Edmonton Real Estate Blog

Nestled beside Kingsway Mall, NAIT and the new Blatchford development sits the old Edmonton Oilers Office building. Built in 1974, it was the original home for the franchise until it moved when Rogers Place was completed in 2016 - the hallowed halls a treasure trove of history, memories and wins for the team and for our city.

It’s a property that holds a lot of historical significance to the hockey community but when it went on the market - it was unclear how much of a future it might have, until it was brought forward to a group of local doctors looking for a new home. “It is so historical because it comes right from the beginning of the franchise,” says Kerri-lyn. “That’s what got us excited when our clients came and were interested in renovating instead of doing a complete tear down.” 

A group of three doctors and their partners with The Alberta Associates of Obstetrics and Gynecology, looking to relocate out of the nearby Hys Centre, saw the property as an opportunity, “Right away we felt it was important to preserve the building instead of just demolishing and building new,” says Dr. Billy Wong. “We really wanted to help maintain some of that character from the surrounding community.” 

The well maintained, 24,000 square foot building is constructed of concrete and brick and a solid foundation crucial to the preservation “You’re always looking for a solid property and then the renovation ideas can come into play,” says Kerri-lyn. “I find Edmonton unfortunately is more of a tear down city. When you travel to other cities in Canada you see they protect their historical buildings - so it’s nice to see the passion this group has for maintaining the integrity of the building.”

Located directly to the north will be the 536 acre Blatchford redevelopment which will bring 30,000 new residents to the area. “It’s going to bring so many new residents to the core, and this building in particular is going to right in the hub of it,” says Kerri-lyn. “As soon as people are able to start moving in there will be a big boom.”

The overall vision for the building is to become a one-stop shop for all medical professions housing doctors and even dentists, physiotherapists and more. “We plan to do a complete retrofit of the building to bring it up to 2019 standards,” says Dr. Wong. “The property will be home to our medical office for the Alberta Associates of Obstetrics and Gynecology and we want to lease the rest of the building as primary medical space.”

A perfect home for a group of professionals looking to serve the growing community, “It’s not ultra urban but it’s still as close as you’d want to be to downtown, and once the airport lands are redeveloped you’ll really see the vibrancy of the community come to life,” says Kerri-lyn. 

And it’s exactly that revitalization and vibrancy the group is so excited to be a part of  “Overall the building is right near the hospital, with easy access to public transit and the and it’s at the heart of the upcoming redevelopment,” says Dr. Wong. “We’re really looking forward to being a part of the revitalization and can’t wait to see it all come together.”