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (PHOTO: Royal Alberta Museum)

The museum, which is located in the town of Edmonton, was built in 1965 and has been vacant since 2015.

In 2018, a new Royal Alberta Museum - costing CA$375 million (US$271 million) - was opened nearby.

According to the Alberta Government, works to repair and renovate the original museum building were ruled out as an investigation found that they would be “too expensive to be practical”.

The Government of Alberta said: “The cost of deferred maintenance on the structure is estimated to be CA$75 million (US$54 million).

“The cost to repurpose the building for another use would have been at least CA$150 million (US$108 million), including the deferred maintenance cost.”

Additionally, “Alberta Infrastructure currently absorbs over CA$700,000 (US$505,000) in operating and maintenance costs annually even though the building is vacant,” it added.

Instead, the state authority is expected to spend between CA$22 million (US$15.9 million) and CA$48 million (US$34.5 million) on tearing the structure, with the budget expected to include all abatement, demolition, civil and engineering works.

The site will be transformed into a park and green recreational space for local residents.