New music centre gets a boost

Power Corporation of Montreal donates $1 million to music centre project

Calgary's National Music Centre has received a $1-million boost from the Power Corporation of Canada.

The money will be used to support construction of a new centre expected to open in 2016. The gift will be recognized through the Power Corporation innovation Stage, a space that will focus on telling stories of musicians,
inventors and industry builders who have helped make Canada what it is today. "Power Corporation is proud to work with NMC, an organization that shares our values of leadership and national pride. It is a beautiful building and we are excited to be a part of such an exciting national project," said Paul Desmarais Jr., chairman and co-chief executive officer of Power Corporation.

"Canadians have a lot to be proud of in regards to innovation in music composition performance, technology and the
music industry. It's an honour to help tell these remarkable stories." The new 160,000 square-feet NMC, located on Ninth Avenue adjacent to East Village, will have five floors of exhibitions dedicated to Canada's music history.

"It is inspiring to have a new national partner for this exciting journey," said centre president and CEO Andrew Mosker. "This project is about more than a building; it is about uniting Canadians through the power of music and our heritage."

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NMC continues to raise funds for the new building to add to the $100-million raised so far. The project, which also incorporates the historic King Edward hotel, is just another addition to the fast-growing East Village revitalization.

A project of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), the East Village has so far included construction of a Fourth Street underpass, the RiverWalk pathway system and will include 1,300 new residential units and a 300,000 square-feet urban shopping centre.

Other developments coming Calgary's way this year include divestment of a parcel of land for East Village's first new rental apartment complex, the grand opening of the new St. Patrick's Island Bridge, encapsulation of the LRT tracks to pass under the new Central Library, construction of a 300-room hotel, advancement of Crossroads and a landscaping program integrating RiverWalk with the St. Patrick's bridge.

To date, CMLC has committed $260 million of improvements to the area while attracting $1.6 billion of new development in the community. Also being constructed in the area, The Orchard on Twelfth by Lamb Development Corp. is a planned two-phase, two tower condominium project on 61,000 square-feet of land. Phase 1 is expected to launch this fall.

"The idea behind Orchard on Twelfth came from my desire to create something that would excite the people of Calgary," said Lamb Development Corp CEO Brad Lamb. "We want this to be a destination and its proximity to the Stampede grounds, the East Village, the financial centre and the Beltline will help us accomplish that."