Ritchie Neighbourhood: An Edmonton Hidden Gem
While planning a trip to visit friends in Edmonton, I stumbled upon an Airbnb in a Lane Home (i.e. home above a garage) on the southside that looked interesting. A quick check on Google Maps indicated it was in the Ritchie neighbourhood and there were a couple of coffee shops, but no grocery store nearby (as we like living like locals when away, city we look for a grocery store nearby so we can eat in as much as eat out). But given we were only staying for a few days, I grabbed it – and I am glad I did.
This was our lane home for the weekend. The entrance was just behind the tree.
Boundaries of Ritchie: Whyte Avenue on the north, 72 Ave on the south, Mill Creek Raven on the east and railway yards on the west. It is named after Robert Ritchie, a mayor of the City of Strathcona in 1906, before it became part of Edmonton. He was the owner of the Ritchie Flour Mill, which has since been converted into office and retail spaces.
I had never heard of the Ritchie neighbourhood in all my urban development reading about Edmonton’s inner-city revitalization.
Turns out the neighbourhood was once “on the wrong side of the tracks” i.e. east side of Old Strathcona railway station and east of the trendy Whyte Avenue. But today, it is enjoying a resurgence with a funky Happy Beer Street, several cafes and its own Main Street.
Old industrial buildings make for great craft brewery sites. Having a funky patio scene is great for attracting young people to move to older inner-city communities like Ritchie.
Every community needs a Happy Beer Street.
Flaneuring Fun
On my first morning, I was up early and decided to head out to flaneur the area (i.e. wander aimlessly) and was rewarded with finding several cafes and brew pubs mixed in with the large metal industrial buildings that remain from the neighbourhood’s industrial past.
Some of the buildings still function as metal fabrication plants, but many are being converted to other uses like coffee roasteries and craft breweries. This mix of the old and new is the perfect recipe for urban renewal.
The residential streets were a nice mix of older homes and new infills, with lots of lane homes. I was surprised to not find any row housing or corner conversion infill projects (both popular in Calgary), just duplexes. The Trax, a six-storey, 100 home apartment block that looks out onto the rail yards was the only higher density project I found, but I expect there will be more soon.
Love the design of The Monolith building aka Blind Enthusiasm brewery.
There are still lots of references to the community’s industrial past.
Love the bold yellow facade of this lawyers’ office.
Murals are a must for any inner city community these days.
Yes, there are still some artifacts of the past.
Infill Developments
One thing that struck me as unique about the homes (both old and new) was the colour palette of the facades with many painted ladies (houses with at least 3 different colours). I was also impressed that many of the infills incorporated corrugated metal in their façade, paying homage to the steel fabrication buildings which are big part of the community’s heritage. Even the neighbourhood’s new Escuela Mill Creek School has an industrial-looking façade.
I was also impressed with the Ritchie Market development that includes a very popular restaurant, as well as café, with a butcher, bakery and even a small wine bar. This type of building would be a good addition to any inner-city community looking to create a walkable meeting/gathering place.
To top it off, a craft ice cream shop and independent bookstore are right across the street. Plus, just a block to the west is Blue Chair, another restaurant with the added bonus of live music. The combination has created a main street hub.
This old apartment complex has been refurbished with shops and restaurant (with live music) on the main floor.
Across the street are more new shops, that create a fun vibe.
The Ritchie Market, a new building is the hub of Ritchie’s Main Street. It encompasses a butcher, cafe, bakery, wine bar and restaurant. It is a very busy place.
Ritchie is also home to several cafes, including the mega ACE caffetech.
ACE is huge.
On the east side of 99th Avenue, I was impressed by the cluster of breweries on 78th Ave – Blind Enthusiasm, Bent Stick and Shiddy’s Distilling and Rumpus Room – each with a busy patio on the weekend and all within easy walking distance for residents. I was particularly impressed with Blind Enthusiasm’s brutalist new building, The Monolith, with large eyeballs sculpted into the façade. A purpose-built building it was designed to create the perfect condition for the fermentation of 400 puncheons (large barrels) of beer.
But perhaps the biggest surprise was the mini-main street along 80th Ave that includes a vintage shop, a lawyer’s office in a building with canary yellow façade, a dance company, Sugar Swing Ballroom and the huge Ace Coffee Roasters space – all in the middle of mid-century walk-up apartments. It is a hidden gem.
In addition, a major e-bike shop, guitar store and skateboard shop, along with more cafes, roasteries and brew pubs can be found in the east of 99th Street industrial district.
There are still some quaint painted ladies in town.
Most of the residential streets are a mix of old and new homes.
Sample infill…these would be right at home in Calgary.
We have something similar on our street in Calgary.
New apartment buildings are starting to appear as Strathcona expands. You can see one of its mid-rise buildings in the distance.
This was may favourite infill.
Last Word
I love how the Ritchie neighbourhood is evolving slowly into a funky 21st century community with of old and new homes and businesses. No cookie-cutter new condo/apartment complexes here! And the 99th Street divide serves as a natural separation of the partying to the west and living to the east.
An edited version of this blog was published in the Calgary Herald’s New Homes + Condos section August 23. 2025.