Demolition of the former Northwest Motors dealership at Gaetz Avenue and 32 Street began Monday. The site will become home to a gas bar operated by Central Alberta Co-op. (rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Spackman)

By Sheldon Spackman

Former Northwest Motors building comes down

End of the line for former Red Deer landmark

Apr 27, 2020 | 1:08 PM

Curious onlookers gathered near the site of a long time Red Deer landmark on Monday to witness its demolition.

Located on the southeast corner of Gaetz Avenue and 32 Street, the former Northwest Motors dealership, has now largely, been reduced to a pile of rubble.

Graham Moore, whose family owned Northwest Motors for 54 years before turning the keys over to Go Dodge Red Deer in 2016, then selling the site to Central Alberta Co-op last month, says it’s a little sad to see it go.

“It took about a year to build and probably 10 hours to knock down, and so it’s kind of a different experience, but we all know that life’s got to go on, new guys have to take over, and progress has to be made,” he remarks. “It was built in 1962, so it’s 58-years-old.”

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Moore, who was the dealer principal at Northwest Motors for over 30 years until turning it over to Go Dodge, says he first began working there during summer breaks from school, starting at the age of 11.

“I started cleaning the shop, and into the service department, and into the parts department, into the sales department, and then progressed to dealer principal,” recalls Moore. “I worked there from 1968 part-time, and probably started full-time when I graduated from university in 1978. So I worked there for about 45 years.”

Northwest Motors in 1963. (Red Deer & District Archives P5313)

Moore admits several former employees of Northwest Motors joined him on Monday to watch their former workplace come down.

“I guess the memories are just the people that we met, and the staff,” says Moore. “It’s probably the first thing on the south hill. That’s why it’s really funny that it’s called Northwest Motors because at the time, it was in the northwest part of Red Deer.”

(rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Spackman)

Moore says he wants to once again thank everybody that supported Northwest Motors along the way.

“History is being made today,” says Moore. “But it will be kind of neat to see the new thing go up!”

Co-op has not said when they anticipate the gas bar project to be complete.

RELATED: Co-op to open gas bar, car wash at 32nd and Gaetz