The history behind this iconic building in Calgary’s Marda Loop neighbourhood

cSPACE Marda Loop is one of Marda Loop’s most impressive structures. The sandstone building acts as a creative hub and incubator, featuring coworking spaces, retail and exhibition galleries, a theatre, and an onsite cafe. Creators thrive here, using its affordable studios and working spaces to embody cSPACE’s vision of a flourishing arts and culture community in Calgary.

But before it was a creative hub, the cSPACE Marda Loop building had a long history as a school. We’re talking 100 years of history.

School days

Between 1892 and 1920, Calgary saw a major population boom, increasing the need for classrooms. The public school board built 20 sandstone schools during this time, one of which was the King Edward School.

What we now know as Marda Loop was sparsely populated at that time, so the nineteen-classroom building was likely an effective way to grow the neighbourhood. The King Edward School officially opened in November 1913 and cost $172,000 to build. That’s the equivalent of over $4.5 million today.

The regular run-of-the-mill school days wouldn’t last for long. When World War I broke out in 1914, the school stepped up to host cadet training. It also became a community social centre where attendees could play card games and host dances.

Bigger things

Until 1918, King Edward School also hosted the South Calgary High School. Unsurprisingly, the building became overcrowded by 1922, which led to the high school class moving to the new Western Canada High School in 1929. But then that became overcrowded, so grade ten students were sent back to King Edward. Ever wonder how middle schools came to be in Calgary? Well, now you have your answer.

During World War II, the building once again stepped up to host groups such as the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and the Calgary Normal School, which was where teachers were trained. A gymnasium and a second addition were added to the building in 1956 and 1967, respectively, and the original west wing was demolished in 1978 due to a dangerous crack in the outer wall.

Despite all of the action the King Edward School saw in its prime, enrollment eventually began to slow until it was forced to close its doors in 2001. The building sat vacant for over a decade until cSPACE purchased it in 2012 and began the five-year transformation that would eventually lead to cSPACE Marda Loop opening its doors in 2017. And the rest, they say, is history.

cSPACE Marda Loop

Where: 1721 29th Ave. SW