The Club Cafe and Buffalo Hotel, downtown on Red Deer's Ross Street is to be demolished in 2023. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

City owned for redevelopment

Buffalo Hotel and Club Café to be demolished from Red Deer’s downtown

Dec 13, 2022 | 9:51 AM

The Buffalo Hotel and Club Café will soon be demolished from Red Deer’s downtown streetscape, according to City officials.

Announced at Monday’s council meeting, The City revealed they closed purchase of 5021 and 5023 Ross Street with the intent to redevelop the area.

Officials say the buildings will be demolished in the spring and neighbouring properties primed for redevelopment as part of plans to maximize their use, address derelict buildings and support revitalization in the downtown.

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“Unfortunately, these properties are in poor state of disrepair and evaluations found it would be cost-prohibitive to restore the buildings or repurpose the space,” said Wade Martens, City Land Coordinator. “We know we will be able to do more for our downtown, and our community, by repurposing this prime area of our downtown.”

City Manager Tara Lodewyk said while the hotel is on the City’s historical significance list, the two buildings contain asbestos and the landowner never applied for the official status. She also said The City has invested in historical properties in the past such as the Central Alberta Intermediate School (5121 48 Ave), purchased for one dollar at the time with $10 million of City funds for its renovations.

Instead, Lodewyk said they will be maintaining the buildings’ history by keeping the outside signage and other interior meaningful elements.

The connected buildings were built in 1903 as a one-storey with additional floors built above the west portion for the hotel in 1939. Over the years, the space has been used for transitional housing purposes supported by the Central Alberta Mental Health Association, rental of the commercial kitchen, a place of worship, and the Café even reopened for a short time.

Although reluctant to approve the demolishment, Councillor Michael Dawe said there was much vandalism caused inside due to break and enters while the property was unused, rendering the space “beyond salvage”.

Once the buildings have been demolished, The City says the site can be combined with existing adjacent City-owned land at 5022 49 St to offer a “prime downtown space for redevelopment”.

“Despite their current state, we know the Buffalo Hotel and Club Café both played a significant role in our community’s history, and we will ensure we preserve that history,” said Martens. “We will share more details soon about how residents will be able to participate as we say goodbye to these iconic spaces and how to preserve their memory.”

Recognizing the time it will take for the lands to be fully redeveloped, The City says they will seek input on how it can activate the space on a short term basis once demolition is complete. Councillor Kraymer Barnstable suggested a temporary ice rink while other councillors suggested residential development and connection to the new Capstone area.

Mayor Ken Johnston confirmed that the location will not be used for the permanent shelter. He was unable to provide an update, however, on its progress as the matter is still under provincial consideration but said government officials have endorsed their chosen location.

The cost of the land and demolition were not confirmed. A request for proposals is scheduled to be shared in early 2023 as The City seeks a contractor to complete demolition and site repairs in the spring. Interested parties can watch for the request at reddeer.bidsandtenders.ca.

For more information, visit the City’s Frequently Asked Questions.