Prince of Wales Hotel
Vladarnir Matejka had long dreamed of building a grand hotel and, in 1903, his dream came true when he built the Prince of Wales Hotel. This hotel offered many modern conveniences including electricity, hot water, and flush toilets. A 1700 gallon cistern on the roof supplied the hotel with running water. Hot water baths were advertised for public use from eight in the morning until eleven-thirty at night for a cost of fifty cents. Mr. Matejka installed his own electrical plant so the hotel had electricity even before the municipality provided this service.
The hotel had a complete call-boy system, a dining room, a smoking room, a billiard room, and large verandahs. It even boasted a drawing room with a piano. The bar, where a glass of beer could be bought for a nickel, was very popular. Unfortunately, the washroom facilities were too small to accommodate all the patrons, so many men took a trip to the aptly named "Peeing Creek" that was conveniently situated behind the Hotel. It was the bar that made the hotel profitable, so when Albertans voted in favour of Prohibition in 1915, it signalled the demise of the hotel and it was forced to close its doors the following year.
Two years later, in 1918, the building was reopened as a hospital for wounded soldiers returning from World War I. In 1920, when the need for a military hospital had lessened, the City of Wetaskiwin took over its operation, because the city hospital had become overcrowded. The Prince of Wales Hotel was not a convenient hospital as there was a long stairway up to the first floor and another to the second. It was difficult for patients to climb these stairs themselves, and even more difficult to carry those who were very ill or disabled. Nevertheless, this building remained the city hospital until 1932 when it was condemned as a fire trap and closed.
Through the ensuing years, this building housed the city office and library as well as several businesses which were located in the basement, including the News Advertiser and Arthur Trca's Coin Laundry. It was not until 1934 that Lloyd Bannerman renovated it extensively and reopened it as a hotel.
From the plaque at the building