Although the years have worn away the pomp and importance from the Strathcona Hotel, local historians are still keen on decorating the bleak exterior of the local watering hole.

The Edmonton Historical Board has announced they will honour the humble hotel with an updated plaque, highlighting the hotel’s less-than-sordid days as a ladies’ college run by the Presbyterian Church from 1918 to 1924.

Indeed, the Strat has known better times. From 1891 to 1904, the hotel was the
largest in the area, and an important meeting place for politicians and other sundry important folk.

The Strat also served as a resting place for people coming off the train, many of them new immigrants to the
west.

Other historical sites receiving plaques this year include: The Connaught Armoury on 103 Street and 85 Avenue, the John Lang Apartments on 112 Street and 99 Avenue, and the William Blakey Residence 135 Street and 101 Avenue.

Meanwhile, the nearly century-old Arlington apartments on 106 Street and 100 Avenue, a municipal historical resource, is slated for demolition.