Coronation Park:
Coronation park is home to many amenities, as can be seen on the map above, take some time to explore the area, and maybe even visit the Telus World of Science.
Before there was the Telus world of Science, there was the Queen Elizabeth II Planitarium. Abandoned for many years, but refurbished in 2019/2020.
Nestled in Coronation, Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium was one of the first planetarium buildings ever built in Canada. With the entrance raised on four steps, the form of the Planetarium seems to hover above the ground. The structure frames the window and door openings. The building exterior combines modern materials such as gold anodized aluminum frames with rustic hewn field stone. A bold and structurally daring concrete cantilever provides a canopy over the main entrance. On the interior, variegated hardwood contrasts terrazzo and tile flooring. The dome, originally orange, was later painted silver. Directly in front of the Planetarium, Edmonton artist Heinrich Eichner created mosaic tile interpretations of the twelve constellations in the zodiac.
During the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in July of 1959, Mayor William Hawrelak declared:
“In commemoration of this Royal Visit in the year of our Lord 1959, it is the wish of your loyal and devoted people to erect a building of masonry, brick, and stone at this location. A structure that will serve during the years ahead as a practical and pleasurable monument to perpetuate the memory of this great occasion. The aesthetic value of this Planetarium will soon give the development of the Canadian parkland, an additional beauty dedicated to the welfare and convenience of our citizens. May it always be in keeping with the spirit in which you come to us, friendly, warm hearted and sincere. We respectfully request of your Majesty’s permission to name this building the Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium,. In your presence today we humbly demonstrate our allegiance, our gratitude, and our affection.”
The Planetarium’s official opening ceremonies were held on September 22, 1960. Mayor Roper presided over the dedication of the Planetarium and Chief Justice C.J. Forward of the Alberta Supreme Court read a letter of congratulations from the Queen’s Secretary. The University of Alberta sent Professor E.S. Keeping to present a 68 pound fragment of the Bruderheim meteorite to the Planetarium. The fragment was made the centre piece of the building’s astronomical display.
The number of visitors reached a peak of 33,500 in 1967. The Planetarium closed its doors on December 31, 1983 after the opening of the new Edmonton Space and Science Centre (now Telus World of Science). The Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium is one of only a few Modern buildings on the ‘A’ list of historic resources with the City of Edmonton.
taken from: Edmonton maps heritage website
To log this virtual cache: Take note of the added waypoints, you will need to visit most of them.
- So I'm thinking this stone has been here since the origin of the park and planetarium, but the most recent sidewalk construction has decided to remove it (this saddens me greatly). I've added my image of the stone to the cache gallery.. Waypoint 'Middle of the Asteroid Belt pavement stone', what is the distance from sun?
- There are many benches in the park with dedications on them, though the one at waypoint 'Plain Wooden Bench' is not dedicated. What is the number of horizontal wooden boards the bench is composed of (there is no trick here, all the boards that make the bench are horizontal).
- At the waypoint 'NACCF Monument' what is the name that is on the top left of the supporters list.
- Finally, at the 'Queen Elizabeth II Planetarium' waypoint, post a picture of yourslf or your gps with the building or your favourite stone mosaic in front of the building. (if you're not comfortable posting a picture of yourself, take off your shoe and take a picture of it in your stead)
Please mail your answers through the geocaching website :)
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.