Positioned next to the Brighton Block, The Pendennis Hotel was built in the early 1910’s. Since its construction it has been known for its high quality materials and superior design in the construction of its main façade.
The original building’s architecture is a prominent example of an Edwardian-era structure. Featuring a combination of ground floor commercial and upper level residential functions, or in the modern-day version, mixed-use space.
From its early beginnings as an unassuming boarding shack on the east end of Jasper Avenue, the Pendennis Building quickly rose to become a prominent fixture in the cultural, social and commercial development of downtown Edmonton. Within the sturdy brick walls of the remodeled century-old structure live stories of the city’s Wild West past; from the colourful people who owned and visited the building to the many barriers the property encountered and overcame throughout the years.
The old rooming house eventually became known as the Pendennis Hotel, which officially opened in August of 1904. Mr. Nathan Bell was the hotel manager, and in 1907 he bought the old building with a vision to expand and rebuild the forty-four room building into the most luxurious and desirable hotel in Alberta. It was near the centre of culture and activity and connected to downtown trade and business. It was the place to be, and where people liked to gather.
It is LEDR Development’s hope that the Pendennis Building will once again become the place where exciting events and business are happening in the City of Edmonton.
The door is open to exciting opportunities and the next great chapter in the Pendennis Building story is ready to be told.
The Pendennis Hotel is significant for its association with the early development of Edmonton’s civic core and the Boyle community, one of Edmonton’s older settled neighbourhoods. It is one of a collection of surviving, important Jasper Avenue buildings associated with Edmonton’s early social and commercial life. It was converted to apartments in the 1920s after prohibition laws came into effect.
