On this day in 1986, the story of one of Edmonton's oldest former garages was told.
The two-storey Strathcona Garage, at 81 Avenue NW and 105 Street NW, has served many different uses over its 113 years. When owner Otto Edinger had it built in 1912 for $40,000, he originally planned for it to be used as a hotel for the many travellers visiting Strathcona at the time. By the time the building opened, however, the upper floors were used for apartments and offices.
The ground floor of the building was designed as a car dealership with a small service department, and large windows designed to display the vehicles inside. At the time, cars were a luxury item that only the wealthy could afford (it had been less than a decade since they had started showing up on local streets). That quickly changed. Over the 1910s, the price of cars dropped to within reach of many middle-class Edmontonians. With prices falling and car ownership rising, the service part of the Strathcona Garage grew, and eventually replaced the dealership. Soon, the garage was one of Edmonton's busiest "motor hospitals."
Edinger didn't hold on to the garage for long, though. When it was built, Edmonton and Strathcona were in the middle of a real estate boom. But with the start of the First World War in 1914, Edmonton's economy cratered. Edinger was unable to make payments to the Riverdale brickyard that provided the materials for the building, and in 1919, he lost the garage to foreclosure. J.B. Little, the brickyard's owner, acquired it at auction.
The auto garage operated for more than 30 years after Little took over. It eventually shut down in 1943. The building's second floor continued as office space and apartments but was eventually condemned due to safety concerns. In 1973, the former garage traded brakes for steaks when it was leased to The Keg, which performed extensive renovations to the building.
The steakhouse operated for more than 40 years and closed in 2020. The next year, Alberta designated the Strathcona Garage as a historical resource because of the role it played in Alberta's automotive history.
Despite its long and varied history, the future of the garage remains uncertain. A few years ago, someone purchased it intending to restore its original function as a hotel. However, that plan fell through, and the building was sold for $3.6 million in a receivership sale last year, with little news about its next chapter.
This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse of @VintageEdmonton.