The Airdrie Water Tower is undergoing the process to become a Municipal Heritage Site. Here’s a recap of its history and future plans:
- Constructed in 1959 as part of an infrastructure project to bring a safe and modern water system for Airdrie’s 309 residents;
- The 21.8-metre-high (50,000 US gallon tank) watersphere steel tower represents mid-20th century infrastructure;
- In 1974 the Nose Creek Historical Society placed a large rock on the property commemorating the Stevenson Stopping House and the RCMP. A time capsule was buried under the rock at the same time and Airdrie’s Town Council passed a resolution to prohibit selling the property for 100 years;
- By 1976, Airdrie was connected to Calgary’s water supply and the water tower was decommissioned in 1977;
- In 2003, Council voted unanimously to conserve the water tower rather than demolish it;
- In 2016, the Great Places Plan recognized the water tower as one of the city’s cultural landscapes and special places;
- In 2020, a comprehensive historical assessment of the water tower was complete;
- The assessment concludes the tower has heritage value providing a link from the past to the present. It recommends the tower be designated as a Municipal Historic Resource (MHR);
- Once designated, if the original structure is historically restored, restoration and preservation work on the Water Tower would be eligible for a provincial matching grant;
- Projects can be completed in phases and municipalities can re-apply to help offset different phases of the conservation and restoration work. A designated Municipal Historic Resource can be modified from its original state, i.e., painted differently or re-located, but the structure would lose eligibility for any Historic Resources Conservation Grants.
Next steps:
- Council must pass a resolution to issue a Notice of Intent to Designate the Airdrie Water Tower as a Municipal Historic Resource (NOI);
- A 60-day waiting period;
- Administration to draft a Municipal Historical Resource bylaw;
- Present the bylaw to Council for three readings;
- List the 1959 Airdrie Water Tower on both the Alberta and Canadian Registers of Historic Places;
- Preservation work is anticipated to be completed in fall of 2022.
