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Moose Jaw Civic Centre

The Moose Jaw Civic Centre is a 3,146-seat multi-purpose arena located in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is home to the Moose Jaw Warriors junior ice hockey team.

Designed by Saskatchewan architect Joseph Pettick and Vancouver structural engineer J.L. Miller, the Civic Centre won the Massey Medal for architecture, a precursor to Canada's Governor General's Medals in Architecture. The innovative cable structure roof that gives the building its unique shape, was an ingenious and cost effective solution that allowed such a large building to be constructed on a modest budget, while maintaining an unobstucted view of the arena surface from all seats. At the time it was built it was the largest cable structure in Canada. It is sometimes called "The Crushed Can" because of its unusual shape.

The building was officially opened as The Moose Jaw Community Centre on September 19th, 1959, with a gala event hosted by Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas, and featuring a performance by Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars.

The impetus for the building was a fire that destroyed the old arena rink on Ross Street in the fall of 1955. City Council then appointed a group of citizens to oversee plans for a new building. From the opening night program: "The project is the largest of its type undertaken in the City. Its history is one of courage, energy and enthusiasm undampened by adversity."

After initial tenders in the range of one million dollars, the length of building was shortened, and the final cost was a mere $525,000.00. The building opened on budget and debt free. Current replacement cost of the building would be in the tens of millions of dollars. Moose Jaw City Council is currently debating building a new arena. Under the proposed plans, renovation or demolition of the Civic Centre is a possibility.

A plebisite in late 2006 gave a strong majority of Moose Jaw voters committed to seeing a new Multiplex (Hockey, Track, Soccer, and Curling) built at a total cost of 36 million dollars with the city of Moose Jaw adding 15 million dollars of its own, contingent on federal and provincial government funding. As of March 2007 no final decision has been reached as city council continues to debate what to do with escalating construction estimates.