Local historians say Lethbridge Hotel demolition is huge loss to community

The historic Lethbridge Hotel is in the process of being demolished. This follows a fire that burned most of the building last Friday morning. Officials determined that due to the weak structural integrity of the building now it had to come down. They also say the property was vacant at the time and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Belinda Crowson, the president of the Lethbridge Historical Society says this is a huge loss for our community.

“Both as an incredible historic building that stood over 120 years, but then also to the community itself, who had memories of it. The buildings are the most tangible part of our history. When we see those buildings stand, we make the connections to it. So it’s a loss to the heritage community, the loss of a historic building, but it’s also a loss to the owners and to everyone else. We’re very happy to hear so far that no one was hurt in the incident, but we’re devastated that we lost another historic building.”

Andrew Chernevych, the archivist for the Galt Museum and Archives shared a little more of the history behind the iconic Lethbridge Hotel.

“Various times it was the city government, and I think Methodist Church also did the first services from there. So, yeah, it was like a swiss knife for the various community events.”

Lethbridge Police are asking anyone who may have been driving in the area between 1:45 a.m. and 2:15 a.m. on Friday morning to check their dash cameras for activity in the vicinity of the hotel. They are asking anyone who can help with their investigation to call them as soon as possible at 403-328-4444.