In the 1990s, the city of Edmonton decided to revitalize 118th Avenue by renaming the street “Avenue of Champions”. The area has long tried to overcome its reputation as a section of the city that is plagued by crime, drugs and prostitution, which is why the street was renamed and a Giant Baseball Bat was installed. Additionally, numerous lamp post sports figures that represent a variety of sports and athletics were placed up and down the street.
Standing at 14.9 meters tall on the corner of 97th Street and 118th Avenue, the bat is no longer the largest bat in Canada but was intended to be notable landmark for the street that would create a sense of identity for the entire neighborhood. Unfortunately, the attempt to do so hasn’t resonated with the community, and there are efforts to see the bat and figures taken down.
Some of the is due to the limited means of engagement that these features have enabled. There is nothing signifying what the bat or figures represent in the neighborhood, while the space underneath the bat is small and rundown. After spending nearly half a million dollars on these features, the limited ways they’ve been highlighted to and for the local community represents a lost opportunity for the city and neighborhood.
Like other monuments that have the potential to be so much more, both the Giant Baseball Bat and the Avenue of Champions have already established one of the most difficult aspects of creating a notable landmark. The bat itself and the representations of sports figures along the street are powerful and distinct means of identity that can connect the community and serve as an attraction for visitors. What’s missing is the context around how these icons are tied to Edmonton and to the surrounding neighborhood.
With that context, economic opportunities related to mechanize could be created. That context would allow residents and visitors to come to see Avenue of Champions and Giant Baseball Bat as true icons of Edmonton and the entire region.
