Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre: Architectural Masterpiece and Community Recreation Hub

West windows of the building. Photo credit: Tracey L. Anderson, 25 April 2021.

A Centennial Project

Coronation Park, in west central Edmonton, is a 35-hectare park named to honour Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation. Although small compared to other City of Edmonton parks, it has many historically significant sites. One of those is Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre, which many older Edmontonians still think of and refer to by its original name: Coronation Pool.

In 1967, to commemorate Canada’s centennial, local architect Peter Hemingway was chosen to design a new Olympic-sized swimming pool that would be built in the park, north of 111 avenue and west of 135 street. Construction took place between 1968 and 1970 and cost $1.2 million.

On July 3, 1970, then-Mayor Ivor Dent officially opened the pool. According to the recollections of Lawrence Herzog, pool admission in that first summer was 50 cents for adults and 15 cents for children under 14.

/><figcaption><em>Original exterior Coronation Pool sign. Photo credit: Tracey L. Anderson, 25 April 2021. </em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Hemingway: The Building </strong></p> <p>When it opened, the Coronation Pool building was unlike any that Edmonton had seen in the past. Hemingway’s design incorporated glass, cables, concrete, and wood into a style of modernism — called “expressive” or “organic” — that appeared in the 1960s. His goal was to use the materials in ways that would bring the outdoors in while blending the structure with its natural surroundings. He accomplished that goal in several ways.</p> <ul> <li>The shape of the building’s exterior reflects the crest of a wave and the rolling prairie landscape.</li> <li>The building is grounded into the landscape by embedded concrete piers and cables.</li> <li>Many large windows allow patrons to see outside from many vantage points inside.</li> </ul> <figure><img src=

In 2012, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada awarded the Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre with a Prix du XXe Siècle, which “recognizes buildings, ‘of the modern movement and recent heritage’ that have become landmarks of Canadian architecture. The prize celebrates design quality as well as enduring excellence, recognizing the design of the original architect and/or firm as well as the on-going stewardship of the owner of the building.”

/><figcaption><em>Exterior of the building, 1980. Image courtesy of the City of Edmonton Archives, EA-596-2022.</em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Community Recreation Hub </strong></p> <p>The Hemingway facility is more than an architectural masterpiece; it has become an appreciated community recreation hub for Edmontonians because of its functions and amenities. </p> <ul> <li>The 50-metre pool has eight lanes and a 173-person capacity. Its depth ranges from 1 metre to 2.7 metres. Its average temperature is 27.5°C.</li> <li>The amenities include a steam room, sauna, and hot tub (average temperature 40°C).</li> <li>Most of the facility is wheelchair accessible. </li> <li>A large seating area accommodates up to 472 spectators for swim meets and other events.</li> <li>Men’s, women’s, and inclusive change rooms have complimentary lockers. </li> <li>The 223 m2 fitness centre, which was renovated in the summer of 2008, includes cardio equipment, a weight stack, free weights, a functional training centre, and a stretching area.</li> <li>Some outdoor areas are also part of the centre including a sun deck and nearby tennis courts and a sports field. </li> </ul> <figure><img src=https://www.edmonton.ca/projects_plans/parks_recreation/coronation-district-park-development.aspx.

Tracey L. Anderson © 2021

References

ArchEyes. December 11, 2020. “National Gymnasium for Tokyo Olympics 1964 / Kenzo Tange.” https://archeyes.com/national-gymnasium-for-tokyo-olympics-kenzo-tange/ retrieval date May 21, 2021.

City of Edmonton. n.d. Peter Hemingway Fitness and Leisure Centre. https://www.edmonton.ca/activities_parks_recreation/peter-hemingway.aspx retrieval date April 19, 2021.

Edmonton Historical Board. n.d. Peter Hemingway (Coronation) Pool.https://www.edmontonsarchitecturalheritage.ca/index.cfm/structures/peter-hemingway-coronation-pool/ retrieval date March 3, 2021.

Edmonton Maps Heritage. n.d. Coronation Pool — 1967. http://www.edmontonmapsheritage.ca/location/coronation-pool-1967/ retrieval date March 3, 2021.

Edmonton Sport Council. n.d. Peter Hemingway (Coronation) Fitness and Leisure Centre. https://www.edmontonsport.com/facilities/peter_hemingway_~coronation~_fitness_and_leisure_centreretrieval date April 19, 2021.

Encyclopaedia Britannica. March 18, 2021. Tange Kenzō. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tange-Kenzo retrieval date April 19, 2021.

Hemingway, Peter. In Whiteson, Leon. 1983. Modern Canadian Architecture. Hurtig.

Herzog, Lawrence. In Real Estate Weekly. October 13, 2005. The pool Peter Hemingway built.https://web.archive.org/web/20141007044809/http:/yegishome.ca/news/2005/10/13/the-pool-peter-hemingway-built retrieval date Feb. 17, 2021.

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. 2016. Prix du XXe siècle — 2012 Recipient.

https://raic.org/raic/prix-du-xxe-si%c3%a8cle-%e2%80%94-2012-recipient retrieval date April 20, 2021.

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. 2021. Prix du XXe siècle — Call for Submissions. https://raic.org/raic/prix-du-xxe-si%C3%A8cle-call-submissions retrieval date April 22, 2021.

Simmins, Geoffrey. The Canadian Encyclopedia. March 4, 2015. Peter Hemingway.https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/peter-hemingway, retrieval date April 20, 2021.

University of Calgary Archives. n.d. Hemingway, Peter. https://searcharchives.ucalgary.ca/hemingway-peter-george retrieval date April 20, 2021.

Related Stories

See All
A black and white photo of enthusiastic children, mostly in masks and costumes, stretching to reach apples dangling from their ceiling.

Connor J. Thompson

Ghosts and Goblins Yell “Halloween Apples!”: The Changing Nature of Halloween in Edmonton

For generations of Edmontonians, the phrase “Halloween apples!” stirs childhood memories, but many younger people have never heard of it. It rivalled “Trick or treat” as children’s Halloween demand for decades, though.

A young woman wearing a red shirt and dark pants stands among dense coffee plants. She holds a woven basket at her waist in which she collects the coffee cherries.

Isis Maria Henriquez

Un Cafecito: Stories Brewed from El Salvador to Canada

There’s nothing quite as soul-warming as that first sip of hot coffee. Behind every cup is a much larger story - one that stretches across continents and generations. In this story, writer Isis Maria Henriquez shows how for her family, and so many other Latinos, coffee connected the snowy streets of Canada to the tropical forests of El Salvador.

Emily Horrill

Tasting Pemmican: From Community to Commercial

Pemmican recipes have changed a lot over the centuries, passing from Indigenous people to colonial hands and back.