U of A Ring Houses will have a new Edmonton home as future community hub

EDMONTON — Today, the University of Alberta is pleased to announce the purchase of its Ring Houses by Primavera Development Group. The four 100-year-old houses—plus two additional U of A East Campus Village houses—will become the iconic centrepieces of an arts and sculpture community development project as envisioned by Ken Cantor.

The Ring Houses are scheduled to be relocated, brick by brick, in Spring 2022. Committed to ensuring that the relocated Ring Houses become an accessible and community-focused artistic hub, Primavera Development Group is actively considering a variety of possible new locations for the Ring Houses. Passers-by will soon see fencing around the houses as they are prepared for their new location. After they are removed in the spring, the north-west corner of the U of A’s North Campus will be returned to green space while the university considers any future development.

”We believe in the potential of the Ring Houses to anchor a new neighbourhood that also reflects how Edmontonians have used and enjoyed the homes over the past century. They will become an artistic hub that will host activities such as The Edmonton Sculpture Project and include public access and amenities, that pay homage to their experiences in their first neighbourhood.”

— Ken Cantor, President, Primavera Development Group

”Because of their unique vision and established record in architectural preservation, we have been delighted to work with Primavera Development Group on this sale. Although the Ring Houses and two houses in East Campus Village will be moved from U of A's North Campus, they will become part of a new project that not only acknowledges their history, but also reimagines and renews them as a living part of an innovative, future community.”

— Bill Flanagan, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Alberta

Background

University of Alberta campuses are an ever-changing landscape, adapting as the research, teaching and learning needs of its community evolve. The U of A has a long-term strategy to manage its extensive grounds and structures with a focus on the university’s core mission, reducing reliance on leased space, and appropriate renewal of buildings. 

Built between 1911 and 1914, the two-storey brick Edwardian style Ring Houses were part of 10 houses grouped in a circle on the U of A’s first campus - North Campus. The Ring Houses have since had a number of uses over the years—initially housing presidents and deans, then Museum and Collections Services and the University of Alberta Press. Following their decommissioning in Winter 2021, the U of A offered members of the public the opportunity to purchase and move the houses. 

More information on the Ring Houses » 

Primavera Development Group was established in 2016 to develop and to provide strategic advisory services with the shared objective of creating unique and culturally significant community connections. All Primavera Development Group projects are selected with the twin objectives of being successful and doing the right things for the right reasons.

Primavera Development Group recently completed the redevelopment of the Brighton Block in downtown Edmonton, a three-storey Edwardian era brick mixed-use building initially notable because of its association with the photographer Ernest Brown, who constructed the original building over a century ago.

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