Marking the 18th anniversary of its designation as a provincial historic resource, the Rossdale Power Plant will be illuminated with a new permanent light display.
The $200,000 lighting installation “highlights the architecture and history of the structure” and the start of the River Crossing area’s revitalization, the City of Edmonton said in a news release Thursday.
The lights will be turned on for the first time at 7:03 p.m. Thursday. The time was chosen because that’s when it will be fully dark, a city spokesperson said.
The display includes 35 light stands in the building’s mezzanine floor windows and 28 lights on the smoke stacks.
“It’s wonderful to use lighting to highlight the beauty of this historic industrial structure,” Erik Backstrom, senior planner, planning initiatives, said in the news release.
“The Rossdale Power Plant is a landmark in Edmonton’s river valley. It powered Edmonton’s economic development for decades and will be a key spark to bring new life to the area through the River Crossing initiative.”
Funding for the lighting project came from two sources: $180,000 from a $3.2-million power plant stabilization project, and $20,000 from a city pilot program to light up heritage buildings, part of the WinterCity strategy.
The power plant was built in phases between the 1930s and 1950s, and decommissioned in 2011-12.
Three buildings at the power plant were designated provincial historic resources on Oct. 17, 2001, after efforts made by the Rossdale community league and ConCerv, a group that advocated for the plant to be preserved.