Ogden Hotel Calgary 100+ Years Apart

The building we’re documenting today is well over a hundred years old, and early on, but very briefly, functioned as the Ogden Hotel. They offered lodging and the Beer Parlour, thanks to its strategic location and circumstance, did well. More on this on a moment. During World War One the Red Cross converted the building into a military convalescence hospital and that’s the era of our Then photo.

Afterwards it found other uses and starting in the 1930s and for many, many decades after, it housed the unemployed or those of limited income. That’s after being empty for a time. Today it’s a church run housing facility and is also home to The Neighbourhood Victory Outreach.

The Ogden Hotel dates to 1912 and is in the neighbourhood of (you guessed it) Ogden, established that same year. That puts it in the southeast quadrant of the city. The building is right beside the entrance to the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Ogden Shops, built in the early 1910s. It’s a big industrial complex and many Ogden-ites found employment here. A streetcar brought in more from elsewhere in Calgary and stopped right out front of the hotel.

The shops were a busy place, with a steady stream of workers coming and going at all hours. This assured the Ogden Hotel a good business….mostly Beer Parlour business we suspect. It was the only drinking establishment in the area and railway workers being railway workers…well…the beer flowed. Maybe a little blood too, if the mood turned heated. No, railway guys back then didn’t like a good liquor-fueled brawl

The Calgary Brewing and Malting Company built the Ogden Hotel and saw it as a grand opportunity. Ogden, then a fast growing community, had no hotels or saloons, and with the completion of the railway shops (the second largest across the CPR system), this assured them a big customer base. They would have a virtual monopoly and the next nearest watering holes or lodging was kilometres away in downtown Calgary.

It was a gold mine waiting to be tapped…tapped…get it? Beer…tap? We’re here all night folks.

Of course, it was the sale of beer which motivated the breweries’ decision, but one could not (at the time) operate a Beer Parlour, without also offering accommodations. Jumping into the hotel business would give them a volume outlet, selling in-house products, plus a little side money renting rooms and operating the attached restaurant. Win/win!

However, not long after opening two things happened that changed the course. First, war broke out in 1914 and with men signing up to fight in Europe, the volume of customers dropped. Not the biggest problem. Alberta declared prohibition shortly afterwards and that would kill the business. That wonderful, beautiful, crisp golden liquid made the money.

Given that bleak outlook, the Calgary Brewing Company donated the building to the Red Cross, who used it as a convalescence centre for soldiers returning from World War One. It served that purpose from 1916 and until at least 1919.

Incidentally, it was common practice for breweries to be in the hotel business in the old days.

After its stint as a hospital, the building remained vacant for more a time. The province repealed prohibition in 1924, by the way, but by this point the brewery was out of the picture.

The city of Calgary purchased the building in the mid-1930s and used it to house the unemployed. Even after the Great Depression (ha – great), it continued to serve in that capacity into the late 1960s. In about 1970 the name changed to Alyth Lodge (was it still called the Ogden Hotel up until then?) and it became a low cost apartment complex. It would function as such for the next few decades.

We’re unsure if it remained a city property during these later times or became privately owned. Or privately owned and subsidized.

In 2007 Alyth Lodge became Victory Manor, run by the Victory Outreach Foundation, a church group, and it’s a home for folks in need. The old Ogden Hotel received renovations at this time. Interestingly, for the majority of its existence, it’s been a shelter for the broken or downtrodden.

The three story structure is the Classic Revival style. Typical elements include front columns, angled facades and verandas. The hotel is fairly simple in form, yet striking in its own right. The use of the brick gives it a wonderful deep red colouring.

The building does have a rather distorted appearance when viewed from certain positions. The front bends to correspond with a curve in Ogden Road, and meets the south facing wall at an odd-looking angle.

At one time the balconies in front had railings and were accessible from side doors. The doors remain, but presumably they don’t open anymore.

Chris here and in the 1990s I drove a delivery truck, with my daily route often taking me past the Ogden Hotel. It became a familiar sight and seen on an almost daily basis. A co-worker lived in the building and after a hard day’s work you might find a few of the drivers there (our HQ was not far away). Everyone would drop by for a bee…I mean…milk, cookies and bible readings. At that time, the place was the mother of all dives, but we understand it’s nicer now.

When built, there were over sixty rooms at the Ogden Hotel, a large bar (of course – it’s the profit centre ), a billiard hall, bowling alley and a big dining room. The latter was said to be one of the biggest in the city at the time. These all contributed to the bottom line, but make no bones about, it’s lagers and ales that make the money.

Ogden Hotel/Alyth Lodge/Victory Manor is one of only a handful of pre-World War One hotels remaining in Calgary. Its appearance changed little over time and the future looks decent.

Ogden, back in the old days, outside of the shops complex, was a sleepy backwater and well away from the city. The hotel was the centre of a small business area and social hub. Today there’s a liquor store, gas station and a couple eateries nearby, but otherwise it’s a pretty quiet area. Except for the trains and these come often.

The streetcar line closed in 1950 but buses still zip past. The Ogden Shops are no longer as important as they were in the past, with sections closed or downsized. The Canadian Pacific (sorry Canadian Pacific Kansas City) has an office complex here now, but overall, they’re a shadow of their former self. It’s still a huge complex, though

The Ogden Shops repaired and maintained company locomotives and railcars and during World War Two produced naval guns.

Depending on business levels, anywhere from several hundred to thousand people worked here. Most were men, and what man doesn’t like beer after a day’s labour? It was these hard working, hard drinking types that were hotel customers in the early years.

A hobby store occupies part of the main floor and has for some time. I recall seeing it in the 1990s. Also a lingerie store back then.

The Then photos dates to when the Ogden Hotel functioned as a recovery hospital for war veterans (as the Ogden Military Hospital or Ogden Convalescent Home). It shows a group of military personnel in uniform, along with what are presumably hospital staff (in white). So nurses, orderlies and housekeepers, presumably. One of the soldiers has an eye-patch, but no obvious injuries are noted on any others. The image is small, however, so they might not be clear.

There was no other accompanying info with the photo, so we’re not sure the occasion or circumstance for it. It’s from the University of Calgary and for allowing use, we send thanks.

Let’s pay homage to the former Ogden Hotel. To the railway workers of long ago, those broken by war and all the folks down on their luck that once called it home…let’s all raise a cheer in their honour. It was a hoot writing about this historic structure and we’ve got other Then & Nows in the works where it’s the backdrop (if they work out). It has quite a storied history and we’re surely not the only ones to find it fascinating.

We appreciate you stopping by and stay tuned for more.

Know more (new tab): Ogden Hotel – Alyth Lodge – Victory Manor Calgary.

They’re saying…

“Chris and Connie have a unique way of documenting the places they visit, not copying the style or technique of others, but making it their own.” Alex Craig, Filmmaker.

Nearby…
Ogden Block – Hong Lee Laundry Calgary.

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Union Bay (Vancouver Island) Coal Wharf.
Farmer Jones Carz – Closed 2012.
Pilot Bay Smelter Remains.
Lost Lemon Mine.

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Date of adventure: Cicra 1916 (original) and September 2024 (us).
Location: Ogden, Calgary Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Alberta Register of Historic Places, City of Calgary and Victory Foundation.

At the old Ogden Hotel, over 100 years apart.

During WW1 it functioned as the Ogden Military Hospital.

It later became Alyth Lodge (low cost housing).

It’s now Victory Manor (social housing).

The building has an interesting and very storied history.