A historical museum in Edmonton faces an uncertain future now that the city council has set a timetable with the intention of selling Hangar 14.
The Alberta Aviation Museum is located in Hangar 14 at the former City Center Airport. The museum rents the facilities from the city.
A city administration report stated that a minimum of $41 million in repairs would be required within five years to prevent the aging building from experiencing “critical asset failure”.
On Monday, councilmembers voted 11-1 in favor of the administration developing a disposition strategy that “maintains the use of the public museum within Hanger 14, including, but not limited to, partnering with other orders of government and private partners.” .
That means whoever buys the building from the city will inherit the museum as part of the deal. But after two years there will be no restrictions on its sale.
Museum curator Ryan Lee said he thought the city of Edmonton wanted to invest in the World War II-era building, not sell it.
“They have been sending out teams of engineers for the last few years to do engineering reports on the building, which told us that they were serious about investing in the building and keeping us here for the long haul,” he said.
“We recently found out that wasn’t the case, and we’re in a bind.”
On Monday, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he would like to see the museum take the next steps or eventually take ownership through another avenue.
Lee said it would be nearly impossible to raise the capital needed to save the nonprofit. He said this short timeline has created uncertainty for the museum.
“We need to find someone to invest in the building or raise $30 million to build a new building in two years,” he explained.
During Monday’s council meeting, the city administration said it would offer support from a “technical perspective” but not for fundraising.
Global News asked the City of Edmonton, as the owner of the building, what led to such a high cost for renovations.
“Each city asset has a natural life cycle, beyond which regular maintenance is either impossible or not fiscally viable. When an asset begins to fail, it is no longer a maintenance issue,” a statement read. “An asset at the end of its life needs to be replaced, which is where rehabilitation comes in.
“Hangar 14 is in need of substantial rehabilitation, hence the cost noted in the report.”
The Council will begin looking for potential partners and possible new spaces for the museum.
Lee said the museum will do everything it can to stay in the building as it fights to save a piece of Edmonton’s aviation history.
“If we can’t find a solution for a home for this museum, we’re going to lose almost the entire history of the aviation museum,” Lee said.
The group is now looking to meet with the city and key community stakeholders to discuss and determine next steps that will “hopefully find a solution to save the museum.”
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