Today I have started working on a photo journal of the buildings that are on the City of Edmonton Historic Registries List. This is a list that buildings or houses can be placed on and if it is on the "A" list then this means that it can never be torn down. If it is on the "B" list it receives funding as do the "A" list buildings for help in maintaining its original design but these ones can be torn down if the owners so choose.
This is the oldest continuous operating hotel in Edmonton.Built in 1882 it was named the Jasper House Hotel as it was located on Jasper Avenue. In 1920 it was renamed the Empress Hotel and in 1940 it was renamed the Hub Hotel. Today it is a far cry from the prestigious hotel it was when it opened. Today it is home to many low income residents and the tavern on the main floor is certianly a place you have to be on the lookout if you dare to go in.
Ironically it is located next door to the Hardware Grill which is oneof Edmonton's finer high end dinner establishments.
There is also a replica of this hotel in Fort Edmonton Park if someone wants to visit and see what it would have looked like when it opened
What a great history this place has. Interesting that some buildings get so run-down and then someone comes along and restores it to its old beauty. So is this one on the A or the B list, Brian. Great shot of it . . you even caught the mood of the neighborhood there.
@maggotx It is named that due to the fact that the building it is located in was home to a hardware store named W W Arcade which was the main tenant there for many mnay years and the last tenant before it became a restaurant
it still looks like it is well kept and clean. i love historic buildings. i should try and do the same for toronto. when the weather gets better, i suppose. nice shot, brian.
Too bad it's fallen into disrepair. We have some old hotels along Hastings that would be absolutely beautiful if they were to be restored to their former glory, but that's highly unlikely.
The life of a building certainly has a way of changing through the course of history. And cities are definitely a place where opposites co-exist with one another. This hotel is an example of that. Too bad it is not on the level it used to be, but on the other hand, at least it is providing some form of housing to people who might not otherwise be able to afford a roof over their heads. Good shot.
