Happiest place on Earth: Alberta daycare captures fairy-tale imagination
MORINVILLE, Alta. — Once upon a time, in a town north of Edmonton, there was a man who dreamed of building something magical.
After a year of construction, using $3 million from his own pocket, Robert Chauvet turned a Morinville parking lot into a scene out of a fairy tale. There’s a fantastical structure with a wavy roof, curved wooden doors and — as his story goes — a chimney squashed by a giant.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the imagination and creative minds of children,” says the 71-year-old father, grandfather and retired owner of a construction company.
“Everybody builds houses. And whether you build 10 or 1,000, basically you’re just a house-builder. It doesn’t leave anything special behind.”