Kelly Ramsey Building Explained

Kelly Ramsey Building
Map Type:Canada Edmonton
Coordinates:53.5424°N -113.4928°W
Architectural Style:Chicago commercial
Address:10040 101A Avenue
Location City:Edmonton, Alberta
Location Country:Canada
Start Date:1911
Completion Date:1927
Demolition Date:2013
Cost:$250,000
Architect:Kelly, Van Siclen; Ramsey, Magoon & Macdonald

The Kelly Ramsey Building was an historic building located in Downtown Edmonton at 10040 101A Avenue on Rice Howard Way.[1]

History

James Ramsey was a department store owner who opened up a store in the Tegler Building (to the north of the Kelly Ramsey Building). Shortly after moving to Edmonton in 1911, he required more space and moved into the building which was built by a blacksmith John Kelly. Not long after Kelly's death Ramsey bought the building from his widow in 1926 for $100,000. He then extended the story westward calling it the Ramsey Building. In the 1940s the Government of Alberta bought the building.[1] More recently, it had been owned by Worthington Properties.

In March 2009 a fire broke out and gutted most of the building. Police determined it was caused by arson and on April 2 a man was arrested for the fire.[2] In September 2009, the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta ordered a judicial sale of the building due to foreclosure for $3 million, down from its previous price of $10 million.[3]

In 2013 the building was demolished, to be replaced by Enbridge Centre.[4] [5] Enbridge Centre is a 25-storey office building, which recreated the original building facades on the tower's podium.[6] [7] [8] The tower was completed in late 2016 and opened on October 13, 2016, with the original facade incorporated into the new building.[9] [10]

Architecture

The building was two four-story, brick and steel frame buildings. The Ramsey portion was an addition to the Kelly Block. The two buildings were quite different. The Kelly Block was done in dark brick and the Ramsey Building had a stone facade, three-part windows, and a smaller cornice.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ivany, Kathryn. Historic Walks of Edmonton. Red Deer Press. 2004. 200, 201. 0-88995-298-1.
  2. News: Man charged in downtown Edmonton fire. Drake. Laura. April 2, 2009. Edmonton Journal. 2009-04-22.
  3. News: Social, economic cost to losing Kelly-Ramsey block: $3M a bargain to protect, preserve key historic site downtown. Simon. Paula. November 14, 2009 . Edmonton Journal. 2009-11-14.
  4. Web site: Young. Tom. Edmonton Today: Kelly-Ramsay Demolition. March 7, 2015. October 6, 2013.
  5. Web site: Enbridge adds vibrancy, energy to Edmonton skyline. Enbridge. July 19, 2016. June 8, 2016.
  6. Web site: Parrish. Julia. City report outlines proposed plans for historic building. CTV Edmonton. March 7, 2015. March 28, 2013.
  7. Web site: Mah. Bill. Brick By Brick The Kelly-Ramsey Block Comes Tumbling Down. Edmonton Journal. Tina K. Fournier. March 7, 2015. November 11, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402113926/http://tinafournier.com/blog.html/brick-by-brick-the-kelly-ramsey-block-comes-tumbling-down-2866524. 2015-04-02. dead.
  8. News: Mertz. Emily. Gallary:Edmonton's old Kelly Ramsey Tower is new again. 2 May 2016. Global News Edmonton. Corus Entertainment Inc.. 8 April 2016.
  9. Web site: Kelly Ramsey Tower. March 7, 2015. February 26, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150226024225/http://www.kellyramsey.ca/. dead.
  10. Web site: Morris. Kyle. Enbridge Centre now open in downtown Edmonton. iNews 880 AM. October 13, 2016. October 13, 2016.