Page 21 - 05_June-2025

The Pendennis Building is four stories of old-school class
how they preserved the old building,’”
Hawreluk says. “But, everything is going
to be brand new.”
The downside is most people won’t
be able to just waltz into Union Financial
headquarters to enjoy the aesthetics,
and it’s hard not to feel a sense of loss
given the shrinking stock of boutique
hotels. But there’s still some public
spaces planned for the Union, thanks
to a partnership with Sabor Restaurant
Group. The company will add Roca, a
high-end take on Iberian seafood, on
the main floor, while also managing
private dining in the basement and
catering for an event venue on the
second floor. It’s all on track for an
April 2026 grand opening.
QUITE THE FLEX
Unlike the Union, the Pendennis Building
was already in a state of limbo before the
pandemic.
The building was to be developed into
the Ukrainian Canadian Archives
Museum, but these plans fell through.
In 2017, one of the museum’s board
members, Lorraine Bodnarek, president
of LEDR Developments, bought the
building from the museum with her
husband Ed Cyrankiewicz, founder of
Delnor Construction. The power couple
hoped to revive the idea of the Ukrainian
archives but ran into “differences of
opinion” within the board. Bodnarek
and her husband then planned to house
a California tech company’s expansion
into the city. Then came the pandemic
and, well… not exactly the best time
to take occupancy. The owners pivoted
again.
This time they collaborated with the
Downtown Business Association and
Edmonton Chamber of Commerce to
create a new events space. According
to Bodnarek, Pendennis Weddings and
Events, which occupies the top half
of the four-storey building, hosted about
200 events last year, ranging from corpo-
rate gatherings to theatre productions.
Any similarities to the Union Bank end
there. While the hotel was acquired in
great shape, the Pendennis had aged out
of charm and into concern. Six years of
languishing will do that to an old build-
ing. The LEDR–Delnor workers had to
delicately manage the presence of people
and animals sheltering inside. Then it was
modernized with a larger elevator and a
custom lighting system that highlights the
original brickwork. On the plus side, there
was still much historic charm for the ren-
ovation team to preserve. And that they
did, restoring the brick facade and recon-
structing irreparable features.
“All the building’s operational elements
are brand new,” says Bodenarek, “but the
building still looks like it’s from 1911, so
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