Glenora building – Former Royal Alberta Museum

Building facts

The Glenora building is not currently registered as a Provincial Historical Resource, but the Government House, Carriage House and the lands associated on site are.

• The Glenora building is about 24,100 square metres.
• Replacement value of the Glenora building is about $156 million, as of 2016.

Building operating costs

• Annual operating costs are approximately $2 million including cooling, heating, electricity and water.

Building repair and maintenance costs

Keeping the Glenora building operational will result in its systems needing to be replaced and maintained. As of 2016:

• The total cost of deferred maintenance work required is approximately $50 million.
• Of that $50 million, the cost of individual building components due for replacement within the next 5 years is estimated at $25 million. This includes architectural, building envelope, electrical and mechanical components.

History of the building

The Provincial Museum and Archives of Alberta was built in 1965 in Edmonton’s Glenora neighbourhood. It opened to the public in 1967 as Alberta celebrated Canada’s Centennial of Confederation. The museum and archives were separated in 2003 when the Provincial Archives of Alberta moved to its own building.

The museum added the word “royal” to its name in 2005 when Queen Elizabeth II visited Alberta to mark the province's 100th anniversary of entry into Confederation. During her visit, the Queen re-designated the Provincial Museum and Archives of Alberta as the Royal Alberta Museum.

The Glenora site museum closed its doors to the public in December 2015. On October 3, 2018, the new world-class $375.5 million Royal Alberta Museum in downtown Edmonton opened its doors, welcoming more than 41,000 visitors during the first six days featuring free admission.