CentreVenture has purchased the 101 year-old St. Regis Hotel on Smith Street. I do support the move of making it a dry hotel. It's clear that in recent years alcohol-related crime, including murder, has become a sad amenity of what was a pretty nice hotel.
Support aside, I do note the irony that all the talk about creating "vibrant and healthy neighbourhood" and "family-friendly place" by ridding Smith Street of the evils pf public drunkenness is all in aid of constructing an adult-aimed entertainment and bar district one block away, just for a different type of people.
Regina Morning Leader, April 7, 1916
This isn't the first time that the hotel's bar was shut down. Back in March 1916 prohibition came to Manitoba. Proprietor John Lee, ready to get out of the hotel business, decided to flaunt the law and continued to sell alcohol for a couple of weeks. After the fines piled up he finally gave in and on April 6th and closed it down in style that even made news in other cities.
I wonder if CentreVenture has similar plans ?!
For more on the history of the St. Regis, check out my Winnipeg Downtown Places post !
1 comment:
Great news! That St. Regis has been a blight on downtown for generations. Unfortunately, the problem is just going to relocate across the street. See you at The Marlborough Hotel!
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