Legislature Annex building to face wrecking ball in 2021
A government building once called a 12-storey middle finger directed at the legislature will be torn down after decades of deterioration.
Alberta Infrastructure Minister Prasad Panda said the Legislature Annex building is in such bad shape it would cost $29 million to fix — about half the building's assessed value. It costs $750,000 per year to maintain, even though only 300 government workers normally occupy only a few floors.
“It's not the looks of it — it's the fitness of the building and the safety concerns and safety hazards for the occupants. It served us well, but now it's past its time,” Panda said Wednesday.
At least 30 windows in the building are cracked, the building leaks, sometimes leading to wet plaster falling from the ceiling, and it needs extensive plumbing and ventilation repairs.
Decommissioning will begin this fall, with hazards like asbestos and lead paint being mitigated first, and demolition will start in 2021.
Built to house Alberta Government Telephones, the building has also housed opposition MLAS, government backbenchers and departmental staff.
One politician reportedly called it an “architectural monstrosity” when it opened in 1953.
The former Progressive Conservative government proposed tearing it down and re-landscaping the area but never did. In 2016, the then-ndp government considered tearing down the building and following through with a 2011 conceptual plan that would see the site redeveloped.
Early this year, it topped Edmonton Journal columnist Keith Gerein's list of buildings in the city that should be razed to the ground. Gerein called it a “12-storey middle finger to the legislature, festooned in a troublesome turquoise that must top the list of colours bridesmaids hope they never have to wear.”
Replacement plans are still up in the air, but will be part of a “total refresh” of amenities around the legislature grounds, including attention to cracked concrete and degrading fountains, Panda said.
The Annex isn't the only government property that needs attention. Six years after reopening following a $403-million facelift, the Federal Building will lose its living wall of greenery. The multi-level plant display in the building's atrium — that now costs the government $70,000 a year to maintain — will be left to die.
It's a biofilter for the building's air system, and will likely be removed in 2021 and replaced with sculptures as part of an ongoing upgrade of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
“This is the problem: Should I spend money on the living wall or should I fix all these things?” said Panda, referring to the legislature grounds, a popular place for visitors.
The total annual budget for the legislature grounds, including landscaping, water features and site maintenance, is about $4 million.