Moose Jaw Civic Centre
Encyclopedia
The Eric Levine Arena is a 3,146-seat multi-purpose arena
located in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
, Canada
, and is home to the Moose Jaw Warriors
junior ice hockey
team.
The building shares the same parking lot with the Town 'N' Country Mall
, Moose Jaw's only indoor shopping center.
Designed by Saskatchewan architect Joseph Pettick and Vancouver structural engineer J.L. Miller, the Civic Centre won the Massey Medal for architecture, a precursor to Canada's Governor General's Medals in Architecture. The innovative cable structure roof that gives the building its unique shape, was an ingenious and cost effective solution that allowed such a large building to be constructed on a modest budget, while maintaining an unobstucted view of the arena surface from all seats. At the time it was built it was the largest cable structure in Canada. It is sometimes called "The Crushed Can" because of its unusual shape.
The building was officially opened as The Moose Jaw Community Centre on September 19, 1959, with a gala event hosted by Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas
, and featuring a performance by Louis Armstrong
& His All-Stars.
The impetus for the building was a fire that destroyed the old arena rink
on Ross Street in the fall of 1955. City Council then appointed a group of citizens to oversee plans for a new building. From the opening night program: "The project is the largest of its type undertaken in the City. Its history is one of courage, energy and enthusiasm undampened by adversity."
After initial tenders in the range of one million dollars, the length of the building was shortened, and the final cost was a mere $525,000.00. The building opened on budget and debt free. Current replacement cost of the building would be in the tens of millions of dollars.
Mosaic Place
, completed in 2011, will serve as a replacement for the Moose Jaw Civic Centre. The City plans to abandon the Civic Centre in September 2011, and demolition is likely.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
located in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Moose Jaw is a city in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada on the Moose Jaw River. It is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians. It is best known as a retirement and tourist city that serves as a hub to the hundreds of small towns...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and is home to the Moose Jaw Warriors
Moose Jaw Warriors
The Moose Jaw Warriors are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League which are based out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The team plays its home games at Mosaic Place. The franchise moved to Moose Jaw from Winnipeg after the 1983–84 season, where they had previously been named the...
junior ice hockey
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
team.
The building shares the same parking lot with the Town 'N' Country Mall
Town 'N' Country Mall
Town 'N' Country Mall is the only enclosed shopping centre located in the city of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. The mall consists of 30 stores and services archored by Zellers, Sears Canada, Galaxy Cinemas, Sport Chek, Dollarama, Winners and Peoples The Diamond Store.In the past Woolco occupied...
, Moose Jaw's only indoor shopping center.
Designed by Saskatchewan architect Joseph Pettick and Vancouver structural engineer J.L. Miller, the Civic Centre won the Massey Medal for architecture, a precursor to Canada's Governor General's Medals in Architecture. The innovative cable structure roof that gives the building its unique shape, was an ingenious and cost effective solution that allowed such a large building to be constructed on a modest budget, while maintaining an unobstucted view of the arena surface from all seats. At the time it was built it was the largest cable structure in Canada. It is sometimes called "The Crushed Can" because of its unusual shape.
The building was officially opened as The Moose Jaw Community Centre on September 19, 1959, with a gala event hosted by Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
, and featuring a performance by Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
& His All-Stars.
The impetus for the building was a fire that destroyed the old arena rink
Moose Jaw Arena
Moose Jaw Arena was an indoor arena in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. It was built in 1910 and was the home of the Moose Jaw Sheiks and Moose Jaw Maroons of the WCHL and Moose Jaw Canucks of the WCJHL. The arena was destroyed by a fire in August of 1955 . It was eventually replaced by the Moose Jaw...
on Ross Street in the fall of 1955. City Council then appointed a group of citizens to oversee plans for a new building. From the opening night program: "The project is the largest of its type undertaken in the City. Its history is one of courage, energy and enthusiasm undampened by adversity."
After initial tenders in the range of one million dollars, the length of the building was shortened, and the final cost was a mere $525,000.00. The building opened on budget and debt free. Current replacement cost of the building would be in the tens of millions of dollars.
Mosaic Place
Mosaic Place
Mosaic Place is a multi-purpose arena in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. It will host curling and ice hockey and will be home to the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League. It is scheduled to open on August 19th, 2011 and seat 4,500 spectators...
, completed in 2011, will serve as a replacement for the Moose Jaw Civic Centre. The City plans to abandon the Civic Centre in September 2011, and demolition is likely.