CALGARY- An iconic hotel and bar is set to be torn down, despite restoration efforts.
The King Eddy in the East Village was going to be renovated, but due to safety concerns like mold, asbestos and structural issues it will be demolished instead.
“The structural engineer says it’s not safe, so we worked very carefully with the City of Calgary to find a way to dismantle it,” explains Andrew Mosker, president of the National Music Centre.
Get breaking National news
There are plans to rebuild it as part of the National Music Centre, and keep many of its authentic features.
“We will build a new frame inside it and then put the bricks back on in the place we took them off,” Mosker adds. “We will have the King Eddy for another 100 years.”
Ward 7 councillor Druh Farrell says it’s important to save historic buildings.
“We do have a ‘tear down, build new’ attitude, but that is changing and we have seen very little destruction of our heritage resources since we brought in our new heritage policy,” Farrell says.
While the flood delayed some work, the building is still expected to open in early 2016.
Comments