A 1912 sandstone schoolhouse in South Calgary turned working arts hub — resident artist studios, a black-box theatre, a cafe, and free corridor exhibitions you can browse without a ticket.
cSPACE King Edward is the redeveloped King Edward School, a 1912 sandstone building on 29 Avenue SW that operated as a Calgary public school for over a century before closing in 2001. The Calgary Foundation, working with cSPACE Projects, reopened the building in 2017 as a multi-tenant arts hub: more than thirty resident artist and arts-organization tenants, a black-box theatre, gallery spaces, a cafe (Phil & Sebastian's South Calgary location operates here), and an outdoor courtyard that hosts markets and seasonal programming.
It is not a traditional museum and shouldn't be treated as one. The model is closer to a working creative community whose corridors, lobbies, and public spaces happen to be open to the public on most weekdays. Tenants include visual artists, designers, performing arts companies, and arts non-profits; the corridors carry rotating exhibitions, the lobby and main staircase usually have works on display, and the theatre (Cordova Hall) programs an ongoing schedule of independent productions, music, and community events.
For a casual visitor, the rewarding move is to stop in for a coffee, walk the corridors and lobbies to see what's currently on display, and check the calendar for whichever evening or weekend event is scheduled. The building itself — restored sandstone exterior, preserved interior detailing, a courtyard between the historic structure and a modern addition — is genuinely beautiful and one of the better adaptive-reuse projects in the city.
Marda Loop locals, anyone interested in arts entrepreneurship and adaptive-reuse architecture, ticketed-event audiences.
you wanted a structured museum visit with a curated route — cSPACE is a working building, not a tour.
30-45 min for corridor exhibitions and the cafe; longer if you're attending a specific event.
Generally kid-friendly — the courtyard is open and the cafe is family-comfortable — but there is no children's programming, and most studios are private working spaces.
Free parking lot on site, with overflow on residential streets in South Calgary. Marda Loop's main commercial strip is two minutes away by car. The C-Train Heritage station is a fifteen-minute walk; most visitors drive.
The restored building has elevators and accessible washrooms; the courtyard and public corridors are step-free. Cordova Hall and other event spaces are accessible. Some private studios may not be.
A 1912 sandstone schoolhouse turned arts hub. Free corridor exhibitions throughout the building, plus rentable theatre and a rotating roster of resident artist studios open to the public.
An hour gets you a coffee at Phil & Sebastian, a slow walk through the corridors and lobbies to see whatever rotating shows are up, and a peek into the courtyard and Cordova Hall (if open).
Ninety minutes adds time to actually catch an event or program if something is scheduled. Pair with lunch on 33 Avenue SW or shopping in Marda Loop proper.
A multi-tenant arts hub housed in the restored 1912 King Edward School in South Calgary. It includes more than thirty resident artist and arts-organization tenants, a black-box theatre (Cordova Hall), gallery and corridor exhibition spaces, a cafe, and a courtyard. It is run by cSPACE Projects with the Calgary Foundation.
Not in the traditional sense. There's no permanent collection and no curated visitor route. It's a working creative community whose public corridors and lobbies host rotating exhibitions and whose theatre programs ongoing events. Treat it like an arts building you can walk into for free.
Yes — general access to the building, corridors, and public lobbies is free. Ticketed events (theatre productions, concerts, community programming) carry their own prices through the relevant tenant or producer.
1721 29 Avenue SW, in South Calgary just south of Marda Loop. A free on-site parking lot serves the building. The C-Train Heritage station is about a fifteen-minute walk; most visitors drive or come from the surrounding neighbourhood.
The events calendar at cspaceprojects.com lists current corridor exhibitions, theatre productions in Cordova Hall, music events, markets, and community programming. Open-studio events run occasionally and let visitors into tenant studios.
Yes — Cordova Hall and other rooms in the building are bookable for events, performances, and community gatherings. Inquiries go through cspaceprojects.com.
Yes — Phil & Sebastian operates a coffee bar inside the building, which is one of their best locations in the city. The wider Marda Loop strip is two minutes away by car with several restaurants.
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