RETURN OF THE LION
Historic sculpture being unveiled
A century-long journey’s end will be celebrated Sept. 29 for one of the original Centre Street lions.
The sculpture, which once guarded the bridge over the Bow River into downtown, has been restored and in July was moved to its new perch in Rotary Park overlooking the core.
Its new home in the park, at 617 1st St. N.E., will be celebrated Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of Alberta Culture Days.
The event will include music, family-friendly activities, a historical tour and a lion dance by Calgary’s Chinatown community.
“It’s a lovely space for Calgarians to enjoy,” said Jennifer Thompson, the city’s lead for public art.
“We hope members of the community will come out to welcome the lion back to the area and pay tribute to this important cultural and historical artifact.”
What they’ll see is a newly landscaped site, the lion’s concrete base, a seating wall and pathway improvements.
The concrete lion was one of four original big cats sculpted by stonemason James L. Thomson in 1916-17, which were modelled on the lions in London’s Trafalgar Square.
When the bridge was renovated in 1999, the lions were removed. One lion was restored and placed in front of the Calgary Municipal Building; it was used as a mould to create replicas that now sit on the bridge.
Of the other three placed in a city storage yard, only one was deemed immediately salvageable and it was moved during the summer to the Rotary Park site.
City officials say that due to their historical importance, restoring and relocating the other two sculptures remains a future plan.