On this day in 1909, the King Edward Hotel was destined for expansion.
The $60,000 expansion (a number that would have been somewhere north of $14 million now) would add a second building beside the already existing structure. By 1910, the expansion was completed, making the hotel's capacity 110 rooms - one of the largest in western Canada at the time.
The King Edward was still fairly new, having been built in 1906 by businessman and politician John Coleman Calhoun. The 'King Eddy' instantly became a popular spot, both to stay and because of the tavern it housed - it was a convenient place for downtown workers to have dinner or drinks in the evening.
For decades, the King Eddy was a hotspot for Edmonton's nightlife, going through more than half a dozen expansions, facelifts and updates.
In 1969, Bill C-150 made changes to Canada's indecency laws - homosexual sex and affection were no longer illegal (at least, if done in private). While nowhere near equality, Edmonton's gay and lesbian community could make their first steps towards gathering publically. The King Edward's tavern quickly became one of the most popular hangouts for the city's queer community. The new clientele wasn't exactly embraced, but were tolerated as long as they remained "quiet and unsuspecting". Still, it was enough to make the King Edward an important location in Edmonton's queer history.
The King Edward met its end in 1978 when it was destroyed in a deadly fire. The remains were razed and Manulife Place was built on the site in 1980. While the building no longer stands, it remains an important part of the history of Edmonton's LGBTQ2S+ community.
This is based on a clipping found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse — follow @VintageEdmonton for daily ephemera via Twitter.