How many lions are available for sponsorship?
There are three lion sculptures available. The fourth lion has been restored by The City of Calgary and is located at the Municipal Plaza. It was unveiled to the public, June 26, 2003 by Mayor Dave Bronconnier.
What does sponsorship involve?
A sponsor, be it an individual, group, business or corporation, is responsible for the costs of restoring a lion sculpture as well as the cost to relocate it. The new location must be secure, protected from the weather and publicly accessible. The new location must also be able to withstand the sculpture's weight of 14 tons.
As the lion sculptures are part of The City's Civic Art Collection (under the Public Art Program), the restoration and transportation of the lions will be arranged by The City. Illyas Pagonis is a local artist and sculptor specializing in the medium of concrete. He was contracted to restore the first sculpture and will be responsible for the remaining three.
What are the costs of restoration?
The restoration cost of one lion sculpture is approximately $90,000. This does not include relocation costs such as transportation, site preparation, or security.
Who decides on the location?
As the lion sculpture is, and would remain, part of The City's Civic Art Collection, any new location would have to be put through the Public Art Program's re-siting process, which would include review by the Public Art Board and could be subject to community and/or Council approval. The location must be secure, protected form the weather and publicly accessible.
What does a secure location mean?
The lions are part of The City's Civic Art Collection and therefore must be protected from any damage or misuse. This requires 24-hour security.
Why do the lions need restoring?
The lion sculptures were first placed on the four kiosks of Centre Street Bridge in 1917. Unfortunately, the sculptures could not survive on the bridge exposed to vibrations from traffic or to the constant moisture and freeze-thaw cycles of Calgary weather.
As the lions were part of the Centre Street Bridge, designated a Municipal Historic Resource in 1992, preserving them meant preserving Calgary's history. City Council, with the advice of The Calgary Heritage Authority, agreed the lions could "survive" only if carefully and expertly repaired and restored, and then housed in a protected environment, away from moisture and Calgary's extreme weather changes. City Council committed to the restoration of one of the four lions. The remainder would be offered to the public for sponsorship. The lions are part of The City's Civic Art Collection, which is managed by the Public Art Program.
Who restored the first lion?
The first lion, once located on the southwest kiosk of the bridge, was restored by local artist and sculptor Illyas Pagonis. It was the least damaged of the original four. This lion was restored and rehabilitated in order for the artist to make a full size mould that would be used to create four new lions for the renovated bridge.
Who sculpted the original lions?
When the bridge was originally planned, the staggering cost of ($375,000) meant The City couldn't afford to add any unnecessary frills. And certainly, ornamental statues were out of the question.
As luck would have it, according to some reports, a City alderman, chanced upon a "handsome stone lion" on the verandah of a private home on Calgary's north hill, a home that coincidentally belonged to a City employee, James L. Thomson. Even more coincidentally, Thomson turned out to be a former Scottish stone mason who sculpted in his spare time. He was promptly seconded from his regular City job to create the lions. If a sponsor is approved, how long does the restoration process take?
Depending on the level of restoration required (each sculpture has varying degrees of damage), the rehabilitation process may take 1-2 months.
How do I apply to sponsor a lion? Where do I get more information?
For more information (
Centre Street Lion Brochure) or to apply for sponsorship of the restoration and relocation of a lion, you can write to:
Heritage Planner
City of Calgary
PO Box 2100, Stn M, #8117
Calgary, Alberta
T2P 2M5
Or Call:
403-268-5326
email: darryl.cariou@calgary.ca
