On this day in 1975, Margaret Zeidler made a $100,000 donation towards a new home for the Citadel Theatre.
The 1960s and '70s saw Edmonton in a state of frenzied construction and growth, fuelled by an oil boom. With that prosperity came a wave of philanthropic donations and fundraising campaigns, which helped create many of the city's cultural institutions that we rely on today.
When the Citadel Theatre first opened in 1965, it was housed in a two-storey brick building on 102 Avenue originally commissioned by the Salvation Army, and currently home to The Starlite Room. Four philanthropists, eager to bring professional theatre to the city, purchased the building for $100,000.
The Citadel's first season was a huge success, with 1,300 subscribers by the end of the year. It quickly became apparent that the Citadel would outgrow its original building. Plans were drawn up for a $5-million new complex downtown, with half of the necessary money coming from various levels of government, and the rest raised from private donations. The new Citadel eventually opened in 1976 with a production of Romeo and Juliet.
That same year, another Edmonton icon arrived — the Muttart Conservatory. Construction began in 1974, sparked by a $1-million donation from the Muttart Foundation in memory of Gladys and Merrill Muttart, who were business leaders who established the charity in the 1950s. These days, it's hard to imagine Edmonton's river valley without the conservatory's stunning glass pyramids. Inside, it hosts more than 700 species of plants, artistic displays, scientific exhibits, and other events.
The 1960s and '70s were formative for many organizations that are now anchors of Edmonton's cultural life, including the Edmonton Opera (1963), the Heritage Festival (1976), and Fort Edmonton Park (1974). All of them, and others, benefited from fundraising, philanthropy, and government funding during the city's prosperous booms.
Today's philanthropic landscape is quite different in Edmonton. Many charities and non-profits across Canada are feeling pinched, dealing with the concurrent challenges of rising costs and fewer donations. However, data suggest the situation might be rosier in Alberta, where charitable giving seems to be stable in recent years (although with fewer people donating). A few recent large donations to local organizations have made news, too, including a $1-million gift to help save the CKUA Radio Network, as well as an anonymous $4 million recently dedicated to opening a family medical clinic.
This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist Rev Recluse of Vintage Edmonton.