Sentinels set to watch over East Village

* photo courtesy CMLC

Calgary's past will blend with the future as the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) is installing five Sentinels at the corner of Sixth Street and Ninth Avenue S.E.

The Sentinels, made of heavy glass and concrete will depict historical Calgary figures, suspended from a steel framework. "The installation is part of the extensive landscaping program CMLC has been advancing around the circumference of Fort Calgary since 2007," said Susan Veres, CMLC's vice-president marketing and communications. "Aptly called The Edges, the landscaping program has created a respectful delineation between the urban energy of East Village and the natural character of Fort Calgary."

The Calgary figures immortalized in The Sentinels are Captain Richard Deane of the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) who was posted at Fort Calgary in 1914; Chief Crowfoot of the Blood and Blackfoot First Nations who accepted the NWMP in what would become the Calgary area; Colonel James Macleod who first communicated with Chief Crowfoot and for whom Macleod Trail is named and John Ayer, a Calgary alderman who, in 1974, was behind the purchase of the Fort Calgary land from the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway so it could be restored and shared with generations to come.

"The Sentinels were created to complement The Edges park space, which we completed last year," said Michael Brown, CMLC CEO. "As a gateway to East Village, they'll extend a welcoming invitation to the area as they stand guard over Fort Calgary and East Village."