Old Royal Alberta Museum building in Glenora to be torn down: province

The former Royal Alberta Museum building will be torn down. (Cam Wiebe/CTV News Edmonton)

The former Royal Alberta Museum building will be torn down and replaced with a green space, the province announced on Thursday.

The old museum building was purpose-built in 1965 and opened to the public in 1967.

Queen Elizabeth II visited the museum on May 24, 2005 as part of her visit to celebrate Alberta's centennial.

At that time, the museum, which had been named The Provincial Museum and Archives of Alberta, was renamed the Royal Alberta Museum.

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The building has been vacant since 2015.

The new Royal Alberta Museum opened in downtown Edmonton in 2018.

"The old Royal Alberta Museum building has been a part of our province for decades, and we know many Albertans have happy memories and sentimental stories from visits there," Peter Guthrie, minister of infrastructure said in a Thursday news release.

"The green space we’re planning will give residents and visitors the opportunity to create new memories in one of the nicest areas in Edmonton."

The province is conducting an online survey to see what Albertans would like to see in the new green space.

Consultation will also happen with Indigenous communities.

The province says based on feedback from the community, the possibility of renovating the old building was investigated, but the necessary repairs were found to be too costly to be practical.

The cost to demolish the building is estimated between $22 to $48 million, including abatement, demolition, civil works and engineering.

The cost to repurpose the structure is estimated at $150 million, including the deferred maintenance cost.

The province says it currently pays $700,000 per year to maintain the vacant building.