King Eddy hotel reassembled as Studio Bell nears completion

The King Edward Hotel is back on its corner in the East Village in Calgary.

The century-old hotel, affectionately known as the King Eddy, was taken down brick-by-brick and put into storage while the new National Music Centre is being built around the hotel site.

• King Eddy hotel dismantled, pieces stored meticulously

The 22,000 square foot centre on Ninth Avenue southeast was renamed Studio Bell this spring, thanks to a 12-year,$10-million partnership with Bell Canada.

Project manager Gary Duke says the former blues bar has now been re-assembled and the interior is being restored.

"We've rebuilt it, we've spent a lot of money, a lot of time, trying to re-create the King Eddy in its original 1905 version," he said.

"And I think most Calgarians have never seen that. And so it's unfortunate we couldn't just unveil it all at once but as you drive by now you start to get a glimpse of the original brick."

The Eddy's iconic mid-century neon sign will also be reinstalled on the building's corner.

The old bar and hotel will be used as a performance venue and office space.

The Eddy and the rest of Studio Bell are scheduled to open next year.

The complex will be a creative hub for music innovation, with several recording studios, a 300-seat theatre, and a collection of more than 2,000 musical artifacts of Canadian and international music history.

Duke calls the former blues bar the biggest artifact in the Studio Bell collection.

"I think people are going to be, they're just going to be wowed when they actually walk in here," Duke said.