Pumphouse Park reopens after undergoing $3.6M revitalization project

Pumphouse Park is open to the public once again after the city spent $3.6 million to upgrade the space.

The City of Calgary officially reopened Pumphouse Park on Thursday following the completion of a $3.6-million revitalization project.

Improvements to the park, located beside Pumphouse Theatre in the community of Sunalta, began in the fall of 2024.

The upgrades were completed with the goal of transforming the park into a more accessible, connected and welcoming space for everyone, as well as improving access to the surrounding pathway network.

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“Parks play an important role in building vibrant communities,” said Kyle Ripley, the City of Calgary’s director of parks and open spaces.

“The improvements to Pumphouse Park create more opportunities for recreation, community gatherings and events while ensuring the park continues to meet the needs of residents, visitors and pathway users.”

The upgrades include new gathering spaces such as picnic benches, BBQs and firepits, additional trees and an expanded parking area with both asphalt and gravel stalls.

“These improvements were very much needed to provide more accessibility, more options for the rest of Calgary to enjoy the park – and for the residents of Sunalta to be able to show off our backyard,” said Kaylee Bossert, Sunalta Community Association executive director. “It is absolutely an invitation for everybody to come out, check it out and see what our small community in the inner city of Calgary has to offer.”

Ward 8 Coun. Nathaniel Schmidt says the design team hit all the markers to create a park for Calgarians of all ages.

“With Sunalta community right here, which has been struggling with some social disorder issues lately, this is something that will bring in people and bring in positive energy,” Schmidt said. “The more people we have using this space and being in an area, the healthier that community becomes.”

The park starts at the historic Pumphouse Theatre and follows the Bow River west to below Crowchild Trail.

Visitors will notice a few art installations that are a nod to the area’s history.

“The designers chose to use water pipe and water pipe fittings and to create the swings,” Ripley said.

“So, you have that subtle connection to the pumphouse through the use of the water pipe in our play features. It’s quite intelligent design as far as I’m concerned.”

Ripley says the space was underused for years, but when Millennium Park (now Cowboys Park) was renovated in the downtown core, beach volleyball courts moved to the Pumphouse Park.

“We had beach volleyball here for quite a while,” he said. “Prior to that … It was just a space that really wasn’t getting a lot of use, and now we’ve created some opportunity for Calgarians to love and enjoy it.”

Calgary’s Untold Stories Theatre performed live at Thursday’s opening event, singing a song from the theatre group’s production of Hello Dolly, which is running at Pump House Theatre until June 27.

The city’s newest poet laureate was also on hand to recite a poem.

To learn more about the makeover at Pumphouse Park, you can visit the City of Calgary’s website.