Hotel Macdonald
Encyclopedia
The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald (generally known as the Hotel Macdonald) is a hotel built in 1912 in the city of Edmonton
, Alberta
, by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
. The hotel has successively been owned by Canadian National Railway
, Canadian Pacific Hotels
, and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
.
. The squatters often lived in tents or in small caves dug into the side of the river valley wall where they still remain to this very day. Many of the squatters were Ukrainian-speaking immigrants
from the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. The locals nicknamed the site the "Galician Hotel".
The Hotel Macdonald was designed by Ross and Macdonald
, the same architectural firm that designed many of Canada's landmark hotels. The hotel was designed in the Château-style that characterized Canada's large railway hotels, and was completed on July 5, 1915. It is named after Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald
. Standing high on the bank overlooking the largest urban parkway in North America
, the North Saskatchewan River
Valley, the Hotel Macdonald has a garden in the rear of the building.
This seven-storey Grand Trunk Pacific hotel was built in a distinctive Chateau Style adapted from 16th century French castles. The building is laced with Indiana limestone
and roofed with copper. It was built and furnished at a cost of about $2,250,000 (over $44 million today).
Along with the Palliser Hotel in Calgary
, it was one of the first two establishments to be re-issued with a liquor licence by the Alberta Liquor Control Board when Alberta abolished Prohibition
in 1924.
A 300-bedroom, 16-storey addition (now demolished) was built in a modern style in 1953 to keep up with the rising demand for hotel accommodation in the city. Together the hotel and the addition were dubbed "The Mac and the box it came in."
The hotel fell into disrepair and was closed in 1983, and there was talk of demolition. The City of Edmonton designated the building as a Municipal Heritage Resource, with five areas included in the designation: the building exterior, the Confederation Lounge, the Lobby, the Wedgwood Room, and the Empire Ballroom. Canadian Pacific Hotels bought the hotel in 1988, and restored the hotel to its original grandeur in 1991 (at a cost of $28m). Several suites were added: Charles Melville Hays Suite, Deluxe Turret Room, Lois Hole Suite, King George VI Suite, Sir Winston Churchill Suite, Edward Prince of Wales Suite, the Aberhart, Manning, and Lougheed suites, and the Queen Elizabeth II Suite (also known as the Royal Suite) which was 2400 square feet (223 m²), over two floors, with two bedrooms and a dining room for eight. With the addition of the 18 suites, the hotel now has 199 rooms.
In 1999, CP Hotels purchased Fairmont Hotels, and now operate the hotel (and all other hotels) under the Fairmont banner.
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
. The hotel has successively been owned by Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
, Canadian Pacific Hotels
Canadian Pacific hotels
Canadian Pacific Hotels was a division of Canadian Pacific Railway that operated a series of hotels across Canada. Most of these resort hotels were originally built and operated by the railway's Hotel Department, while a few were acquired from Canadian National Hotels...
, and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a Canadian-based operator of luxury hotels and resorts. Currently, Fairmont operates properties in 18 countries including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Bermuda, Barbados, United Kingdom, Monaco, Germany, Switzerland, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, the...
.
History
Prior to the construction of the Hotel Macdonald, the site was home to a squatters' campSquatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
. The squatters often lived in tents or in small caves dug into the side of the river valley wall where they still remain to this very day. Many of the squatters were Ukrainian-speaking immigrants
Ukrainian Canadian
A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. In 2006, there were an estimated 1,209,085 persons residing in Canada of Ukrainian origin, making them Canada's ninth largest ethnic group; and giving Canada the world's third-largest...
from the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. The locals nicknamed the site the "Galician Hotel".
The Hotel Macdonald was designed by Ross and Macdonald
Ross and Macdonald
Ross and Macdonald was one of Canada's most notable architecture firms in the early 20th century. Based in Montreal, Quebec, the firm originally operated as a partnership between George Allen Ross and David MacFarlane from 1907 to 1912. MacFarlane retired in 1913, and Robert Henry Macdonald...
, the same architectural firm that designed many of Canada's landmark hotels. The hotel was designed in the Château-style that characterized Canada's large railway hotels, and was completed on July 5, 1915. It is named after Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
. Standing high on the bank overlooking the largest urban parkway in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the North Saskatchewan River
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
Valley, the Hotel Macdonald has a garden in the rear of the building.
This seven-storey Grand Trunk Pacific hotel was built in a distinctive Chateau Style adapted from 16th century French castles. The building is laced with Indiana limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
and roofed with copper. It was built and furnished at a cost of about $2,250,000 (over $44 million today).
Along with the Palliser Hotel in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, it was one of the first two establishments to be re-issued with a liquor licence by the Alberta Liquor Control Board when Alberta abolished Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in 1924.
A 300-bedroom, 16-storey addition (now demolished) was built in a modern style in 1953 to keep up with the rising demand for hotel accommodation in the city. Together the hotel and the addition were dubbed "The Mac and the box it came in."
The hotel fell into disrepair and was closed in 1983, and there was talk of demolition. The City of Edmonton designated the building as a Municipal Heritage Resource, with five areas included in the designation: the building exterior, the Confederation Lounge, the Lobby, the Wedgwood Room, and the Empire Ballroom. Canadian Pacific Hotels bought the hotel in 1988, and restored the hotel to its original grandeur in 1991 (at a cost of $28m). Several suites were added: Charles Melville Hays Suite, Deluxe Turret Room, Lois Hole Suite, King George VI Suite, Sir Winston Churchill Suite, Edward Prince of Wales Suite, the Aberhart, Manning, and Lougheed suites, and the Queen Elizabeth II Suite (also known as the Royal Suite) which was 2400 square feet (223 m²), over two floors, with two bedrooms and a dining room for eight. With the addition of the 18 suites, the hotel now has 199 rooms.
In 1999, CP Hotels purchased Fairmont Hotels, and now operate the hotel (and all other hotels) under the Fairmont banner.