Downtown East Village, Calgary
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Downtown East Village more commonly known as simply East Village, is a mixed-use neighbourhood within the eastern portions of downtown
Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
,
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. It is contained within the city's Rivers District. Containing the earliest-settled land in the Calgary area -
Fort Calgary Fort Calgary was a North-West Mounted Police outpost at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers in present-day Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally named Fort Brisebois, after the outpost's first commander, the outpost was renamed Fort Calga ...
- East Village was for years a mixture of high-rise residential, commercial, and industrial development. Much of the parkland currently surrounding Fort Calgary was industrial as recently as the 1960s. Construction of the city's
light rail transit Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
Blue Line, coupled with the closure of 8th Avenue at Macleod Trail in the early 1980s by construction of the massive Calgary Municipal Building, resulted in East Village being "cut off," from the rest of downtown. It became home to many rundown properties and vacant lots over the years, and a severe crime problem. Plans to reshape this neighbourhood were approved by
Calgary City Council The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors. Jyoti Gondek was elected mayor in October 202 ...
in March 2005 (''East Village
Area Redevelopment Plan Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while ''surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-dimen ...
''). In Spring 2007,
Calgary City Council The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors. Jyoti Gondek was elected mayor in October 202 ...
approved the formation of a wholly owned subsidiary known as
Calgary Municipal Land Corporation Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) was incorporated in 2007 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the City of Calgary to implement and execute the Rivers District Community Revitalization Plan – a public infrastructure program approved by the Cit ...
(CMLC) with the mandate to revitalize and redevelop the Rivers District, which includes the East Village. Construction began in earnest within the Rivers District by the new corporation in 2007 with the undertaking of a rare downtown Calgary stormwater treatment pond in the NW corner of
Fort Calgary Fort Calgary was a North-West Mounted Police outpost at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers in present-day Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally named Fort Brisebois, after the outpost's first commander, the outpost was renamed Fort Calga ...
. Many of the dilapidated buildings were torn down, to be replaced by modern structures, and the
Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk The Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk (also known simply as RiverWalk) is a section of the Bow River pathway between the Centre Street Bridge and the 9th Avenue SE Bridge, along the Bow and Elbow rivers in Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Phase I ...
along the south bank of the
Bow River The headwaters of the Bow River in Alberta, Canada, start at the Bow Glacier and Bow Lake (Alberta), Bow Lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, Canadian Rocky Mountains. The glacial stream that feeds Bow Lake (Alberta), Bow Lake ...
was completed in the summer of 2012. As of January 2017, several luxury condominium towers have been completed, along with two new hotels, while construction is underway on several more condominium towers, retail buildings, with additional commercial and residential development planned. As of 2017, the neighbourhood has attracted $2.7 billion worth of investment.


Demographics

In the City of Calgary's 2016 municipal census, Downtown East Village had a population of living in dwellings, a 14.2% increase from its 2015 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. Residents in this community had a
median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...
of $17,253 in 2005. As a reference, in 2005 the median household income for the whole city of Calgary was $67,238. In 2005 there were 53.1% low income residents living in the neighbourhood. As of 2006, 31.9% of the residents were
immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...
s. A proportion of 94.7% of the buildings were
condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...
s or
apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...
s, and 83.8% of the housing was used for
renting Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the use of a good, service or property owned by another over a fixed period of time. To maintain such an agreement, a rental agreement (or lease) is sig ...
, this being the highest renting/owning rate in the city.


Crime

In the May 2023-May 2024 data period, Downtown East Village had a crime rate of 15.605/100, an increase from the previous data period. This puts it at this comparison to other Calgary communities: Saddle Ridge (1.358/100), Whitehorn (1.741/100),
Rundle The Rundle family name is a prominent one in many parts of southwest England, particularly Cornwall. Notable people with the surname include: * Adam Rundle, English football player * David Rundle, South African cricketer * David Allen Rundle, Am ...
(2.342/100), Brentwood (2.348/100),
Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...
(2.542/100), Bowness (2.934/100), Shawnessy (3.296/100),
Inglewood Inglewood may refer to: Places Australia *Inglewood, Queensland * Shire of Inglewood, Queensland, a former local government area *Inglewood, South Australia *Inglewood, Victoria *Inglewood, Western Australia Canada * Inglewood, Ontario *Inglewoo ...
(3.438/100), Sunnyside (3.650/100),
Marlborough Marlborough or the Marlborough may refer to: Places Australia * Marlborough, Queensland * Principality of Marlborough, a short-lived micronation in 1993 * Marlborough Highway, Tasmania; Malborough was an historic name for the place at the sou ...
(4.703/100), Southwood (5.147/100), Sunalta (5.307/100), Montgomery (5.483/100), Forest Lawn (6.528/100),
Rosscarrock Rosscarrock is a residential neighbourhood in the southwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. It is bounded to the north by Bow Trail to the east by 33 Street W, to the south by 17 Avenue S and to the west by 45 Street W. The Westbrook Mall is locate ...
(7.049/100), Downtown Commercial Core (12.705/100), Downtown East Village (15.605/100), Manchester (43.368/100).


Crime Data by Year


Archeological discovery

In the spring and summer of 2008, archeologists made several rare discoveries in East Village: two historic dumps from the early 20th century, as well as a native stone circle and fire hearths dating back over 3,300 years. Calgary archeologist Brian Vivian says it's the first pre-contact site of its type that archeologists have discovered in inner-city Calgary.


Area redevelopment


Infrastructure

In 2007, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) invested $357 million in infrastructure upgrades to the neighbourhood. These upgrades included elevating the roads above the flood-plain of the nearby Bow and
Elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...
rivers, paving the new roads and sidewalks with stone bricks, building the award-winning
Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk The Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk (also known simply as RiverWalk) is a section of the Bow River pathway between the Centre Street Bridge and the 9th Avenue SE Bridge, along the Bow and Elbow rivers in Downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Phase I ...
, major utility upgrades, the construction of plazas, and much more. These infrastructure upgrades were completed in 2015, with the completion of Celebration Square located along Riverfront Lane, between 6th and 7th Avenues SE.


Residential buildings

Since 2012, the East Village has seen the construction of several residential buildings, which have increased the population of the neighbourhood substantially. The first building to be completed under the guise of CMLC was Fuse in 2015. Fuse is the shorter of two towers that make up the Evolution development. As of January 2017, there are six residential buildings under construction in the East Village. N3 is the city's first parking-free condominium.


Institutional buildings

East Village is home of the
National Music Centre The National Music Centre (NMC; ) is a non-profit museum, performance venue, and recording studio located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The centre's permanent building, branded Studio Bell, is located at 850 4th Street S.E. in Downtown East Villag ...
, the first national cultural institution dedicated to celebrating music in Canada in all of its forms. The $191 million building houses the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, broadcast facilities, a museum of impressive musical artefacts such as the Rolling Stones Mobile Recording Studio, and a 300-seat performance hall. The new National Music Centre building has incorporated the 120-year-old
King Edward Hotel The OMNI King Edward Hotel, also known as the "King Eddy", is a historic luxury hotel in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hotel is located at 37 King Street East, and it occupies the entire block bounded by King Street on the north, Vic ...
building into its structure. The King Edward Hotel was, for a long time, a famous jazz and blues venue, thus continuing the tradition of this site as a centre for musical development in Canada. The village is also home to the New Central Library of the Calgary Public Library, which opened on November 1, 2018. The library houses children's books, performance venues and activity rooms on its lower floors, together with an extensive fiction section and reading room on its upper floor. CMLC held a design competition for the new library. American- Norwegian architecture firm
Snøhetta Snøhetta is the highest mountain in the Dovrefjell mountain range in Norway. At , it is the highest mountain in Norway outside the Jotunheimen range, making it the 24th highest peak in Norway, based on a topographic prominence cutoff. At , i ...
and Canadian firm DIALOG won the competition to design the building. The $245 million structure will house 600,000 titles, a reading room, a cafe, a 340-seat theatre, and conference rooms, as well as many activity centres and reading areas.


Retail buildings

Much of the East Village redevelopment consists of mixed-use buildings, housing both residential and retail uses. This will be most apparent on ‘The Riff’. The Riff will be a pedestrian street bisecting the neighbourhood from the northeast to the southwest, from the George C. King Bridge to 8th Avenue SE. The Riff will be a major retail street, housing an as yet unknown collection of retailers. In late 2016, RioCan Developments started construction on a major new retail destination known as 5th and Third. This development is an entire city block and will include two full floors of underground parking, 2 full floors of retail, along with two large residential condo towers on top. Confirmed tenants as of January 2017 are a full-sized Loblaws City Market and Shoppers Drug Mart. So far, two of the neighbourhoods major historic structures have been redeveloped for retail uses. The Simmons Mattress Factory building has been redeveloped into the home of Charbar, Phil and Sebastians Coffee Roasters, and Sidewalk Citizen Bakery. While the newly completed revitalization of the St. Louis Hotel building has yet to receive any retail tenants as of January 2017, its upper floors are home to the offices of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation. As of January 2017, construction is imminent on a new 4-storey retail building located directly between the RiverWalk and Confluence Way. This building is intended to host restaurants and will be in a key location, right along the riverbank.


Historic buildings

East Village plays host to several of Calgary's oldest buildings. The Simmons Mattress Factory building has been redeveloped to house Charbar, Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters, and Sidewalk Citizen Bakery, and is right along the RiverWalk. The city's oldest running hotel, the
King Edward Hotel The OMNI King Edward Hotel, also known as the "King Eddy", is a historic luxury hotel in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hotel is located at 37 King Street East, and it occupies the entire block bounded by King Street on the north, Vic ...
, built in 1905 has been deconstructed and rebuilt as part of the
National Music Centre The National Music Centre (NMC; ) is a non-profit museum, performance venue, and recording studio located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The centre's permanent building, branded Studio Bell, is located at 850 4th Street S.E. in Downtown East Villag ...
. The St. Louis Hotel has been revitalized and now hosts the headquarters of
Calgary Municipal Land Corporation Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) was incorporated in 2007 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the City of Calgary to implement and execute the Rivers District Community Revitalization Plan – a public infrastructure program approved by the Cit ...
and a rental venue. The Hillier Block has been restored and is now home to the Calgary Public Library Foundation, ADD-IN, and the New Central Library Discovery Centre for the duration of the NCL construction project happening next door.


Parks and plazas

Calgary Municipal Land Corporation has built three plazas in the neighbourhood, these are RiverWalk Plaza next to the Simmons Building, Fifth Street Square at the intersection of 5th Street SE and 7 Avenue SE, and Celebration Square along the C-train's Blue Line between 5th and 6th Avenues SE. CMLC was also responsible for the revitalization of St. Patrick's Island Park. The park revitalization was coupled with the construction of the George C. King Bridge for a total price tag of $45 million. The George C. King Bridge connects the island park south to the East Village and Bridgeland to the north.


See also

*
List of neighbourhoods in Calgary This is a list of neighbourhoods in Calgary, Alberta. As of 2016, Calgary has 197 neighbourhoods, which are referred to as "communities" by the municipal government, and 42 industrial areas. A further 15 communities were included in the Municip ...


References


External links


East Village Experience



Calgary Municipal Land Corporation

National Music Centre
{{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Calgary