This press release was provided by GoodLife Fitness. The Club Industry editorial staff was not involved in the creation of this content.
People living and working in downtown Calgary can now enjoy their workouts surrounded by natural light, limestone and Corinthian columns with the opening of the newest GoodLife Fitness club in the historic Bank of Montreal (BMO) building on Stephen Avenue.
GoodLife Fitness Founder and CEO David ‘Patch’ Patchell-Evans chose the long vacant former bank building as an ideal location for the company’s flagship Calgary club. Patch recognized the potential of the location and the importance of preserving this vital part of Calgary’s heritage – a building symbolizing the origins of Calgary’s business success.
“Calgary has such a successful economy and vibrant business core,” said Patch. “This gorgeous building pays tribute to the city’s heritage and provides an opportunity to bring a truly unique, enjoyable fitness experience to people working and living downtown. This is one of our most beautiful fitness clubs in Canada and I’m delighted to welcome Calgarians through our doors.”
GoodLife Fitness worked with Square Feet Design Group Inc. and Trigon Construction Management for over a year restoring the historic building’s mezzanine, main floor and basement. The company took great care to protect the unique decorative features including 35-foot ceilings embellished with rosettes and 917 ounces of gold leaf, marble floors, decorative mouldings and original chandeliers.
According to Lori Ireland of Square Feet Design, there were special structural and decorative considerations in transforming a heritage building to accommodate a fitness club.
Working closely with the Historic Resources and Management Branch of the Alberta Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the team reinforced the structural floor load to carry the extra weight and vibration of the equipment and replaced the cooling and fresh air systems. They uncovered solid marble inlaid floors, cleaned and restored ornamental plasterwork, and polished brass doors and handrails.
“We developed brand new approaches to meet infrastructure requirements and ensure the heritage elements of the building would be conserved. GoodLife took great care to rebuild many of the interior historic features and uncovered beautiful decorative elements in the process. One of the washrooms is actually built inside an old bank vault. It was well worth the extra effort,” said Ireland. “The faces of the GoodLife employees and members of the public visiting in recent weeks say it all. Their positive reaction confirms we were successful in maintaining the historic elements and accentuating the original beauty.”
The Stephen Avenue GoodLife Fitness club opened its doors on December 18, 2014 with a full range of professional fitness experts, high-end equipment and fitness classes. Club amenities include cardiovascular equipment, strength training equipment, free weights, group fitness classes, personal training, massage chairs, modern change rooms with dry cedar saunas and more.
GoodLife Fitness is the largest fitness club chain in Alberta and continues to expand across the province. There are currently 27 GoodLife Fitness clubs in Alberta including four Fit4Less clubs. The company plans to expand to 30 clubs in the province in the near future. In the Calgary area, there are currently 13 GoodLife Fitness and two Fit4Less clubs. GoodLife is working to provide great fitness options and convenient locations where Albertans can feel welcome while they achieve their health, fitness and wellness goals.
About GoodLife Fitness
Proudly Canadian since 1979, GoodLife Fitness is the largest fitness company in Canada. GoodLife is the largest privately owned fitness club chain by a sole owner and the fourth largest overall in the world. With over 330 clubs from coast-to-coast, including 70 Énergie Cardio and EconoFitness Clubs in Quebec, approximately 13,000 employees and more than 1 million Members, GoodLife is helping to transform the health and wellness of 1 in 34 Canadians every day. Motivated by GoodLife's purpose of giving every Canadian the opportunity to live a fit and healthy good life, David Patchell-Evans, Founder & CEO, strives to develop innovative partnerships and collaborations in all areas of health, fitness and wellness and continues to play a significant role in the healthcare system in Canada. GoodLife has achieved Platinum Status Canada's Best Managed Companies, as well as Platinum Level Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures. Fit4Less by GoodLife is GoodLife's low cost and high value fitness club. It makes high quality fitness affordable and provides even more Canadians the opportunity to achieve their health and fitness goals.