Stadium Yards connects history with community
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'You're not downtown but you're downtown adjacent, and you're downtown accessible — because of the LRT you can be immediately downtown,' said Russell Dauk, the Rohit Group of Companies' executive vice-president, income producing properties, about its Stadium Yards development, which is nearly two-thirds complete.
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The Cromdale neighbourhood, east of the city's downtown core, hosts what Rohit calls a transformative, transit-oriented urban village. The seven-acre site, adjacent to Commonwealth Stadium, is also a flagship infill redevelopment, according to Dauk, and is designed to be a walkable, inclusive and vibrant community.
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When Stadium Yards' three phases are finished — the design stage of the third and final phase is set to begin this summer and plans are tentatively to break ground next year — the neighbourhood will be home to more than 1,000 residential units and possibly even as high as 1,400 units. That will mean some 2,000 people will be calling it home, potentially boosting the area's population numbers into the 5,000-person range.
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'The launch of Lewis Block marks a major milestone in the evolution of Stadium Yards — a bold, connected community in the heart of Edmonton,' said Dauk. 'We're especially proud to honour Joseph Lewis through The Steersman sculpture, celebrating a legacy of courage, resilience and the values that continue to guide this development and the city around it.'
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The sculpture, the frame of a striking, red, 21-foot-long canoe with a black steel silhouette of Joseph Lewis, titled The Steersman, is designed to portray symbols of strength, freedom and perseverance — values that Lewis embodied long before the abolition of slavery, officials said.
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Lewis is one of Edmonton's earliest documented Black fur traders and was a skilled steersman with the Hudson's Bay Company in the early 1800s. He is believed to have lived as a free Black man decades before slavery was abolished.
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'When I heard the story of Joseph Lewis being the first Black fur trader here in the city and making his way up to being a steersman, which is a prestigious position on the boat … I just knew in my mind what I wanted to see here,' said local artist and sculptor Slavo Cech, commissioned by the Rohit Group to create the art installation.
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Positioned so the open canoe lets viewers see the Lewis Block buildings behind it, and even a glimpse of Commonwealth Stadium, Cech added that the viewer's eye will add in whatever they feel should be there, perhaps even the water the canoe would be moving on.
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The Lewis Block
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The Lewis Block was close to completion as The Steersman was unveiled; complete enough for its first tenants to move in.
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Global News
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Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Weston family wants to buy Hudson's Bay charter and donate it, museum says
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SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Canadian Museum of History announced Wednesday that the Weston family, of Loblaw Cos. Ltd. fame, wants to buy the document and donate it to the Quebec institution. The charter was signed by King Charles II in 1670. It gave the Bay rights to a vast swath of land spanning most of Canada and extraordinary power over trade and Indigenous relations for decades more. The museum says the acquisition still needs court approval but if that is obtained, the Westons will donate the document immediately and permanently. 'At a time when Canada is navigating profound challenges and seeking renewed unity, it is more important than ever that we hold fast to the symbols and stories that define us as a nation,' said Galen Weston in a statement. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The Royal Charter is an important artifact within Canada's complex history. Our goal is to ensure it is preserved with care, shared with integrity, and made accessible to all Canadians, especially those whose histories are deeply intertwined with its legacy.' His family made its fortune through Canadian retail chains including Holt Renfrew, as well as several European department stores. As part of its proposed purchase of the charter, the museum said the family has offered additional funding to support 'a meaningful consultation process' with Indigenous Peoples on how the Royal Charter 'can be shared, interpreted and contextualized in a manner that respects Indigenous perspectives and historical experiences.' 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Calgary Herald
4 days ago
- Calgary Herald
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