The Alberta Hotel building in Edmonton began not as a hotel but as a one-storey saloon in 1883, then grew into a four-storey Victorian Romanesque landmark that once claimed some of Alberta’s firsts — the first passenger elevator, the first hotel with shower baths and telephones. This article traces the building’s full arc: from Luke Kelly’s wooden bar to a 1903 brick-and-stone tower, through its 1984 demolition and the remarkable 2013 reconstruction that preserved its façade as a rainscreen over modern offices. We draw on the Edmonton Historical Board, property records, and architectural reports to separate verified history from lore.
Last checked: 2026-09-25
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Year Built: 1888–1890 · Address: 808 1 Street SW, Calgary, AB T2P 1M9 · Building Type: Sandstone retail and commercial · Total Building Size: 47,569 sq ft · Renovation Year: 1997 · Current Use: Office and retail space
How we researched this
Last checked: 2026-09-25.
Sources reviewed: municipal heritage registry (Edmonton Historical Board), local government publications (Transforming Edmonton), architectural firm documentation (DUB Architects), editorial feature (Edify Edmonton), federal historic places database (HistoricPlaces.ca), city archives (City of Edmonton), Alberta heritage register (HeRMIS), and historic-hotels profile (Historic Hotels of America).
We did not conduct an on-site visit, interview building management, or independently verify the paranormal claims that circulate about other Alberta Hotel buildings.
Snapshot: Alberta Hotel building (Edmonton)
- Started as Luke Kelly’s Saloon in a one-storey wooden building on Jasper Avenue in 1883 (Edmonton Historical Board)
- Principal 1903 building: four storeys, brick and stone, with a round corner tower topped by a conical cupola rising about 75 feet (Edmonton Historical Board)
- Edmonton’s first four-storey building, first major brick structure on Jasper Avenue, and reportedly Alberta’s first passenger elevator (Edmonton Historical Board)
- Demolished in 1984; brick, sandstone, cupola and cornice salvaged; façade reconstructed 50 feet west of original site as a rainscreen over a contemporary steel frame (DUB Architects)
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year built (principal) | 1903 (main four-storey structure); origins in 1883 saloon (Edmonton Historical Board) |
| Address | Northeast corner of Jasper Avenue and 98 Street, Edmonton, AB (Transforming Edmonton) |
| Building type | Victorian Romanesque hotel with retail and commercial uses (Edmonton Historical Board) |
| Total building size | Approximately 50,000 square feet (reconstructed structure) (DUB Architects) |
| Renovation / reconstruction | 1934 (fire replacement with brick addition); 2013 (façade reconstruction) (Edify Edmonton) |
| Current use | Office and retail space; home to CKUA radio headquarters (CBC) |
Alberta Hotel Building History: From saloon to landmark
Construction and original purpose
The Alberta Hotel began modestly. In 1883 Luke Kelly opened a one-storey wooden saloon on Jasper Avenue — then Edmonton’s main street. By 1887 he added a two-storey hotel wing and renamed the establishment the Alberta Hotel, signalling a shift from bar to accommodation.
The defining moment came in 1903. Architect James E. Wize designed a four-storey brick-and-stone building that would become Edmonton’s first four-storey structure and its first major brick building on Jasper Avenue (Edmonton Historical Board). The original wooden building was moved to the rear of the lot and attached to the new masonry block. Builders Fred Jackson and Del Grierson completed the work at a cost reported at $55,000. A two-storey annex went up that same year, followed by a one-storey annex in 1904.
Architectural features: Victorian Romanesque in brick and stone
The 1903 Alberta Hotel belonged to the Victorian Romanesque style, a popular choice for commercial buildings in the Prairie west. The main storey was clad in Calgary sandstone, while the upper three storeys used cut stone and pressed brick. A round corner tower rose about 75 feet from the front entrance to a small fifth-storey observation room fitted with rectangular stained-glass windows. The tower was capped by a conical cupola.
Rounded-arch windows marked the second storey, segmentally arched windows the third. Stone voussoirs, string courses, and rusticated base detailing reinforced the Romanesque massing. Inside, solid oak doors opened into an elaborately furnished rotunda with large plate-glass windows, connecting to a dining room, billiards room, card room, and a bar with an ornate moulded-plaster ceiling (Edmonton Historical Board).
Notable events and changes over time
The Alberta Hotel was considered the height of modernity when it opened. It boasted shower baths, telephones, and a room-to-front-desk call-bell system — amenities then rare in Edmonton. In 1905, Sir Wilfrid Laurier stayed at the hotel during his visit for Alberta’s inauguration as a province.
In 1934, the original wooden structure attached to the rear was destroyed by fire and replaced with a one-storey brick addition. The building continued operating as a hotel and commercial space for decades, but changing downtown patterns and competition from grand railway hotels led to a gradual decline. In 1977 the owner applied to the City of Edmonton for permission to demolish the building (Transforming Edmonton). Despite preservation efforts, the original Alberta Hotel was demolished in 1984 to make way for the Canada Place federal office complex.
The bottom line: The Alberta Hotel’s active life lasted about eighty years, but the story didn’t end with the wrecking ball. A team led by architect Gene Dub salvaged the building’s brick, sandstone, cupola and cornice, and in 2013 reconstructed the façade 50 feet west of the original site as part of a contemporary steel-framed office building (DUB Architects). The original materials now serve as a rainscreen, preserving the visual character while allowing modern insulation and glazing behind it (Edify Edmonton).
“The grand old hotel had its start in 1883, when Luke Kelly’s Saloon opened in a one-storey wooden building on Jasper Avenue.”
— Edmonton Historical Board
What is the most iconic hotel building in Alberta?
Competing landmarks: Alberta Hotel vs. grand railway and resort hotels
Alberta’s historic hotel landscape includes three distinct typologies: the urban commercial hotel (Alberta Hotel, National Hotel), the grand railway hotel (Hotel Macdonald, Fairmont Palliser), and the mountain resort (Fairmont Château Lake Louise). Each tells a different story about how travellers, workers, and wealthy visitors shaped the province.
The Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton, completed in 1915 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and designed by the Montreal firm Ross and Macdonald, epitomizes the Canadian Château style — steep copper roofs, turrets, and a commanding site near the river valley (City of Edmonton Archives). By contrast, the Fairmont Château Lake Louise (built as part of Canadian Pacific’s mountain hotel chain) is described as Renaissance Revival in style and sits in a purely resort context (Historic Hotels of America).
The Alberta Hotel differs from both. It was not funded by a railway company but by local entrepreneurs (Kelly, Jackson, Grierson). Its scale was urban rather than palatial. Its architectural vocabulary — rusticated stone, rounded arches, pressed brick — was the Victorian Romanesque that dominated Main Street Canada before the railway hotels arrived. And unlike the railway hotels, which remain intact as operating luxury properties, the Alberta Hotel exists today as a reconstructed fragment — a façade that proves even lost landmarks can regain a civic presence.
Why this matters: The Alberta Hotel represents a vernacular hotel tradition that accommodated everyday travellers and locals, rather than transcontinental tourists. Its survival in rebuilt form makes it a rare case study in adaptive reuse.
What is a famous hotel in Alberta? Three historic peers
National Hotel (Calgary)
The National Hotel in Calgary’s Inglewood district was constructed in 1907 and began operating in 1908. It served as a district tavern and hotel for transient workers near the railway, brewery, and livery stables. Its Edwardian commercial style is typical of early Alberta hotels in urban working-class neighbourhoods: a sandstone foundation, yellow-brick cladding with red-brick quoins, segmental window arches, a pressed-tin cornice, and double-hung windows (HistoricPlaces.ca).
Empress Hotel (Edmonton)
Construction began on the Empress Hotel in Edmonton around 1911. Its original 100 rooms featured hot and cold running water and private telephones — amenities that mirrored the Alberta Hotel’s early claims to modernity (Alberta Register of Historic Places).
Fairmont Château Lake Louise
This lakeside resort hotel is the most famous hotel in Alberta by international recognition. Its Renaissance Revival architecture and mountain setting contrast sharply with the urban commercial hotels of Edmonton and Calgary. The Château Lake Louise was built by Canadian Pacific and remains an operating hotel, whereas the Alberta Hotel’s continuity is architectural rather than operational (Historic Hotels of America).
“Has always retained its leading position.”
— Contemporary newspaper description, quoted by Transforming Edmonton
Alternatives in set: Historic hotels compared
| Building name | Location | Year built | Type | Current use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta Hotel (Edmonton) | Edmonton, AB | 1883 (origin) / 1903 (principal) | Victorian Romanesque commercial hotel | Office and retail (reconstructed façade) |
| National Hotel (Calgary) | Calgary, AB | 1907–1908 | Edwardian commercial hotel | Mixed-use (historic designation) |
| Hotel Macdonald (Edmonton) | Edmonton, AB | 1915 | Canadian Château railway hotel | Operating luxury hotel (Fairmont) |
| Fairmont Château Lake Louise | Lake Louise, AB | 1890 (original lodge); rebuilt 1911–1913 | Renaissance Revival mountain resort | Operating luxury resort |
Our pick: What makes the Alberta Hotel building essential viewing
For history enthusiasts and architecture lovers, the Alberta Hotel building (in its reconstructed form) is the most instructive single site in Edmonton for understanding how a modest 19th‑century hotel became a civic landmark, was lost, and then returned as a contemporary building with a historic face. No other Alberta hotel tells this exact story of demolition, salvage, and adaptive reuse.
The reconstructed façade on Jasper Avenue — topped by the original conical cupola and clad in the same Calgary sandstone and pressed brick — offers the clearest public view of the Victorian Romanesque style that once defined the province’s main streets. Its current use as CKUA’s headquarters ties the building to Alberta’s cultural history, not just its architectural past.
For urban explorers and tourists visiting Edmonton, the building’s location at the northeast corner of Jasper Avenue and 98 Street places it within walking distance of the Hotel Macdonald, the Legislature grounds, and the downtown arts district. A stop here requires no admission fee and takes about fifteen minutes to appreciate the exterior details — particularly the tower, the stone voussoirs, and the plate-glass windows of the former rotunda.
Location and getting there
The Alberta Hotel building stands at the northeast corner of Jasper Avenue and 98 Street in downtown Edmonton, approximately 50 feet west of its original location. The reconstructed building is part of a contemporary commercial block that houses CKUA’s radio studios and various offices.
The nearest LRT station is Bay/Enterprise Square (on the Capital Line and Metro Line), a five-minute walk southeast. Street parking is available along Jasper Avenue and 98 Street, with paid lots nearby. The building is within the core downtown grid, easily reached on foot from the Edmonton City Centre mall and the MacEwan University campus.
Timeline of the Alberta Hotel building (Edmonton)
- 1883 – Luke Kelly’s Saloon opens in a one-storey wooden building on Jasper Avenue (Edmonton Historical Board)
- 1887 – Two-storey hotel addition built; establishment renamed the Alberta Hotel
- 1903 – Principal four-storey brick-and-stone building designed by James E. Wize and constructed by Fred Jackson and Del Grierson at a reported cost of $55,000
- 1904 – One-storey annex added; hotel opens as Edmonton’s first hotel with shower baths, telephones, and call-bell system
- 1905 – Sir Wilfrid Laurier stays during Alberta’s provincial inauguration visit
- 1934 – Original wooden structure destroyed by fire; replaced with a one-storey brick addition
- 1977 – Owner applies to the City of Edmonton for demolition permission
- 1984 – Original hotel demolished for Canada Place; brick, sandstone, cupola, and cornice salvaged (DUB Architects)
- 2013 – Façade reconstructed approximately 50 feet west of original site as part of a contemporary steel-framed building; becomes headquarters for CKUA (Edify Edmonton)
Related reading: The Matrix Hotel Edmonton: Downtown Boutique Review · International Hotel Calgary: All-Suite Downtown Review
edmontonhistoricalboard.com, hermis.alberta.ca, fiveoaks.co, hermis.alberta.ca
Frequently asked questions about the Alberta Hotel building
When was the Alberta Hotel building built?
The original saloon structure dates to 1883. The principal four-storey brick-and-stone building was constructed in 1903, with annexes added in 1903 and 1904. The building was demolished in 1984 and its façade reconstructed in 2013 (Edmonton Historical Board).
Who built the Alberta Hotel in Edmonton?
Luke Kelly opened the original saloon in 1883 and expanded it in 1887. The 1903 building was designed by architect James E. Wize and built by contractors Fred Jackson and Del Grierson at a reported cost of $55,000 (Edmonton Historical Board).
What style of architecture is the Alberta Hotel building?
The building is Victorian Romanesque, characterized by a rusticated stone base, rounded-arch windows, stone voussoirs, string courses, and a round corner tower topped by a conical cupola. The main storey uses Calgary sandstone; upper storeys use cut stone and pressed brick (Edmonton Historical Board).
Is the Alberta Hotel building open to the public?
The reconstructed building houses CKUA’s headquarters and commercial offices. The exterior façade is visible from the sidewalk along Jasper Avenue. Public access to the interior is limited to the building’s retail and office tenants, but the original cupola and sandstone details can be viewed from the street at any time.
Can I rent office space in the Alberta Hotel building?
Yes, the reconstructed building offers approximately 50,000 square feet of commercial office space. Tenants include CKUA radio and other businesses. Leasing inquiries would be directed to the building’s management company, which is not publicly listed in the available sources. The building’s contemporary steel frame allows flexible floor plans behind the historic façade (DUB Architects).
What is the square footage of the Alberta Hotel building?
The reconstructed building provides approximately 50,000 square feet of commercial space. The original 1903 hotel was smaller, with a footprint that included the main four-storey block plus the attached wooden structure and annexes. Exact original floor area is not recorded in the available sources (DUB Architects).
How was the Alberta Hotel building reconstructed after demolition?
In 2013, under the direction of architect Gene Dub, the salvaged brick, sandstone, cupola, and cornice were reinstalled as a rainscreen over a contemporary steel-framed structure. The historic materials are no longer load-bearing but form the visible exterior. The rear of the building features a triple-glazed glass wall. The reconstructed façade sits about 50 feet west of the original hotel’s location (DUB Architects) (Edify Edmonton).