By Doug Vaessen and Jenna Freeman Global News
The days of a downtown landmark could be numbered as the city is in the process of selling the land where the Cecil Hotel sits.
The Cecil is perched on the edge of downtown and the hotel’s windows have been boarded up since 2009 when the city purchased the land.
The building has been around for more than one hundred years, but for many the nostalgia associated with the hotel is hardly reminiscent of similar buildings that that have been preserved like the nearby King Eddy.
“In my lifetime nothing good has really taken place in the Cecil,” said Michael Brown, CEO of Calgary Municipal Land Corporation.
Read more: http://globalnews.ca/news/1588742/cecil ... e-history/
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With parkade (click here for full sized http://i.imgur.com/ZOzvFza.jpg )
With condo (click here for full sized http://i.imgur.com/8kahl70.jpg )
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Found this article from the East Village Free Press blog from late last year, Nov. 26 2012. http://www.evfreepress.com/2012/11/ceci ... olish.html
Here is a more recent report (August 1, 2013) from the Calgary Gay History project, that the Cecil was gathering place of the lesbian community in the 1960s, when gay life was still pretty underground here. http://calgaryqueerhistory.ca/2013/08/0 ... cil-hotel/
Here is the transcript of a twitter exchange on August 8, 2013 including Mayor Nenshi:
Citizen asks: @nenshi As the city owns the Cecil Hotel, does the City have present plans to demolish it? #yyc
Mayor responds: not yet. but that is eventually likely
Stay tuned...
Statistics: Posted by newsposter — Fri Aug 23, 2013 12:07 pm
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Editorial: Cecil Hotel should go
Calgary Herald October 22, 2012
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Editorial+ ... z2AQ40aPhT
Calgary’s ‘epicentre’ of evil, death and darkness
may soon become a frightening piece of the pastNational Post
Jen Gerson | Oct 26, 2012 2:25 AM ET |
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/10/26 ... -darkness/
The Herald's new editorial position (demolish) is contrary to the position they took back in 2008, of restoration and reuse:
http://www.calgaryheritage.org/CHIForum/vi ... =1482#1482
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By Sherri Zickefoose, Calgary Herald
October 21, 2012
CALGARY — Years after a crime-ridden downtown tavern was shuttered, the city-owned Cecil Hotel continues to languish with no immediate plans for demolition or redevelopment.
When the city purchased the site for $10.9 million in 2009, there was talk of tearing down the worn-down building in favour of parking or condos as part of East Village revitalization.
With peeling paint and boarded up windows, the dingy site is now being used as a convenient construction hub for the city’s 7th Avenue LRT project.
But area residents and businesses say the homely hotel needs to go.
“It’s a bad first impression of the city — something needs to be done,” said Lance Hurtubise, who runs Bookers BBQ Grill & Crab Shack across the way on 4th Avenue and 3rd Street S.E.
“It’s brutal. It looks like an eyesore. It’s really the gateway to downtown for people coming straight from the airport.”
The city yanked the notorious tavern’s business licence in 2008 after officials became fed up with high crime rates, including a fatal stabbing and open drug transactions inside the bar. Police officials said they responded to 1,700 there calls a year.
For now, city officials say there are no solid plans for the hotel site’s future.
“It’s being used as a storage grounds for construction materials and equipment relating to the 7th Avenue work being done on the train line,” said Sean Somers from the city’s transportation department, which has stewardship of the hotel’s property.
As that wraps up over the course of the next few months, Somers said they “don’t really know” what the future holds for the site.
“The long story short is that we don’t really know what that’s going to look like going ahead,” said Somers.
“At this point the future is undetermined.”
For condominium residents inside Pointe of View, which overlooks the boarded up hotel, the vacant spot doesn’t exactly add curb appeal.
“They can tear down a hospital, I’m sure they can tear down a shack,” said Nabila Al-Yafi, adding she’s holding out hope the city will demolish the vacant hotel after LRT construction is finished.
The Cecil Hotel was built in 1912 to cater to labourers.
The hotel’s heritage value is considered minimal due to a fire in 1982 that destroyed its historical significance.
With future East Village plans now in the works, the area’s alderman says redevelopment will happen but it’s a waiting game.
“We’re still determining what to do with it,” said Ward 7 Ald. Druh Farrell.
“I think people are relieved it’s not occupied anymore. It’s all part of the East Village plan and that’s a long-term strategy. Now that we’ve secured the site there will be a good time. It’s not now. The time will be right when we look at redevelopment. It’s one step at a time with the East Village.”
There has been some interest in the nearby Calgary police union lot, she said.
The waiting game will pay off, said Calgary Downtown Association president Maggie Schofield.
“We’d sure like to see something happen with it, some sort of revitalization,” Schofield said. “We hope when the East Village develops that will be one of the pieces that develops with it.”
For now, with construction activity behind the hotel, the area is in good hands, she added.
“If it was just a building standing completely alone and there was nothing going on around it, I’d be quite concerned. But there is a lot of foot traffic. It hasn’t been a concern,” she said.
“It’s not that bad in the grand scheme of things.”
szickefoose@calgaryherald.com
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/City+ ... z2A2W6RYC1
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October 16, 2012
Read more: http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/future-of-cru ... z29ZMLs900
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/future-of-cru ... n-1.998625
Information on the Cecil in the City's heritage inventory:
http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/LUPP/Pages/He ... ourceId=46
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By JENNA MCMURRAY, CALGARY SUN
Last Updated: February 16, 2011 5:49pm
For years it staked out its territory on the corner of 4 Ave. and 3 St. S.E. — the infamous fading blue hotel and tavern known for attracting notorious crowds.
Now, despite having been shuttered by the city more than two years ago, the desolate Cecil Hotel remains seemingly untouched following its closure.
Ald. Druh Farrell, whose ward includes the building purchased by the city for $10.9 million in December of 2008, said the economic downturn put any kind of transformation on hold, meaning a plan hasn’t made it to the drawing board yet.
“Rushing projects with this economy would seem imprudent to me — I’m willing to be patient,” she said.
The hope for the site was it could become a mixed-use destination — possibly some combination of parking, residential and retail space — said Farrell.
But whether the original building can remain there or would need to be replaced is a question that’s still on the table.
Continued here: http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/ ... 04326.html
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Cecil Hotel's future through homeless eyes
Artistic visions of shuttered hotel's future stir debate
By Bob Clark, Calgary Herald May 23, 2010
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Cecil+Hote ... z0ozNQu3pw
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This is My Cecil
CALGARY – Local artist, Tomas Jonsson, provokes discussion featuring Calgary’s iconic Cecil Hotel and its storied past and uncertain future. Through regularly scheduled workshops at EPCOR CENTRE’s Ledge Gallery, Jonsson will work with participants to facilitate the many narratives that surround, engage or otherwise define the Cecil Hotel.
Title: This is My Cecil
Location: EPCOR CENTRE’s Ledge Gallery (on the +15 level of Centre Court)
Date: Tuesday, May 11 – Friday, May 28
Artist in attendance: 5 - 8 pm, Monday – Friday
Closing Reception: Friday, May 28, 2010
Tales of the Cecil have predominantly been negative – as a site of criminal activity, of poverty, a scourge to property values and a roadblock to urban growth and development. Jonsson challenges there are dialogues that could be initiated around this space and asks if there other possible futures for the Cecil, besides the proverbial parking lot.
This is My Cecil uses iconic elements from the building's past, both as bar, and former site of Western Canada's first German language newspaper (Der Deutches Canadianer) to create a space for discussion and narrative (re)creation.
Jonsson, who is known for his socially motivated performative work, will appeal to individuals interested in creating zines (self-published works of minority interest) and those interested in the history and future of the Cecil Hotel.
Artist Biography
As an artist, curator and writer, Tomas Jonsson is interested in issues of social agency in processes of urban growth and transformation. Tomas is pursuing a Masters in Environmental Studies at York University, with an emphasis on socially engaged planning. Tomas recently participated in the Border Cities Kolleg at the Bauhaus Institute in Dessau, Germany, where he developed projects with creative and precarious communities in Tallinn and Helsinki. Tomas is currently Programming Coordinator at EMMEDIA Gallery and Production Society in Calgary.
Media Contact:
Kerri Savage, Communications Manager
EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts
403.294.7455 ext.1476 ksavage@epcorcentre.org
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At a July 17 2009 meeting of the Calgary Heritage Authority a representative of the Transportation department (they have responsibility for the building) said they have asked for an cost estimate for restoration. Hazardous materials will have to be removed no matter what, and the building could be restored to some use for a decade or more. Perhaps permanently depending on what the future brings.
Here's hoping for a better future for the Cecil, either stand-alone or as part of a new development in the future.
Statistics: Posted by newsposter — Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:07 pm
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http://www.calgaryheritage.org/document ... 08-188.pdf
http://www.calgaryheritage.org/document ... 88_Att.pdf
I note that several councillors supported a proposal to do a heritage assessment of the property (which is only proper, given the Calgary Heritage Strategy recently passed by Council), but that proposal was defeated.
LAS2008-188PROPOSED ACQUISITION – (DOWNTOWN EAST VILLAGE) – WARD 07 (ALD. DRUH FARRELL)
FILE NO: 401 4 AV SE (DMB)
SUMMARY/ISSUE
The purchase is required for a parking and multi use development.
ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Land and Asset Strategy Committee recommend that Council:
1.Authorize the acquisition recommendations as outlined in Attachment 2;
2.Approve an appropriation advancement of $10.9 Million in Transportation Infrastructure Program 851 from 2010 to 2009 to facilitate this acquisition;
3.Direct that Report LAS2008-188 be forwarded as an item of urgent business to the in camera session of the 2008 December 15 Regular Meeting of Council; and
4.Direct that the Report, Attachments and Recommendations remain confidential until the conclusion of the in camera discussion pursuant to Sections 23(1)(b), 24(1)(a), 24(1)(g) and 25(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
1.Authorize the acquisition recommendations as outlined in Attachment 2;
2. Approve an appropriation advancement of $10.9 Million in Transportation Infrastructure
Program 851 from 2010 to 2009 to facilitate this acquisition; and
3.Direct that the Report, Attachments and Recommendations remain confidential until the conclusion of the in camera discussion pursuant to Sections 23(1)(b), 24(1)(a), 24(1)(g) and 25(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
AMENDMENT, Moved by Alderman Pincott, Seconded by Alderman Hodges that Recommendation 1 contained in Report LAS2008-188 be adopted, after amendment, to attachment 2 as follows:
[b]•Page 4 of 7, subsection (2), by adding the words, “contingent upon a report from the Heritage Planner on the heritage salvageability” following the words “tenders for the demolition or removal of the improvements on the Property”.
ROLL CALL VOTE
For: Aldermen Ceci, Farrell, Hodges, McIver, Pincott and Mayor Bronconnier
Against:Aldermen Chabot, Colley-Urquhart, Connelly, Fox-Mellway, Hawkesworth, Jones, Lowe, Mar and Stevenson
MOTION LOST
Moved by Alderman Farrell, Seconded by Alderman Lowe,
That the Land and Asset Strategy Committee Recommendations contained in Report LAS2008-188 be adopted.
General Manager,
Asset Management & Capital Works
RECORDED VOTE
For: Aldermen Mar, Hodges, Farrell, Ceci, Chabot, Fox-Mellway, Hawkesworth, Lowe, Stevenson, Pincott and Mayor Bronconnier
Against:Aldermen Colley-Urquhart, Connelly, McIver and Jones
CARRIED
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Antiquated thinking about heritage thrives on council
Paula Arab
Calgary Herald
Thursday, December 18, 2008
If only history would stop repeating itself when it came to tearing down Calgary's heritage buildings.
But here we go again, with the Cecil Hotel. Determining the historic value of the 1911 working-class hotel, it seems, depends on whom you ask.
Ald. Druh Farrell--and apparently most of council--are convinced there's not much there. They're prepared to use $10.9 million of public money to buy the building just to bulldoze it and put up a parking lot. More on that in a future column.
"I would not have suggested we tear this down if I believed there was some integrity left," insists Farrell.
"There was a big fire in the '80s, the exterior has been altered dramatically and it would cost millions and millions to restore."
The media were not allowed to listen in on the discussions, but council said it decided against saving the hotel after determining much of the heritage value was lost in the 1982 fire.
It's a tough line to swallow. Just look at the before and after pictures. Maybe the interior is gutted, but the exterior has hardly changed. It still displays traces of a once-attractive sandstone and brick treasure, lying beneath the ugly blue paint. The windows on the main floor have been filled in and the balconies removed, but other than that, it's not so different.
Besides, if there were no historic value left in the Cecil, why is it ranked a B according to the city's historic resource evaluation system? It's not the highest ranking, but it's pretty darn close. Whereas A sites are buildings that score overall points between 75 and 100, B buildings score between 60 and 74.
The policy clearly states: "Category B sites and buildings are very significant in certain respects. . . all buildings and sites in Category B are worthy of consideration for designation under the Historical Resource Act."
It's more likely council didn't want to spend the "millions" required to restore it to the gem it once was, only to be left with a building three storeys high. I guess land and density are more valuable than history, culture and character.
This sacrificing of the Cecil is a hypocritical retreat on council's so-called priority to the preservation of the city's few remaining heritage buildings.
It also represents a meddling in the private sector to solve a social problem by bulldozing the building where the social problem took place. Why not just deal with the criminal activity instead of simply relocating it down the street?
Farrell knows I don't buy her argument, so she refers me to the city's heritage expert, Darryl Cariou, whom she believes will be able to convince me the history of the Cecil is lost forever.
The only thing Cariou confirms in my mind is that council's decision to demolish this once-handsome hotel has put the city's heritage department in an extremely awkward position.
Cariou has done an amazing job raising the radar on the heritage file since being hired as senior heritage planner several years ago.
He's launched an ambitious new strategy meant to make Calgary a leader in heritage sites. And he has successfully obtained the rare designation of Municipal Historic Resource on a record-breaking number of buildings. Never before have five properties come before council at once for designation, as they did in July.
That the Cecil won't be added to the list has got to be disappointing for him. It's a tragic setback, even if he can't say that.
Every major and some minor cities in Western Canada once had a Cecil Hotel -- initially a chain built to house travellers and working men.
The Calgary Cecil included a cafe that was a popular meeting place for many years. It was then owned by A. E. Cross's Calgary Brewing & Malt Company between 1938 and 1967, and turned back into a hotel in recent years.
It's only been since then that the site has been overrun with drugs, gangs, shootings and other crime.
Luckily, the fight isn't over. Under the city's policy, the Calgary Heritage Authority has the ability to recommend designation.
They are meeting, as I write, to discuss how to proceed. Board member Donna Bloomfield says she will do what she can to save the Cecil.
"I personally like the building," she says.
"I know what it used to look like and I know what it could look like again."
She adds the "gem of a building" is structurally sound.
What a pity not everyone can see the potential for it to be restored to the visual landmark it once was.
The Cecil is one of only six such hotels left in Calgary that predate the First World War. Two others -- the King Eddy and the St. Louis--are also in the East Village.
Both have been given protection from the wrecking ball, even though the St. Louis is classified Category C --lower than the Cecil--and the Eddy is a boring, no-frills box in far worse shape, by comparison.
Such antiquated thinking on the part of council should be history.
Parab@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2008
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