Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

TELEPHONE BOOK COVER, “MARQUIS HOTEL”

Date Range From

1960

Date Range To

1985

Materials

CARDBOARD, LINEN, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

4

Length

29.75

Width

24.5

Description

BOOK COVER MADE OF RIGID CARDBOARD, BOUND IN WAXED RED LINEN. EMBOSSED GOLD LETTERING ON FRONT READS “THE MARQUIS HOTEL” AND “INNS CANADA – A DIVISION OF MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES LIMITED”. METAL POST FASTENING MECHANISM ATTACHED TO INNER SPINE WITH TWO METAL GROMMETS. LINEN IS WORN AWAY ALONG EDGES AND CORNERS OF COVER, SPINE IS SEPARATED FROM BOTTOM LEFT CORNER OF FRONT COVER, METAL FASTENING POST IS BENT, GRIME ON INSIDE PANEL OF BACK COVER. OVERALL FAIR CONDITION.

Subjects

TELECOMMUNICATION T&E

Historical Association

BUSINESS

FURNISHINGS

History

THIS TELEPHONE BOOK COVER WAS TAKEN BY THE DONOR, PHIL EDMUNDSON, OUT OF THE MARQUIS HOTEL UPON ITS CLOSURE IN NOVEMBER 1985. EDMUNDSON WAS THE OWNER/OPERATOR OF MARQUIS FLOWER SHOP, ONE OF THE RETAIL BUSINESSES HOUSED ON THE HOTEL’S MAIN FLOOR. THE HOTEL OPENED IN 1928 ON THE CORNER OF 4TH AVENUE AND 7TH STREET SOUTH, AND WAS DEMOLISHED IN 1988. ON NOVEMBER 18, 2014, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON INTERVIEWED THE DONOR ABOUT THE TELEPHONE BOOK COVER AND HIS FAMILY’S HISTORY IN RELATION TO THE MARQUIS HOTEL. PHIL EDMUNDSON SAID: “MY DAD [FRED EDMUNDSON] CAME TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1938 TO TAKE OVER THE MARQUIS FLOWER SHOP… HE PAID $50 FOR THE INVENTORY AND THE STORE FIXTURES, AND AGREED TO TAKE ON THE DEBT… THE FLOWER SHOP HAD [ALREADY] BEEN THERE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS… THE FLOWER SHOP HAD A MAIN FLOOR ENTRANCE AND DISPLAY AREA AND COOLER… DOWN IN THE BASEMENT IT HAD AN AREA FOR AN OFFICE AND A WORK ROOM.” EDMUNDSON CONTINUED: “ONE OF THESE [TELEPHONE BOOK COVERS] WOULD HAVE BEEN IN EVERY ONE OF THE GUEST ROOMS AND OTHER PLACES AS WELL. WE HAD THEM IN THE FLOWER SHOP AND IT’S REALLY GOOD BECAUSE IT DOES PROTECT THE REGULAR TELEPHONE BOOK FROM GETTING DESTROYED BECAUSE IT’S A REAL NICE HARD COVER… IT IS EMBOSSED WITH THE MARQUIS LOGO… NOT THE ORIGINAL LOGO… AT ONE POINT THE MARQUIS HOTEL WAS PART OF THE INNS OF CANADA HOTEL CONGLOMERATE… AND SO THEY ALSO HAVE THAT LOGO EMBOSSED ON THE COVER.” OF THE HOTEL IN GENERAL, EDMUNDSON SAID: “IT WAS A COMMUNITY CONGLOMERATE OF PEOPLE THAT HAD GOTTEN TOGETHER TO HAVE IT ESTABLISHED AND BUILT… THEY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO BRING CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS TO TOWN, SO IT WAS THE PREMIER HOTEL IN THE CITY… IT WAS QUITE A FANCY BUILDING… IT HAD A BANQUET ROOM THAT WOULD HOLD UP TO 250 PEOPLE… A MEZZANINE WHICH WAS UP BETWEEN THE FIRST FLOOR OF ROOMS ABOVE THE STREET LEVEL BUSINESSES… THEY WOULD SERVE TEA UP THERE IN THE AFTERNOON… SVEN ERICKSEN [RAN] THE MARQUIS COFFEE SHOP AND THE DINING ROOM AND BAKE SHOP… IT WAS THE PLACE TO GO FOR FINE DINING IN THE CITY… THE DRUG STORE WAS RIGHT ON THE CORNER OPPOSITE THE POST OFFICE… IT WAS A VERY BUSY LOCATION… THERE WERE A LOT OF DIGNITARIES [WHO STAYED] AT THE HOTEL, LIKE BING CROSBY WHEN HE CAME TO TOWN… AND JOHN DIEFENBAKER… THE MARQUIS WAS THE PLACE TO MEET.” OF THE HOTEL’S DEMISE, EDMUNDSON SAID: “THEY WERE IN RECEIVERSHIP FOR A WHILE IN 1985, AND ROYAL BANK WERE THE RECEIVERS AND THEY WERE RUNNING THE OPERATION. BUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BOILER, AND IN NOVEMBER IT GOT VERY COLD, VERY FAST. THE BOILER WAS UNABLE TO KEEP UP AND FINALLY GAVE IT UP. AND RATHER THAN TRY TO GET IT FIXED… THE ROYAL BANK SAID ‘THAT’S IT, WE’RE DONE, YOU’RE OUT OF HERE’… WE WERE QUITE SHOCKED… AND THE GUESTS OF THE HOTEL – THERE WERE LOTS OF FULL-TIME GUESTS STAYING IN THE ROOMS – THEY WERE GIVEN PRACTICALLY NO TIME TO VACATE. THEY WERE OUT IN THE COLD… [THE BANK] CONCEDED TO LET US STAY FOR AN EXTRA TWO WEEKS WHILE WE MOVED OVER TO A NEW LOCATION [AT 312 6TH STREET SOUTH]. IT WAS QUITE SOMETHING BECAUSE WE HAD ALL OUR CHRISTMAS MERCHANDISE [SO] RATHER THAN MOVE IT, WE DECIDED WE’D PUT IT ALL ON SALE. SO WE HAD A HUGE SALE [AND] WE SOLD PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING… WE TOOK [ALL THE FIXTURES] WITH US; THE PHONES, PHONE BOOKS, EQUIPMENT, DESKS… THE LIGHTS THAT WERE HANGING FROM THE CEILING, [THE] KINDS OF THINGS WE COULD USE IN THE NEW LOCATION… THEY WERE THINGS THAT WE HAD INSTALLED OVER THE YEARS… WE FELT THAT WE HAD TO PUT THEM IN, SO WE WERE GOING TO TAKE THEM OUT… IN THE MEANTIME WE HAD TO HOOK UP A TEMPORARY WATER SUPPLY BECAUSE THEY SHUT OFF ALL THE UTILITIES TO THE BUILDING EXCEPT THE ELECTRICITY. SO WE HAD NO HEAT DURING THAT EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER… IT WAS [THREE YEARS] LATER BEFORE [THE HOTEL] WAS KNOCKED DOWN. IT STOOD DERELICT FOR QUITE A WHILE… IT WAS KIND OF HARD TO SEE THAT… [PEOPLE] WERE REALLY UPSET THAT THIS BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE … WOULD BE DESTROYED AND BE GONE FROM THE LANDSCAPE AND CHANGING THE LOOK OF THE DOWNTOWN… IT WAS A GREAT LOCATION [AND] WE REALLY ENJOYED OUR TIME THERE. IT’S TOO BAD THINGS HAVE TO CHANGE.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND RECORD P20140046001 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

Catalogue Number

P20140046002

Acquisition Date

2014-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail