Hotel Macdonald

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 metres (156 ft) hotel building was designed by Ross and MacFarlene and contains eleven floors. The hotel is presently managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.

Fairmont Hotel Macdonald
The Hotel Macdonald in downtown Edmonton
Former names	Hotel Macdonald (1915–2001)
General information
Architectural style	Châteauesque
Address	10065 100 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta
Country	Canada
Coordinates	53°32′25″N 113°29′21″W
Opening	5 July 1915 (1915-07-05)
Owner	InnVest Hotels
Management	Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Height	47.7 metres (156 ft)[1]
Technical details
Floor count	11[1]
Design and construction
Architect	Ross and MacFarlene
Developer	Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Other information
Number of rooms	198
Number of restaurants	1
Website
www.fairmont.com/macdonald
Alberta Historic Resources Act
Official name	Hotel Macdonald
Designated	27 November 1984 (1984-11-27)

The hotel was opened by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway company 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 bankruptcy, management of the hotel was taken over by Canadian National Hotels. 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.

Location

Hotel Macdonald situated atop the escarpment of the North Saskatchewan River

Hotel Macdonald is situated 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 situated 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 serves as the southern terminating vista for 100 Street NW, and 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, designed the hotel in the Canada's railway hotels. Construction of the building took place from 1911 to 1915.[2][3]

The design of the building was inspired by designs found on French Renaissance architectural-era chateaus.[2] The pitched sloped dormered roofs includes chimneys, finials, and turrets.[2] The building's entranceways are placed diagonally on the building, flanked by perpendicular wings and turret towers.[2] The form and massing of the hotel is defined by an L-shaped. Copper was the primary metal material used to build the hotel's roof.[2]

The facade of the building is formed from Indiana limestone, and is detailed with balustrades, balconettes, brackets, cornice, hood moulding, and overhangs.[2] The building main portico features five arches and four pillars, and two pilasters that are detailed with gargoyles, and the provincial crest of the four provinces of Western Canada.[2]

The building's limestone facade, copper roofing, and the interiors of five rooms, including Confederation Lounge, the Empire Ballroom, and the Wedgewood room, were recognized as a "municipal historic resource" since 27 November 1984, under the provincial Historic Resources Act.[2][4][5][6] The resulting designation protects these features from demolition or from major alterations.[4][5]

Facilities

Hotel Macdonald includes 198 guest rooms and suites spread throughout the building.[3] The hotel's suites are situated on its third, and 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.[5][7] The 220-square-metre (2,400 sq ft) third-floor Queen Elizabeth suite was built during the hotels late-1980s renovations,[6] and was later renovated for Queen Elizabeth II's tour of Alberta in 2005.[5][7] 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.[5] Access to the Queen Elizabeth suite, in addition to seven other suites on the third floor is accessible only by private elevator.[7]

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 Wedgewood 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.[5] The carvings were covered under a false ceiling, and was uncovered during the hotels renovations in the late-1980s.[8] 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 atop the lounge's fireplace.[5]

Other facilities on the hotel property include squash courts, aerobic facilities, minibars, and an electronic security system.[8] The hotel also operates one restaurant, known as The Harvest Room.[9]

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.[5]

Grand Trunk Pacific Railway hotels in The Official Hotel Red Book and Directory for 1917. Hotel Macdonald is depicted in the centre.

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 C$2.25 million,[5] and was opened to the public on 5 July 1915. The hotel was named after John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada.[6] 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.[3]

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.[6] The hotel was used by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their royal tour of Canada in 1939.[8]

In an effort to meet post-war population boom of the city, the hotel expanded with a 292-room addition to the building, colloquially referred to as "The Box".[3]

In 1983, Canadian National Railway closed the hotel, tore down "The Box," and announced major renovations to the property.[3] Plans were in place to build a complimentary addition to the hotel, as well as two office towers, although these expansion plans never came to fruition.[3] In an effort to prevent the building from potential demolition, the City of Edmonton designated the hotel a "municipal heritage resource" in 1984.[6]

The hotel, along with eight other properties of Canadian National Hotels were sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988,[8] with the company undertaking a three-year renovation of the property, at a cost of C$28 million.[3][6] The hotel was reopened by Canadian Pacific Hotels on 15 May 1991.[8]

In 2001, Canadian Pacific Hotels was 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".[10]

References

1. "The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald". emporis.com. Emporis GmbH. 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
2. "Macdonald Hotel". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. 13 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
3. Hicks, Graham (10 July 2015). "The Macdonald Hotel mirrors Edmonton's economic history". Edmonton Sun. Postmedia Network Inc.
4. Cook, Dustin (14 March 2019). "Proposed redesign of Confederation Lounge in Hotel Macdonald sparks public uproar online". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network Inc. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
5. Theobald, Claire (3 July 2015). "100 years of Hotel Macdonald: High tea, please". Edmonton Sun. Postmedia Network Inc. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
6. Brownoff, Leanne (15 February 2019). "Fairmont Hotel Macdonald welcomes guests with historic grandeur". Postmedia Network Inc. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
7. Theobold, Claire (3 July 2015). "100 years of Edmonton's Hotel Macdonald: Where the superstars sleep". Edmonton Sun. Postmedia Network Inc. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
8. Hamilton, Ian (13 February 2019). "Edmonton's landmark Hotel Macdonald enters a new era". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Netowrk Inc. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
9. Kindleman, Tricia (15 August 2019). "Planned lounge renovations at Hotel Macdonald on hold until March 2020". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
10. Jang, Brent (22 August 2001). "CP spinoff destined to put Fairmont on the map". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc. Retrieved 20 September 2018.

External links

• Official website