Concrete cladding falls off downtown Edmonton building, city enacts emergency closures

The City of Edmonton has implemented an emergency closure after a piece of concrete cladding fell from the former National Bank building at 9 Sir Winston Churchill Square on Tuesday morning.

The southside sidewalk and eastbound bike lane at 102 Avenue has been closed, along with the westside sidewalk and southbound curb lane on 100 Street between 102 Avenue and the alley south of it.

A piece of concrete fell off the former National Bank Building in Edmonton on Oct 10, 2023. (Brandon Lynch/CTV News Edmonton)

A pedestrian detour has been set up in a southbound traffic lane.

Southbound traffic on 100 Street has been reduced to one lane.

No injuries were reported, and a safety review of the building's exterior is now underway.

The city says the closures will remain in place until the review is finished and the area has been deemed safe to reopen.

According to the Alberta Registrar of Historic Places, the building, which was originally known as the Churchill Wire Centre, was built in 1947.

It was once home to Edmonton's municipal telephone company, Edmonton Telephones.

Due to a significant increase in the popularity of telephones in the 1940s, the company saw a significant increase in demand after it was built and an addition was put on the building in 1958.

The building was used by Edmonton Telephones until 1984.