Hotel Macdonald

Last updated
Fairmont Hotel Macdonald
Hotel-Macdonald-Edmonton-Alberta-1A.jpg
The Hotel Macdonald in downtown Edmonton
Hotel Macdonald
Former namesHotel Macdonald (1915–2001)
General information
Architectural style Châteauesque
Address10065 100 Street NW,
Edmonton, Alberta
CountryCanada
Coordinates 53°32′25″N113°29′21″W / 53.54028°N 113.48917°W / 53.54028; -113.48917
Opening5 July 1915;109 years ago (1915-07-05)
CostC$2.25 million
($57.9 million in 2023 dollars [1] )
OwnerInnVest Hotels
Management Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Height47.7 m (156 ft) [2]
Technical details
Floor count11 [2]
Design and construction
Architect(s) Ross and MacFarlene
Developer Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Other information
Number of rooms198
Number of restaurants1
Website
www.fairmont.com/macdonald-edmonton/ OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Official nameHotel Macdonald
Designated27 November 1984 (1984-11-27)

The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, formerly and commonly known as the Hotel Macdonald (colloquially known as The Mac), is a large historic luxury hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located along 100 Street NW, south of Jasper Avenue, the hotel is situated in the eastern end of downtown Edmonton, and overlooks the North Saskatchewan River. The 47.7-metre-high (156 ft) hotel building was designed by Ross and MacFarlene and contains eleven floors. The hotel is named for the first prime minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald.

Contents

The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company opened the hotel on 5 July 1915. Built as an early-20th century railway hotel, the Châteauesque-styled building is considered one of Canada's grand railway hotels. Following Grand Trunk's 1919 bankruptcy, Canadian National Hotels assumed management of the hotel. The building has undergone several renovations since its opening, and an expansion wing to the hotel building was added in 1953. In 1983, Canadian National Hotels ceased operations, and demolished the building's expansion wing in the same year. The hotel property was later sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988, and was restored and reopened to the public in May 1991. The hotel is currently managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

Location

Hotel Macdonald atop the escarpment of the North Saskatchewan River Hotel Macdonald.jpg
Hotel Macdonald atop the escarpment of the North Saskatchewan River

Hotel Macdonald is at 10065 100 Street NW at the eastern end of downtown Edmonton. The hotel property is bounded by 100 Street NW to the north and west, with ATB Place west of the hotel. Grierson Hill NW bounds the hotel property to the east and south, with the roadway sitting adjacent to the North Saskatchewan River valley park system. The building overlooks the escarpment of the North Saskatchewan River.

Located at the eastern end of downtown Edmonton, south of Jasper Avenue, the hotel is situated near Edmonton's central business district, and several other neighbourhoods; including Riverdale to the east, and Rossdale to the south.

Design

Architecture

After acquiring the property, the hotelier division of Grand Trunk Pacific Railway announced its plans to develop a hotel on the property. The building was designed by a Canadian architectural firm, Ross and MacFarlane, the same architectural firm that designed many of Canada's landmark hotels. Construction of the building took place from 1911 to 1915. [3] [4]

The design of the building was inspired by designs found on French Renaissance architectural-era chateaus. The pitched sloped dormered roofs includes chimneys, finials, and turrets. The building's entryways are placed diagonally on the building, flanked by perpendicular wings and turret towers. The form and massing of the hotel is defined by an L-shape. Copper was the primary metal material used to build the hotel's roof. [3]

The façade of the building is clad with Indiana limestone, and is detailed with balustrades, balconettes, brackets, cornice, hood moulding, and overhangs. The building main portico features five arches and four pillars, and two pilasters that are detailed with gargoyles, and the provincial shields of the four provinces of Western Canada. [3]

The building's limestone facade, copper roofing, and the interiors of five rooms, including Confederation Lounge, the Empire Ballroom, and the Wedgwood room, were recognized as a municipal historic resource on 27 November 1984, under the provincial Historic Resources Act. [3] [5] [6] [7] The resulting designation protects these features from demolition or major alterations. [5] [6]

Facilities

Hotel Macdonald includes 198 guest rooms and suites spread throughout the building. [4] The hotel's suites are situated on its third, and the eighth floor, with several suites named after former guests of the hotel, including the King George VI suite, the Queen Elizabeth suite, and the Winston Churchill suite. [6] [8] The 220-square-metre (2,400 sq ft) third-floor Queen Elizabeth suite was built during the hotels late-1980s renovation, [7] and was later renovated for Queen Elizabeth II's tour of Alberta in 2005. [6] [8] The Queen Elizabeth suite includes a full dining room, two sitting areas, and two adjoining guest rooms connected to a private lobby for service and security personnel. [6] Access to the Queen Elizabeth suite, in addition to seven other suites on the third floor is accessible only by private elevator. [8]

The Empire Ballroom is an event space at the hotel that features 6.4-metre (21 ft) ceilings Brunch at Hotel MacDonald (3673718657).jpg
The Empire Ballroom is an event space at the hotel that features 6.4-metre (21 ft) ceilings

The hotel building also features several event spaces, including the Wedgwood room, named after the Wedgwood detailing on its ceiling; and the Empire Ballroom, an event space with 6.4-metre (21 ft) ceiling adorned with bas relief carvings. [6] The carvings were covered under a false ceiling and were uncovered during the hotels' renovations in the late-1980s. [9] Confederation Lounge serves as the hotel's lounge, and is named after a replica painting of Conference at Québec in 1864, to settle the basics of a union of the British North American Provinces by Robert Harris, that hangs above the lounge's fireplace. [6]

Other facilities on the hotel property include squash courts, aerobic facilities, minibars, and an electronic security system. [9] The hotel also operates one restaurant, known as The Harvest Room. [10]

History

Prior to the establishment of the hotel on the property, the area housed a squatters camp, colloquially known as "Galician Hotel," after a number of Ukrainian-speaking migrants from the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia settled there. [6]

Grand Trunk Pacific Railway hotels in The Official Hotel Red Book and Directory for 1917. Hotel Macdonald is depicted in the centre. The Official hotel red book and directory (1903) (14759405135).jpg
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway hotels in The Official Hotel Red Book and Directory for 1917. Hotel Macdonald is depicted in the centre.
Exterior view of the MacDonald Hotel, Edmonton, Alberta in 1948. MacDonald Hotel, Edmonton, Alberta.jpg
Exterior view of the MacDonald Hotel, Edmonton, Alberta in 1948.

Grand Trunk Pacific Railway purchased the property and began construction for a hotel building in 1911, with designs from Ross and Macdonald. The building was completed at a cost of CA$2.25 million, [6] and was opened to the public on 5 July 1915. The hotel was named after John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada. [7] The building was operated by Grand Trunk Pacific until the company declared bankruptcy in 1919, after which the hotel was operated as a part of Canadian National Hotels, a division of Canadian National Railway. [4]

The hotel was one of the first two establishments to be reissued a liquor license by the Alberta Liquor Control Board, after the province repealed prohibition laws against alcohol in 1924. [7] King George VI and Queen Elizabeth used the hotel during their 1939 royal tour of Canada. [9]

In an effort to meet post-war population boom of the city, Canadian National proposed an expansion in 1949 with an estimated construction cost of $4,000,000. [11] The 16-storey wing which added 292-rooms was colloquially referred to as The Box because of its modern design and occupied the space just north of the original building. [4] [12] Critics labeled the design of the structure as startling when it was unveiled, but railway officials stood by their choice stating that the new facility would become the hotel and the old structure would become the annex. [13]

In 1983, Canadian National Railway closed the hotel and announced major renovations to the property which included the demolition of The Box and restoration of the 1915 building. Plans were in place to build a complementary addition to the hotel, as well as two office towers, although these expansion plans never came to fruition. [4] In an effort to prevent the building from potential demolition, the City of Edmonton designated the hotel a "municipal heritage resource" in 1984. [7] The 1953 annex was finally demolished in 1986. [14]

The hotel, along with eight other properties of Canadian National Hotels were sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988, [9] with the company undertaking a three-year, CA$28 million renovation of the property, which included upgrading systems and restoring the original facade. [4] [7] Canadian Pacific Hotels reopened the property on 15 May 1991. [9]

In 2001, Canadian Pacific Hotels reorganized into Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, adopting the Fairmont name from an American company it had purchased in 1999. As a result of the rebranding, Hotel Macdonald was renamed Fairmont Hotel Macdonald. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Vancouver</span> Hotel located in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, formerly and still informally called the Hotel Vancouver, is a historic hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia. Located along West Georgia Street the hotel is situated within the city's Financial District, in Downtown Vancouver. The hotel was designed by two architects, John Smith Archibald, and John Schofield. The hotel is currently managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Château Frontenac</span> Hotel in Quebec City, Canada

The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, commonly referred to as the Château Frontenac, is a historic hotel in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The hotel is situated in Old Quebec, within the historic district's Upper Town, on the southern side of Place d'Armes. The Château Frontenac was designed by Bruce Price, and was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company. The hotel is managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific Hotels</span> Canadian hotel subsidiary (1963–1998)

Canadian Pacific Hotels (CPH) was a division of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) that primarily operated hotels across Canada, since passenger revenue made a significant contribution to early railway profitability. CPR restructured the division as a subsidiary in 1963. In 1988, CPR purchased the Canadian National Hotels chain, making Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts the nation's largest hotel owner. In 1998, all CPH properties were branded as either Fairmont or Delta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Château Laurier</span> Hotel in Ottawa, Canada

The Fairmont Château Laurier is a 660,000-square-foot (61,000 m2) hotel with 429 guest rooms in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located near the intersection of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive and designed in a French Gothic Revival Châteauesque style to complement the adjacent Parliament buildings. The hotel is above the Colonel By Valley, home of the Ottawa Locks of the Rideau Canal, and overlooks the Ottawa River. The main dining room overlooks Major's Hill Park. The reception rooms consist of the Wedgewood-blue Adam Room, the Laurier Room defined with Roman columns, the Empire-style ballroom, and the Drawing Room decorated with cream and gold plaster ornament. The hotel was designated a national historic site in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Trunk Pacific Railway</span> Transport company

The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National Transcontinental Railway (NTR), running across northern Ontario and Quebec, crossing the St. Lawrence River at Quebec City and ending at Moncton, New Brunswick. The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) managed and operated the entire line.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a global chain of luxury hotel that operates more than 70 properties worldwide, with a strong presence in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairmont Royal York</span> Historic hotel in Toronto, Canada

The Fairmont Royal York, formerly and still commonly known as the Royal York, is a large historic luxury hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located along Front Street West, the hotel is situated at the southern end of the Financial District, in Downtown Toronto. The Royal York was designed by Ross and Macdonald, in association with Sproatt and Rolph, and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company. The hotel is currently managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banff Springs Hotel</span> Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada

The Fairmont Banff Springs, formerly and commonly known as the Banff Springs Hotel, is a historic hotel in western Canada, located in Banff, Alberta. The entire town, including the hotel, is situated in Banff National Park, a national park managed by Parks Canada. At an elevation of 1,414 metres (4,640 ft) above sea level, the hotel overlooks a valley towards Mount Rundle, both of which are situated within the Rocky Mountain mountain range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairmont Palliser Hotel</span>

The Fairmont Palliser, formerly known as the Palliser Hotel, is a hotel of the Canada-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain. The historic hotel (1914) is located in downtown Calgary, Alberta, at 133 9 Avenue SW adjacent to the Calgary Tower and Palliser Square. The Palliser is one of Calgary's oldest and most luxurious hotels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Empress (hotel)</span> Historic hotel in Victoria, British Columbia

The Fairmont Empress, formerly and commonly referred to as The Empress, is one of the oldest hotels in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Located on 721 Government Street, it is situated in Downtown Victoria, facing the city's Inner Harbour. The hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury, and was built by Canadian Pacific Hotels, a division of the Canadian Pacific Railway company. The hotel is presently managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, part of AccorHotels since 2016. It is owned by Nat and Flora Bosa of Vancouver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Westin Nova Scotian</span> Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Westin Nova Scotian is a Canadian hotel located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, owned and operated by New Castle Hotels and Resorts. It was built in 1928 by the Canadian National Railway as the Nova Scotian Hotel and after several changes of owners and names in the late 20th century became the Westin Nova Scotian in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper Park Lodge</span> Hotel in Alberta, Canada

The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, formerly and commonly known as Jasper Park Lodge, is a 442-room hotel on a 2.8 km2 (700-acre) site along Lac Beauvert in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The hotel was established in 1921 by Canadian National Railway and is one of Canada's grand railway hotels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Château Montebello</span> Historic hotel in Montebello, Quebec, Canada

The Fairmont Le Château Montebello, formerly and commonly known as the Château Montebello, is a historic hotel and resort complex in Montebello, Quebec, Canada. The resort complex includes a large game reserve and a large wooden structure. The wooden hotel structure was developed by Victor Nymark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand railway hotels of Canada</span> Railway hotels built across Canada

Canada's grand railway hotels are a series of railway hotels across the country, each a local and national landmark, and most of which are icons of Canadian history and architecture; some are considered to be the grand hotels of the British Empire. Each hotel was originally built by the Canadian railway companies, or the railways acted as a catalyst for the hotel's construction. The hotels were designed to serve the passengers of the country's then expanding rail network, and they celebrated rail travel in style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windsor Hotel (Montreal)</span> Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Windsor Hotel was a hotel located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is often considered to be the first grand hotel in Canada, and for decades billed itself as "the best in all the Dominion".

Canadian National Hotels was a hotel chain under control by Canadian National Railways. In addition to their own hotels, it acquired some from predecessor railway companies like the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, Grand Trunk Railway and Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway. Some of their assets were later acquired by rival Canadian Pacific Hotels after 1988.

The Alberta Association of Architects published their Chronicle of Significant Alberta Architecture in February 2003 and August 2005. The project's main goal was to ensure that the public, as well as those with a professional interest in the subject, could easily identify architecturally significant structures developed and still standing in Alberta. The project was undertaken in association with the Government of Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Elizabeth II Building</span> Provincially-owned government building

The Queen Elizabeth II Building, previously known as the Federal Public Building, is an eleven-storey Art Deco building in downtown Edmonton, Alberta. Built with granite and Tyndall stone, the building is located in the northeast corner of the Alberta Legislature grounds, overlooking the Capital Plaza. It hosts provincial government employees and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), and is considered one of Edmonton's most significant modern buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fairmont Washington, D.C.</span> Luxury hotel in Washington, D.C., United States

The Fairmont Washington, D.C. Georgetown is a luxury Postmodernist-style hotel located at 2401 M Street NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The structure, in the West End neighborhood of the city, opened in December 1985 as The Westin Hotel. In December 1989, Westin sold the hotel to All Nippon Airways, which operated it as the ANA Hotel. Lowe Enterprises purchased the hotel in October 1998, and renamed it the Washington Monarch Hotel. A $12 million renovation followed in 1999. Lowe Enterprises sold the hotel to Legacy Hotels Real Estate Investment Trust in October 2002, and Legacy contracted with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts to manage the hotel. The hotel was renamed The Fairmont Washington, D.C. Legacy was itself purchased by Cadbridge Investors in July 2007 and the hotel sold to MetLife in 2014, although the property remained branded a Fairmont. A $27 million renovation was completed in January 2017.

References

  1. ↑ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  2. 1 2 "The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald". Emporis . 2020. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Macdonald Hotel". Canadian Register of Historic Places . 13 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hicks, Graham (10 July 2015). "The Macdonald Hotel mirrors Edmonton's economic history". Edmonton Sun .
  5. 1 2 Cook, Dustin (14 March 2019). "Proposed redesign of Confederation Lounge in Hotel Macdonald sparks public uproar online". Edmonton Journal . Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Theobald, Claire (3 July 2015). "100 years of Hotel Macdonald: High tea, please". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brownoff, Leanne (15 February 2019). "Fairmont Hotel Macdonald welcomes guests with historic grandeur". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 Theobold, Claire (3 July 2015). "100 years of Edmonton's Hotel Macdonald: Where the superstars sleep". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Hamilton, Ian (13 February 2019). "Edmonton's landmark Hotel Macdonald enters a new era". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  10. ↑ Kindleman, Tricia (15 August 2019). "Planned lounge renovations at Hotel Macdonald on hold until March 2020". CBC News . Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  11. ↑ Jackson, Dick (9 March 1949). "'Mac' Hotel Extension Gets Okay". Edmonton Bulletin . p. 1. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  12. ↑ Pelett, Alex J. "The MacDonald Hotel, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Postcard)". Reddit. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  13. ↑ "New Macdonald Hotel". Edmonton Journal. 4 May 1949. p. 4. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  14. ↑ "Welcome Back to the Hotel Macdonald". Edmonton Journal. 15 May 1991. p. B15. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  15. ↑ Jang, Brent (22 August 2001). "CP spinoff destined to put Fairmont on the map". The Globe and Mail . Toronto . Retrieved 20 September 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.