This ‘brutalist’ park has officially reopened in downtown Calgary

After around 3 years of work, a park in downtown Calgary has officially reopened once more! The brutalist Century Gardens, located along 8th Avenue, are back and better than ever. Looking for a new spot to take a lunch break or bask in the sun? Well, this might be right up your alley.

Century Gardens were first created way back in 1975, thanks to a donation from the Devonian Group to the city. The design was based on ‘brutalist’ design, which emphasizes sharp, bold lines and ‘harsher’ building materials like concrete. Apparently, the features in the garden are ‘symbolic of the area’s mountains and rivers.’ Whether you agree or not is up to you, but we like it!

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Some of the new features in the park include a splash pad, a wooden amphitheatre, and an expanded green area. There are bathrooms at the park, and the hope is that a concession will also be added in the future. Nice, that’s a lot more than what was there!

So, if the project started in 2018, what took construction so long? Well, the first issue was dealing with a jumble of outdated infrastructure underneath it. Then the pandemic hit in early 2020, which really didn’t help the situation. Either way, the $16M project is complete, and the park awaits your visit!

Century Gardens

Where: 826 8 Ave. S.W.