The wolves on Edmonton’s Freemasons’ Hall have a story behind them. So does the parking lot beside the building.
A new mural on the hall, at 100 Avenue and 103 Street, draws on the Cree story of the Dog Stars. The City of Edmonton says the design is also “a nod to one of the Freemasons’ teachings to ‘look up.’”
It’s the first piece of something bigger. Next door, the City plans to turn the lot into the 103 Street Community Park, built around the same stars. Construction is expected in 2027.
The mural is there to see now. The park is next.
Who painted it
The Edmonton Mural Festival credits the graffiti artist Bacon, who painted the mural in October for the festival’s 2026 season with help from Ryan Weisser. The festival says the project was supported by the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton.
Bacon started painting as a teenager in the 1990s. He’s best known for murals in Toronto’s alleys and streets, where he blends realism with graffiti technique. He has also painted for Calgary’s BUMP festival.
Why wolves? The Dog Stars
In Cree, they’re atima atchakosuk, the Dog Stars. In English, they’re Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper.
The story goes like this. Long ago, people didn’t have dogs. The wolf, the coyote and the fox noticed and were concerned, so each sent two of their pups to live with people in the four directions. Over generations, those pups grew up alongside people, in play and in work, and became the dogs we know.
To honour that sacrifice, the Creator put a reminder in the stars:
mahikan atchakos, the Wolf Star, which you may know as Polaris, the North Star
mêstacâkan atchakos, the Coyote Star
mahkesîs atchakos, the Fox Star
the four atima atchakosuk, the Dog Stars, the pups sent to the people
Polaris barely moves while the rest of the sky turns around it, which is why people have used it to find their way for thousands of years. That’s the “look up.”
The building
Freemasons’ Hall has stood on this corner since 1931. Architect William Blakey designed it as a four-storey building with Gothic details. Much of the inside hasn’t changed: a tiled antechamber covered in Masonic symbols, a spring-loaded wooden dance floor, winding staircases, and what’s believed to be the oldest passenger elevator in Alberta.
It’s still in use. Lodges meet there, and the hall rents space for weddings, corporate events and concerts.
What’s planned next door
The park has been in the works for a long time. The City’s 2010 Capital City Downtown Plan called for a “central gathering place for McKay Avenue.” Public engagement followed in 2018, and the 2020 Downtown Public Places Plan confirmed it. The City bought the land this year. Until then, the lot had been used as an unauthorized parking lot.
The design takes the night sky and puts it on the ground. It’s built around two constellations that circle the North Star and are visible from Edmonton all year:
The Elk Skin (Cassiopeia). In Cree tradition, a hunter named Ponoka staked out the hide of a great elk to dry, then threw it into the sky to honour the animal. The stars are the light shining through the stake holes. In the park, the Elk Skin is the lighting strung overhead.
The Dog Stars (Ursa Minor). The same story as the mural. Sculptures of the wolf, coyote and fox guard the three main entrances, and life-size dog sculptures gather in the central plaza “with the people, their charges.”
Glowing domes rise out of the ground below the lights, positioned to line up with the Elk Skin overhead. At night, the City says, they “glow and twinkle.”
The rest of the plan includes:
a stage
games tables, hammocks and lounge seating
a seat wall and patio areas
new trees and planting
bike racks
The City’s design brief also calls for winter design that maximizes sun and blocks wind, safety-focused design, accessibility, and features that respect the heritage of Freemasons’ Hall. The site faces south, sits between two protected bike lanes, and is close to a lot of apartments.
One of the City’s renderings is titled “Stage, lighting and mural,” and the site plan labels the hall’s wall “future mural.” The mural is part of the park from the start.
Every element is still “conceptual and subject to final approval.”
Will it open in 2027?
Not necessarily. Design runs through 2026 and 2027, and construction is anticipated in 2027. The City hasn’t set an opening date. Watch the City’s 103 Street Community Park page for updates.
What people are asking
When the City posted about the mural, a few questions kept coming up.
Are the wolves on a Freemasons’ building on purpose? Yes. The wolf is the North Star in the Dog Stars story, and the same animals will guard the park’s entrances.
Is the building still used? Yes, as a lodge, a rental hall and a music venue.
Other people just liked it. One person who’d done floor restoration work inside said the building has “a ton of crazy stone work.” Another said her son photographs murals in Edmonton every year, and in other cities in Canada, the U.K. and Ireland. A few people said they knew someone who helped paint it.
Make it a mural walk
Three more Edmonton Mural Festival projects are close by:
| Stop | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Claire Estates | A mural by Alixandra Jade, across the street |
| Starlite Room | Nelson “Dedos” Garcia’s hip-hop mural |
| Citadel Theatre | Paityn Savoie’s mural drawing on nature and Indigenous storytelling, the first in the National Bank Arts District Mural Program |
The festival’s mural projects page has a map for planning your route.
Where to see it
Freemasons’ Hall is at 10318 100 Avenue NW, at 103 Street. The mural faces the future park site and is easy to see from the sidewalk. Stay outside any fencing around the lot.
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