Calgary's old city hall in line for major $34M renovation

Calgary's crumbling historic city hall is a step closer to a major renovation.

• Calgary's Old City Hall gets fencing after sandstone chunks fall
• Calgary City Hall, municipal building repair bill still growing

A city council committee voted in favour Thursday morning of a multi-year $34.1-million rehabilitation for the building. The work is so extensive that it would force city council and staff to leave the premises for up to four years.

The building is literally falling apart. Protective scaffolding was put around the structure in 2014 to prevent falling pieces of sandstone from hitting pedestrians.

The roof and windows will bereplaced because they leak.

The land and asset strategy committee heard that fully half of the building's sandstone exterior will have to be replaced.

Officials said the Paskapoo sandstone does nothave to come from the same quarry as the original stone to achieve a perfect match.

The renovation plan will be discussed at a city council meeting in November. If approved, construction could start next spring with a completion date of June 2020.

The building, which opened in 1911, is a designated heritage building. The federal and provincial governments and the City of Calgaryhave given it that status.