King George Building (Saskatoon)

 hotel, building, business centre/building, bowling (pin), condominium, heritage

Known locally as the KG, the King George Hotel was designed by architect Frederick L. O'Leary, built between 1910 and 1911 and was an elegant property in its early years. The original stone and terra cotta exterior was destroyed by a "modernization" in 1964, which saw the exterior covered in tile. Over the years it declined and became a rental property for the city's poorer residents. There was also a bowling alley located beneath the parkade for many years.

The KG was vacated and boarded up in 2003 after the fire department declared it a fire hazard. It was purchased by a Vancouver developer who intended to redevelop the property, but failed to pay its back-taxes and was again seized by the city. Olstar Developments, which remodeled the Fairbanks-Morse Warehouse, offered to buy the property in 2006 with the intention to renovate and restore the building, but eventually rescinded its offer.

Meridian Developments purchased the King George in 2007, and the building underwent extensive restoration and redevelopment work of the historic building. The award-winning redevelopment consisted of retail on the main floor, office tenants on the second, and luxury residential condominiums above. The commercial parts of the building were occupied by the summer of 2009. Tenants include the Taj Mahal restaurant, Swank Shoe Lounge and Cupcake Conspiracy.

www.meridiandevelopment.ca/KG/page_1863744.html
www.meridiandevelopment.ca/Util/GetDocument.ashx?docId=...
www.saskatoon-home.com/spring08/feature5.php
www.thestarphoenix.com/Life/Spicing+downtown/1459019/st...