Recent news reports have stated
that a notorious downtown Cecil Hotel at the eastern edge of downtown Calgary, abandoned
for years, might soon be demolished. The Cecil is one of only six pre-First
World War hotels that are still standing now for over 100 years.
Said to be a Dark and Evil Place
The Cecil has had more than its
share of fires, bad paint jobs, poor renovations and more homicides than
anyone’s bothered to count. It has been described as a place brimming with
evil, darkness and death. In its final year of operation, police were called
1,700 times. The city shut the hotel down and purchased the land for
$10.9-million in 2009.
Not Many Interested in Saving it. Hold on!
The structure has been described
as being in tolerable good shape. The heritage authority has declared the
building salvageable. It retains much of its turn-of-the-century brick, wood
and sandstone infrastructure. The site has been used for an Indie Film produced
by Ritika Anand who enthused that it was a pretty cool place to shoot a film.
Thought to be Haunted!
Those involved in the filming of
the movie thought it was interesting albeit creepy. “My crew thought it was
haunted,” said Shailender Vyas, the Calgary-based director of Three Colours and
A Canvas. “We were hearing sounds…footsteps from other floors.”
The Cecil Not
Notorious Enough Says Wikipedia
Wikipedia's page for the Cecil Hotel (Calgary) has been
deleted! "[The] concern was: No indication of
notability. It appears that the place had a certain level of ''notoriety'', but
it doesn't meet Wikipedia's notability requirements."
Hotel's Future Uncertain
The hotel area is soon be surrounded by modern monuments such as shops
and restaurants slated as part of a 49-hectare condo development. The hotel is
being used as a staging area for nearby construction work. When that’s done
next year, the city’s attention will turn to the hotel’s future.
Damaged from Flood
Since the building was damaged in
last year’s flood Mayor Naheed Nenshi says, “So this is a really good
opportunity for us…looking forward to the ideas.”
Has the Mayor Heard of the Gladstone in Toronto?
A similar situation occurred in downtown
Toronto with the historic Gladstone Hotel. A group of developers rescued it and
now it's a thriving creative artist space with live music, a restaurant and 37
unique artist-designed rooms to choose from. You’ll find art everywhere. Rooms
book for $179 per night.
Interested in buying a historic
building? Call Chris for more info 403-680-4479
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