Devonian Gardens Reopen

The Koi fish are happy to be in their Devonian Gardens home.

Yesterday was the reopening of the Devonian Gardens in The Core Downtown. After 4 years the newly renovated indoor park was welcomed back into downtown culture with much fanfare including Mayor Nenshi, Alderman Druh Farrell, Alderman John Mar and Ann Charlton, Director of Parks. At yesterday's vine cutting there were a lot of news outlets but many more people enjoying their lunch, a welcome sight to the indoor oasis. Originally opened in 1977 the new and improved Devonian Gardens boasts 107,000 square feet of beautifully landscaped area. The project was made possible by $37 million from the City of Calgary along with generous outside revenue sources.

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Ward 7 Alderman Druh Farrell spoke about how the Devonian Gardens were almost lost because of the inefficiency of the roof causing the garden to literally leak money. Thankfully they were able to find resources and gain support for remodeling and redesigning the Gardens to be more efficient.

Mayor Nenshi reminisced about memories of the Devonian Gardens at yesterday's event. Yesterday was his first visit to the new Gardens, he purposefully did not get a tour prior because he wanted the experience for the first time with everyone in attendance.

The new Devonian Gardens was in large part completed by the staff of the Parks Department, giving them a sense of ownership. The Gardens are by no means complete, with over 10,000 shrubs, 1.5 million pounds of soil and 210 trees, plans are to add a restaurant, education programs and event venues for small or large gatherings.

Yesterday kicked off a 3-day celebration of the new Devonian Gardens, check their website for more details on tours, demonstrations, a scavenger hunt and more. On the 4th floor of The Core shopping centre you can enjoy the Gardens from 9am-9pm daily.

City of Calgary - Devonian Gardens