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GALLERY: Edmonton’s old Kelly Ramsey Tower is new again

By Emily Mertz Global News

Posted April 8, 2016 5:20 pm

Updated April 8, 2016 10:47 pm

1 min read

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Click to play video: 'What’s old is new again when it comes to downtown office tower' — WATCH ABOVE: It’s described as being both Edmonton’s newest and oldest office building. For months now, the Kelly Ramsey Tower has been under construction after a fire gutted the old building. Vinesh Pratap reports – Apr 8, 2016

In March 2009, fire gutted the iconic Kelly Ramsey Building in downtown Edmonton. Despite the destruction, developer John Day bought the building, hoping to preserve the exterior.

The building’s original façade was declared a municipal historic resource and the developer received nearly $1.8 million in public funds for restoration. The entire project cost a lot more than that, but those involved felt it was “the right thing to do for downtown Edmonton.”

The old Kelly Ramsey Building was taken down, brick by brick, each one numbered and put into storage. The bricks that could be salvaged would later make up the new tower’s second to fourth floors. However, a lot of the original brick was not salvageable due to the fire damage.

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In July 2015, crewed poured concrete for the 13th floor. Decades-old limestone was also be reincorporated into the new 28-storey tower. It is scheduled to be complete this summer.