Master Plan
In 1967, Edmonton City Council approved the principle that Fort Edmonton Park would be a living history museum depicting several early eras of Edmonton's history. (1) Shortly after, in 1968, a Master Plan was prepared in order to provide the framework for Park development. The Master Plan was essential to achieving the total living history experience that original Park visionaries, a committee within the Rotary Club of Edmonton, desired.
1968 Master Plan
Initially, Fort Edmonton Park was supposed to depict a large span of Edmonton's history. The 1968 Master Plan wanted visitors "to experience a trip back into history and then to travel forward in time to the present and into the future." (2) Ten eras were proposed:
- Geological History
- Indian Habitation
- Fur Trade
- Village Activities
- Edmonton the Capital (1905)
- The 1920s
- Oil Exploration
- Refining & Manufacturing
- International City
- Edmonton's Future
As the Park grew, it became apparent that there were several deviations from the original 1968 Master Plan that rendered the original Plan inadequate--a Master Plan update was in order.
When the Master Plan was updated in 1987, the deviations needed to be analyzed to determine both their impact on the original Plan and how they would influence future Park planning. The main departures from the original Master Plan are as follows:
- The Steam Train: "the train and the track facilities were not included in the 1968 Master Plan. The primary internal visitor transportation was to be the streetcar." (3)
- The Lake and Creek: "the area where the lake has been developed to the south of the Fort was originally proposed for the Geological display and the Pre-horse Indian Habitation display, interspersed around a water feature." (4)
- Vehicular Access: vehicular access "was originally proposed along the south edge of the site. The river road has been retained both for access of service vehicles, and for use by tour buses." (5)
- River Edge Development: "the retention of the river road and the development of the security fence around the Park has limited the river edge development to the York Boat display at the Fort." (6)
- 1905 and 1920 Streets: "the most significant change has been the development of the industrial park to the east of 1905 Street rather than at the river edge." (7)
- Integrated Park Entrance Complex: the train station does not house all of the facilities that were originally planned to be together.
- Indian Habitation: "to date only a small Post-horse display, [instead of both Pre- and Post-horse eras], is located adjacent to the Fort."(8)
- Agricultural Plots: only Fort and 1920s agricultural projects-instead of all eras-have been developed.
1987 Master Plan
The 1987 Master Plan revision discovered that with the way the Park had developed, it had essentially established a time line that could not incorporate all of the originally proposed eras. The Fort complex at the Western edge of the Park marked the earliest time (1795) and the Train Station at the Eastern edge of the Park marked the latest time (~1929).
The 1987 Master Plan provided the terms of reference for prospective Park growth and is the "basis for coordinating the development and for ensuring that development is consistent with Park objectives." (9)
1998 Site Plan Update
In 1998, the Foundation's Board of Directors formed a Master Plan committee that would review a list of 119 projects, which had been generated from the 1920s Street Feasibility Study and the 1987 Master Plan, in order to determine which projects would take the Park to completion. From the 119, the committee chose and graded 31 projects based on the selection criteria. In order to better determine how these 31 would complete the Park-in terms of specific locations amongst existing Park structures-the Fort Edmonton Foundation felt it necessary to undertake a Site Plan update.
The Site Plan update provides detailed information on how upcoming projects will work into the Master Plan of the Park. The Site Plan also gives the Park's interpretation staff guidance on how to incorporate future projects into interpretive programs.
Currently, approximately 30 projects are needed to complete the Park.