Edmonton City Hall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edmonton City Hall
City Hall's main pyramid and fountain. To the left is a cenotaph; in the background is the CN, and Epcor Towers.
General information
Type	City hall
Architectural style	Postmodern
Address	1 Sir Winston Churchill Square Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2R7
Construction started	June 1990
Opened	August 28, 1992
Cost	CA$48.9 million ($82.4 million in 2021 dollars )
Owner	City of Edmonton
Height	43 m (141 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	3
Design and construction
Architect	Dub Architects
Main contractor	Stuart Olson Dominion
Awards and prizes	American Concrete Institute - 1993 Award for Excellence for Design and Construction

The Edmonton City Hall is where the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is run. It's like the main office for the city's government. The building was designed by Dub Architects and finished in 1992. It replaced an older city hall that was getting too old and expensive to use.

What Does City Hall Look Like?

The Edmonton City Hall has a unique design. It features two large pyramids made of steel and glass. One pyramid is about 43 metres (141 ft) tall from the ground to its top. These pyramids sit on a three-storey concrete building.

Pyramids and Light

One pyramid helps bring natural light into the main open area, called the atrium. The other pyramid lights up the council chambers. This is where the city's leaders, called the City Council, meet to make decisions.

The Friendship Tower

The building also has a tall clock tower called the Friendship Tower. It stands about 60 metres (200 ft) high. At the very top, there are 23 special bells called carillon bells. These bells can play music.

Location and Fun

Edmonton City Hall is a main feature in downtown Edmonton. It is located on Sir Winston Churchill Square. In the winter, the fountain in front of City Hall turns into a fun outdoor skating rink.

How the Design Changed

When the design for the new City Hall was first shown, it caused some discussion. The first idea was to have four cone-shaped tops on the building. These cones were meant to remind people of the tipis that First Nations people once lived in on that land.

Public Feedback

However, many people did not like the cone design. They thought the cones looked like "dunce caps" or even parts of a nuclear power plant. Because of this feedback, the architects changed their plan. They replaced the cones with the pyramids you see today. The pyramids were designed to look like the famous Rocky Mountains or the glass pyramids of the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton.

Gallery

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  City Hall interior

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  Council Chambers

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  A monument to the Ukrainian Famine in front of City Hall