Treasure trove of Edmonton artifacts found during Pendennis Building restoration

An Edmonton architect is working to preserve hundreds of everyday artifacts unearthed from inside an iconic downtown building, with some of the treasure dating as far back as the 1890s.

The discoveries happened as the historic Pendennis Building on Jasper Avenue was being renovated over the past 17 years.

The items shed light on what life was like in Edmonton at the turn of the 20th century.

"This is dated 1903, so this is prior to Alberta becoming a province," said architect David Murray while holding up a booklet titled: Where How and All About It.

Murray is used to finding unique odds and ends in the historic buildings he helps refurbish, but what he found in the Pendennis Building, he believes, is truly remarkable.

Edmonton architect David Murray shows off an artifact found in the Pendennis Building. (Jeremy Thompson/CTV News Edmonton)

"More artifacts than I've ever found at any building that I've ever been working on," he said.

Part of the team that started renovating the old hotel in 2005, Murray left the project for a time. But when he rejoined in 2019, he started cataloguing what workers found during demolition.

"You learn so much about the role of the hotel, and the development of the city, and the people who came here," he said.

Built in the 1890s, the Pendennis Building housed the Lodge Hotel for decades. It expanded around 1911 to absorb a neighbouring drug store.

"They just simply put a brick facade in front of the old building," Murray explained.

The Pendennis Building in Edmonton. (Jeremy Thompson/CTV News Edmonton)

Now that the renovation into a modern office space is complete, Murray is digging into the stories behind the recovered objects.

One of the items is a contract for a turn of the century matchmaking service for settlers. There's also an ad for a hypnotist who claimed to have psychic powers.

"You can send it in to him with a lock of your hair, and they’ll do a psychic for you, it costs a dollar," Murray said.

There are also maps, a scary-looking cherry pitter, railway playing cards, and many objects from California.

Artifacts found in the Pendennis Building. (Jeremy Thompson/CTV News Edmonton)

We think there’s a good chance it had to do with the gold rush," Murray said.

Local museums are interested in parts of the collection.

But rather than split history up, the owners of Pendennis plan to publicly display the objects when the building opens later this year.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson