End of an era as Cecil Hotel bulldozed, Shamrock Hotel closed

The Shamrock Hotel closed on Saturday December 12, 2015

Two of Calgary’s longstanding inner city hotels are no longer operating in order to make way for progress.

On Saturday, the owners of the Shamrock Hotel in Alyth/Bonnybrook closed the business’ doors permanently without notice or fanfare. The following message was posted on the hotel’s website:

For more than two decades, we have proudly served Calgary and the Ramsay Community, providing quality services & prodcuts (sp) at fair prices in our business. Now with heavy hearts, we announce the closure of Shamrock Hotel, effective immediately.

The Management wants to thank all our staff and customers and wish you all the best.

The building that housed the Shamrock Motor Inn was constructed in 1952. Plans for Calgary Transit’s Green Line, the southeast leg of the LRT, carve a route that includes the current location of the Shamrock Hotel at the intersection of 11 Street and 21 Avenue Southeast.

While the doors have been locked at the Shamrock, the abandoned Cecil Hotel on 4 Avenue Southeast has been reduced to rubble. On Sunday, demolition crews continued to tear down the derelict building and remove debris from the site.

The Cecil Hotel, which opened in 1912, has been empty since 2008 when the City of Calgary purchased the land.