(rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

sun setting on historic buildings

Buffalo Hotel and Club Café to be demolished in coming weeks

May 9, 2023 | 7:43 PM

Demolition work of the old Buffalo Hotel and Club Café, which are adjacent to each other in downtown Red Deer, is set to begin later this month.

The City announced it had purchased the properties at 5021 and 5023 Ross Street last December, with the intent to redevelop the area.

The City says tender for demolition has been awarded to Bettenson’s Sand & Gravel.

The process will start with internal abatement work, with very little impact to roads, sidewalks and neighbouring buildings, and will be followed by more intensive demolition, requiring sidewalk closures, and for a short period, road closures on Ross Street and Gaetz Avenue, The City notes. Final timelines for demolition will be determined by the abatement work happening first on the site.

“Knowing that redevelopment takes time, we are looking at how we can make use of this great space in the downtown until it is redeveloped,” says Wade Martens, City Land Coordinator. “We will be reaching out to local stakeholders to identify what would be most beneficial in the downtown once demolition is complete.”

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Buying up the properties is connected to The City’s larger goal of addressing derelict properties and supporting downtown revitalization.

It says residents will be kept up to date on how the work is going, and will strive to share photos and key moments that may be of interest.

“Despite their current state, we know the Buffalo Hotel and Club Café both played a significant role in our community’s history, and we want to ensure we preserve that history,” adds Martens. “We have had great success in collecting stories, memories and artifacts from residents over the last month and we hope that continues once the demolition process starts.”

The Buffalo was most recently owned by Potter’s Hands Ministries, and used as low income housing, before being bought by The City. But it was also subject to several safety violations.

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The buffalo head from the establishment inside the Buffalo Hotel is now at the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery.

(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)