Sixteen new murals now line Edmonton’s Corona LRT Station’s concourse, telling the story of the downtown site long before trains began running beneath it. The displays combine archival photographs, newspaper clippings, and historical information to trace more than 100 years of change in one corner of Edmonton.

Long before the station opened in 1983, the property was home to the Corona Hotel, a downtown landmark with a history dating back to the early 1900s. Originally built as an apartment complex in 1908, the building became the Corona Hotel in 1912. A fire destroyed the hotel in 1932. Workers rebuilt it, and it remained in operation until developers demolished it in 1981 to make way for First Edmonton Place.

The murals follow that transformation, documenting the area’s shift from unpaved streets and horse-drawn carriages to the high-rise office towers and underground LRT system that define downtown today.

The installation also explores the social history of the former hotel. Historical records recognize the Corona Hotel as a gathering place for Edmonton’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community during a time when safe public spaces were limited.

The artwork draws on material from the City of Edmonton, the University of Calgary, the Provincial Archives of Alberta, and the Edmonton Journal, using historical images and newspaper coverage to connect commuters with the story behind the station’s name.

For thousands of riders passing through Corona Station each day, the daily commute now includes a window into a chapter of Edmonton’s past that once stood directly above the platform.