02/10/2025
The Ogden Block has been the home to many in its 110+ year history. For the first few years it existed as the Hong Lee Laundry, laundering clothes for rail workers, along with community residents as well as the boarding house tenants who lived upstairs. The laundry industry played an important role for Chinese immigrants around this time, allowing them to find work outside of the railway when other options were limited.
From around 1916-1918 the building was then used by the Ogden Military Convalescent Hospital, playing the important role of housing injured and disabled veterans.
Below is a link to a video showing all the work that has been completed in the building and how its units had been recently restored by its previous owner. This was prior to the city purchasing it in 2021 and leaving it to stand empty.
View the tour here: https://www.mrcapital.ca/ward-9-vision
Photos: University of Calgary, Calgary Lee Association
