Former King Edward School is reborn as hub for the Calgary arts community

Once a sandstone monolith surrounded by bald prairie, King Edward School has seen countless generations of students pass through its hallways. Its slate staircases bear faint grooves from more than a century of feet, including the hard-soled boots of soldiers that once used its basement for rifle-range training.

Now, 105 years later, the inner-city community of South Calgary surrounds the school, which is undergoing a massive $33.5-million transformation into an arts incubator and artistic venue called cSPACE King Edward.

The school closed in 2001, and was eventually acquired by cSPACE, a social enterprise real estate company that provides rental space, property management and community development. Capital funding for the project has come from the City, province, Calgary Foundation and other organizations.