The Molson Brewery in Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

 was a commercial brewery

Brewery

A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....

 that served the province of Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, from 1913 until 2007 when it was closed.

It was financed in 1913 by hotelier, politician and businessman William Henry Sheppard, a former mayor of Strathcona

Strathcona, Alberta

Strathcona was a city in Alberta, Canada, located on the south of the North Saskatchewan River opposite of the City of Edmonton. It amalgamated with Edmonton on February 1, 1912....

. The architect was Bernard Barthel of Chicago. The buildings cost $250,000 to construct.

In 1927, the brewery was sold to Fritz Sick of Lethbridge, and acquired by Molson

Molson

Molson-Coors Canada Inc. is the Canadian division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Molson Coors Brewing Company. It is the second oldest company in Canada after the Hudson's Bay Company. Molson's first brewery was located on the St...

 in 1958.

As a result of the closure 136 people were laid off. Workers at the brewery went on strike

Strike action

Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...

 in May 2007 and the plant was closed in August.

In front of the brewery sits a decorative building meant to resemble a fur trade

Fur trade

The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...

 fort called Molson House. In April 2008, Molson-Coors, the owner of the site, offered to give the building away to any organization that would pay to move it off the property.

Currently, there are plans to redevelop the site that will integrate the former brewery with residential, retail and commercial space.