Calgary's Cecil Hotel faces demolition
Empty lot to become part of East Village development
The infamous Cecil Hotel is finally being torn down today and no one is standing in the way of its demise.
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The faded blue and grafitti-scribbled building at Fourth Avenue and Third Street S.E., built in 1912, had become a blight on the downtown city block. It closed in 2008 after being a magnet for crime, prostitution and drugs.
A recent heritage assessment was the final nail in the coffin when it found "very little of the building is intact and in good enough condition to save in its entirety."
A fire in the early '80s and the flood in June 2013 sealed its fate, after mould and water leaks made the building unsuitable for renovations.
According to the assessment, the Cecil's only salvageable elements include the building's neon sign, tin roof cornice, north and west masonry facade, and a number of cast-iron radiators, bathtubs and sinks.
The parcel of land will become part of the East Village multi-use project.
The demolition is expected to take five to seven days.
