It was a warm summer day in 2009 when Fred Armbruster came upon the overgrown concrete block that would propel him into Canada's Cold War past.

His only clue to the purpose of the fenced-off compound were the words "Civil Defence Edmonton" etched in the concrete.

Fred Armbruster was able to get inside the bunker in 2009 in order to photograph it. (Canadian Civil Defence Museum Association) Eventually Armbruster would learn that the building in MacKenzie Ravine at 142nd Street was the first Cold War bunker built in Canada as a fully-equipped command centre.

Built in 1953, the 2,600-square-foot structure with 11-foot ceilings was the front line of Edmonton's civil defence.

"This was not designed to withstand a hit by a bomb, but it was designed to protect people from the fallout," said Armbruster, who has become an advocate for the bunker as founder and executive director of the Canadian Civil Defence Museum Association.

A digital re-creation of the interior of the bunker based on the blueprints. (Canadian Civil Defence Museum Association) In the event of a natural or manmade disaster, the shelter would house those responsible to coordinate the city's response and recovery, up to 36 people could be housed for the safe time frame of 14 days.

The building remains sealed off over environmental and safety concerns, but Armbruster hopes the bunker isn't again forgotten, perhaps even becoming a museum dedicated to the city's civil defence history.

The lower entrance to the Edmonton bunker in the MacKenzie Ravine is sealed. (John Robertson/CBC) While the City of Edmonton has the bunker on their list of historic properties, it has no planned use for the site.

"We were very happy when they developed the website because it is part of Edmonton's history that many people have forgotten," said city archivist Kathryn Ivany.

"It is part of not only Edmonton history or provincial history but also part of our national history."