Cecil Hotel stripped for collectibles ahead of demolition

A Calgary company is recovering fixtures and other reuseable elements of the former Cecil Hotel before it gets torn down.

The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) owns the circa-1911 hotel building at the western edge ofthe East Village.

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Earlier this year, theorganization removedthe iconic neon roof sign so that it can be restored.

However,it was decided the rest of the structure should be demolished after studies concluded it was beyond repair.

But before it comes down, Kelly Kask, who owns Reclaimed Trading Company, will go in and salvage things like pressed-tin ceilingtiles, claw-foot bathtubs, wooden beams and cast-ironradiators from the building.

He says all of those items can be reused.

"They can easily be refinished. The porcelain can be redone on them," he said.

Kask says bricks and woodwork from the Cecil will also be recovered soon, once asbestos abatement is completed and the demolition proceeds.

The salvaged items will be offered up at a special sale later this year, with a portion of the proceeds going to a local heritage group.

"Everyone isgoing to walk away with something cool. So maybe you don't want a 25-foot old-growth fir beam, but you can walk away with a room number, you can walk away with a sink, you can walk away with an old room key," he said.

"There's lots to be had there. There's going to be lots of neat pieces. So somebody will get a little piece of everything."