The Albert is back

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/05/2019 (1798 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been a long time since the lounge at the Royal Albert Arms Hotel has been bustling with music fans, but on Friday night, the venue was alive again, quietly opening its doors for the first time in more than four years.

The event was a kind of soft opening; a very early soundcheck before the public is officially welcomed back into the historic Exchange District venue in mid-June.

The space is run by the owners of Alycia’s, the Ukrainian restaurant that moved into the main floor of the building last spring. They aren’t quite ready to confirm a specific opening date, but plans for a show are in the works.

On Friday, though, the bands on the bill were in line with the gritty musical history of the space; ’90s indie-rockers the Bonaduces kicked off the night, before metaphorically and literally passing the stage off to up-and-coming local post-punk quartet Silence Kit, with DJ Bucky spinning tunes to fill the time between.

“There’s no music venue like this; this size, this feeling, the history of the room… It’s not just important for the Exchange District, it’s important for the whole city,” said David Pensato, executive director of the Exchange District BIZ, who was at the event.

The iconic hotel and music venue at 48 Albert St. has been opened and closed so many times (and has had so many owners) in its 106-year history, it’s tough to keep track. Most recently, the building — which has heritage status — was purchased in a mortgage auction in 2017 by Neil Soorsma for $1.35 million. Soorsma has a history in the real estate business, and was open about his plans for refurbishment and the potential for the venue to be active once again.

The one-time amateur musician — who played in the Albert back in its glory days — took over the hotel that had been mired in controversy. Former owner Daren Jorgensen, who had brought onboard businessman Ray Rybachuk, left the hotel with a string of debts and liens that complicated any deal to sell the building.

Today, a revitalized Royal Albert is seen as the key to rejuvenating the rest of Albert Street, which was in a holding pattern as neighbouring property owners waited to see what would happen to the old hotel, said Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, in a January 2018 Free Press story about the sale of the hotel.

In its heyday, the Albert hosted acts such as Sum 41 and Green Day, bands that went on to international stardom, and was a launching pad for countless local bands.

In terms of the status of the 53-room hotel, a Kijiji ad posted earlier this week states both short- and long-term low-income rentals are available in the building. Soorsma confirmed the advertisement is accurate.

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel