The proposed downtown arena is not the first mega-building proposed near the Boyle Street and McCauley area. Decades before Daryl Katz entered into negotiations with the city, there were plans for the Omniplex.

“Omniplex? What’s an Omniplex?” you may ask, and for good reason. There are few, perhaps other than long-term readers of Boyle McCauley News, who would remember the Omniplex.

Garry Spotowski explained the history of the Omniplex in an article from the November 2005 issue of the paper, when plans for the new Art Gallery of Alberta sparked memories of the failed proposal:

“The Omniplex was a gargantuan building proposed in the late 60s to “revitalize” the downtown core. It combined features of the Commonwealth Stadium, the Edmonton Coliseum, the Shaw Convention Centre, and the Winspear Concert Hall – all under one roof. It’s likely none of those major structures would have been built had the Omniplex been approved. It was to be located roughly where the Law Courts building and the main Post Office are now.

Perhaps the most spectacular feature of the Omniplex was a floating or raisable football field that could be elevated to uncover the hockey facility below. The ceiling of the hockey rink would be the elevated floor of the football stadium.

As its name implies, the Omniplex would have it all: 100,000 square feet of convention space with seating for up to 25,000 delegates; a 3400 seat cultural theatre; movie theatres; an LRT station; a 32,000 seat football stadium; a 12,000 seat ice arena; and much more.

It was such a major proposal that it went to Edmonton voters twice: once in 1968 when they were asked if the City should seriously consider looking at it, which voters agreed to; and again in 1970 when they were asked in a plebiscite if Council should borrow the $26 million to build it, which – momentously – they did not agree to. The rest is history.”

The scope of the arena certainly bears a resemblance to the Omniplex. As negotiations between the City and Katz Group continue to move forward, we have yet to see if there will be a plebiscite concerning its portion of public funding. Being so close to Boyle Street and McCauley, it will affect life here in ways yet to be determined.

What are your views about the arena? Share them at editor@bmcnews.org.