Cecil Hotel

[Ozy_Flame]

Now where are we going to direct new CP members asking where the hot nightlife is in town?

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by troutman

Demolition of notorious Cecil Hotel starts this week

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-...arts-this-week

Calgary's 'epicentre' of evil, death and darkness may soon become a frightening piece of the past

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/ca...h-and-darkness

In its final year of operation, police were called 1,700 times. Weeks after its bar licence was revoked, calls to the area dropped by 91%.

“When I bought the place, the women were worse than the men,” Leo Silberman told the Calgary Herald before he passed away in 2007. “They fight like heck every day. Very, very rough.”

Share your Cecil Hotel memories here. I may write a song about it - "Eulogy For The Cecil Hotel". Weakerthans style.

I will try and dig up old Cecil Hotel stories I told here before.

Reddit Memories:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/com...oryexperience/

"saw a guy with a knife stabbed into his ass cheek"

"guy singing a Motorhead song in exchange for a small glass of beer"

"seeing a guy stumbling to the Cecil...beer in hand in an undershirt. Rephrase that...wearing ONLY the undershirt"

"the first place I was mugged"

"bikers started giving his friend a hard time about being bald"

OK I'm sorry but this just makes zero sense. There's no way police were called to this place an average of 4.65 times a day. Every day? Makes no sense.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

OK I'm sorry but this just makes zero sense. There's no way police were called to this place an average of 4.65 times a day. Every day? Makes no sense.

You must not be familiar with this particular establishment

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

OK I'm sorry but this just makes zero sense. There's no way police were called to this place an average of 4.65 times a day. Every day? Makes no sense.

If you had ever been there, you would know it does.

[Party Elephant]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

OK I'm sorry but this just makes zero sense. There's no way police were called to this place an average of 4.65 times a day. Every day? Makes no sense.

Hahahahaha

[Ozy_Flame]

Didn't actually go in there, but a few years ago I worked down the street and would drive the company vehicle. One time as I drove by during the day some dude rolled out the front door with nothing but pants on and with a stack of pylons. He got up and proceeded to huck them at cars. I got spared, but the truck ahead of me got it on the windshield. He stopped and got out, big burly dude too. Don't know what happened as I drove past but I can only assumed pylon man got a massive beat down.

[Mr.Coffee]

are you people serious? why would the police even leave if they have to be there 5 times a day?

Still doesn't add up to me.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

are you people serious? why would the police even leave if they have to be there 5 times a day?

Still doesn't add up to me.

I can only put it this way: my friend lived in Inglewood when we were kids (~18), and we would walk there for beer. If the cops weren't already there, there was something going n that the cops were on their way to attend. No kidding. Every time.

Why would they leave? Because if they stayed, the next chapter wouldn't happen. And then what would the District 1 cops have to tell their buddies the next time they hung out?

[fredr123]

Last stop for my bachelor party, a bunch of friends from out of town thought it would be fun to stop at the Cecil. We were dropped off by the cabbies across the street from the bar. Didn't even make it across the street before some random tried to smash a 1L Seagrams cooler over my best man's head. The bottle didn't break but my buddy's skull sure did.

CPS helped arrange a bit of a bachelor party reunion a few months later when the guy who busted up my friend was set to go to trial.

[Swift]

Originally Posted by 4X4

One day we donated one to some hurtin' guy hanging around there. He was absolutely dumbstruck at our generosity. It was nice.

Wow, I haven't heard that phrase in over a decade.

[Locke]

I should clarify, he didnt get me and I dont have AIDS.

But it was the Cecil, if you couldnt handle 'pointy infected things' then it may not have been the place for you.

Its a shame that there is no such place of recognized ill-repute for people to go to these days. You can learn so much.

They close the King Eddy, then the Cecil, where do kids these days learn their lessons? Such a shame.

[Cliche]

Kids go do what they do in the parking lot of the mac's or 7-eleven. Or any open parking structure. Or even some of the secured ones that they can make holes in chain link fences or bend railings. Or the basements or garages of the latest place they can "party." Stairwells downtown in buildings are always fun, if you don't mind stepping in the bodily fluids.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Locke

I should clarify, he didnt get me and I dont have AIDS.

But it was the Cecil, if you couldnt handle 'pointy infected things' then it may not have been the place for you.

Its a shame that there is no such place of recognized ill-repute for people to go to these days. You can learn so much.

They close the King Eddy, then the Cecil, where do kids these days learn their lessons? Such a shame.

There were a number of old hotels of varying reputation that are now gone. To name a few there was the National just off 9th ave SE., the St. Louis, the Calgarian and ST. Regis on 7th Ave, the Imperial and another one on Macleod Tr. and 9th Ave. Another couple (The Alexander?) on 9th Ave SE. These were all rough places but in my day they had bands and a dance floor and if you minded your own business, you shouldn't have trouble. When these closed down the worst of the clientele went to the Cecil and it got worse when things like Crack became popular.

[Party Elephant]

Is the Shamrock still going strong?

[savemedrzaius]

Sounds like a lovely place.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

are you people serious? why would the police even leave if they have to be there 5 times a day?

Still doesn't add up to me.

Cause police are required to respond to every call. Silly or not.

Also,yeah, you have no idea what your talking about.

[T@T]

I was in the Cecil once in my life.

I could go into details but lets just say I was barred for life, I didn't care about being barred and don't care one bit it's being torn down.

The National, Shamrock, Forest Lawn Hotel(Hilton) and the T&C were churches compared to the Cecil in 1981. Trust me.... People today have no idea.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Party Elephant

Is the Shamrock still going strong?

The Shamrock is indeed still going. Great Chinese food, for some reason.

[DoubleF]

I'd love to contribute, but unfortunately, I don't have any cool stories about the Cecil.

[troutman]

Also looking for Shamrock and Live Wire stories.