April 23 1978- Edmonton's Historic King Edward Hotel Destroyed by Fire.

Depending on which archive, library, city, provincial, or other,  resource you refer to; the site was razed in 1980, 1982, or, possibly, sometime; before, or  later; to make way for Manulife Place.

Public Domain Photo.

Looking south west

While it does remain in the University of Alberta Libraries (Peel library Collection); because it was first published after 1910 but before 1923 (see below), this postcard (image 6544) is Public Domain.

Public Domain Photo.

King Edward Hotel?

The above REWORKED-note: the colourisation  differences in background (the south west sunset? is a nice touch) buildings, the moved power post and pedestrian silhouette.The car has been removed; as has the flapping curtain, while there is an addition of a tree and fence- POSTCARD IMAGE; ( at the Edmonton Public Library-see link below) which was also first published before 1923, (post mark Edmonton 1913-10-01) is Public Domain. As you can see, it is from a postcard;(which was printed in Germany) and as such cannot be considered  architecturally descriptively, nor historically accurate 

Photo is Public Domain.

The photo (looking south), shown directly above, would have to of been taken after 1911; and before 1926, (construction has not started on a Woodward's Dept Store), from almost the exact same location as the one directly above it-west side of 101 street facing south-where Eaton's was later built. Might we have some  more composite postcard photos? The photo below, taken at a much later date, shows the King Eddie as it would appear if you were facing  in a north west direction.The photo also shows Woodard's and Zeller's, stores, north of the Tegler Building, and, Eaton's on the west (left in photo) side north of the King Eddie. Notice all the finance and loan companies, on, at the time, Edmonton's main street.This should tell you something? If it does not, this was a during the years when; thanks to government and city council neglegence, Edmonton was, busily, tearing down, rather than building up-- being allowed to slide backwards, losing it--while Calgary was rapidly moving-- forward.

An Interesting Note:

The Lincoln hotel was originally the Castle hotel, but, over the years, there were two Castle hotels and they were in rather close proximity; the second Castle hotel was located  directly East of the Leland hotel.

The above photos continue to generate a great deal of interest. Anyone interested in Edmonton's early history should note some very important facts:

1. Many of the reviews of historic Edmonton photos and sites in the City 'archive and Public Library collections are recent rewordings of the original (public domain) documents and are decidedly inaccurate (probably at least 75%).
2. Any historic photos, or collections there of, that were taken and published; ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD; before 1923, are PUBLIC DOMAIN in the U.S. A.( in other words, any where in the world), there are no LEGAL restrictions on usage. Any such material may be  LEGALLY: manipulated, downloaded, distributed, copied, cropped, altered  AND USED in anyway-excepting for profit- in which case you are automatically claiming fraudulent, illegal ownership-you think fitting.
3.  While entire collections of such photos-in which the collection shows creative effort- not just added explanation-or words-may be copyrighted; the individual photos are not and can never be made so again.
4. Being public domain means that any of these photos may be: copied, altered, displayed, and used; in any way, by any one, at any time-again-excepting where profit is to be made.
5. No archive, collector, library, or museum; may restrict access to, or usage of, (including the charging of fees (profit, illegal  or the issuing permissions (they have no authority over public domain) to use documentation; or any of these photos; any attempt to do so is in breach of Canadian and International copyright  law.
6. No archive, collector, library, or museum may charge for reproductions of such photos--because the archives, collectors libraries, or museums do NOT own them-- they ARE-- AND SO WILL REMAIN--PUBLIC DOMAIN. 
7. Refer back to item 6. Many of our  government (by far the most likely organisation's and persons to be in criminal violation of Canadian laws) institutions,  archives, libraries and museums are consistently, and continually; breaking; long established, Copy Right, and most importantly; Canadian, government established and, presumably, enforced, law. 

Construction of what was to become The King Edward Hotel started in 1904, with a major renovation in 1911 the same year construction was started on the Tegler building. As you can see in my photo, at the time of the fire, the hotel faced East onto 101 street (there could have been very little, if any of the original building left). Quite possibly, because there was nothing at all remarkable, or worth remembering, about the exterior; this photo, and one posted by the Edmonton Public Library(top), are the only two images I have ever seen of the hotels exterior.http://www.epl.ca/photo-collections-detail?id=255
As you can plainly see, both the Edmonton Public Library Achieve and University of Alberta photos would appear to be nothing more than an artists recreation, possibly based on a photo of the Alberta Hotel --the artist's conception of how the King Edward Hotel would eventually look. At the time the photo was supposedly taken, the area simply could not  have looked anything like what is shown in either picture.