| As far as travel to Ottawa is concerned, you'd be | | | | back. |
| hard pressed to find a more central lodging location | | | | The hotel is named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of |
| than the Lord Elgin Hotel. It is located right at the | | | | Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine (1811 to 1863) who |
| Intersection of Elgin and Laurier Streets, just steps | | | | became Governor General of Canada in 1847. He |
| away from Parliament Hill, the War Memorial, the | | | | became the first Governor General to remove |
| Chateau Laurier, the Government Conference Centre | | | | himself from the affairs of the legislature, which led |
| and the National Arts Centre. Confederation Park, | | | | to the essentially symbolic role that the |
| one of the main locations for Winterlude, is located | | | | Governor-General of Canada has today. |
| right across the street. | | | | Ann also allowed me to have a look at some |
| We could not have found a better spot for our | | | | correspondence between Prime Minister Mackenzie |
| Ottawa Winterlude getaway last weekend. My room | | | | King and the grandson of the original Lord Elgin, who |
| on the 4th floor was very comfortable and I had a | | | | donated two marble busts of his grandparents, Lord |
| perfect view out over Elgin Street, looking at the | | | | and Lady Elgin. The correspondence dates back to |
| Chateau Laurier and the War Memorial on one side, | | | | 1940 and talks about shipping the busts on warships |
| and facing Confederation Park and the Rideau Canal | | | | during World War II from Scotland to Canada. |
| on the other. We literally left our car parked for the | | | | Ann also mentioned that during the summer a portion |
| whole 2 days and were able to get everywhere we | | | | of the Changing of the Guards ceremony can be |
| wanted on foot. | | | | seen directly outside the hotel. And the starting line |
| The Lord Elgin was a perfect starting point for our | | | | for the Ottawa International Marathon is located |
| adventures on the Rideau Canal, and our excursions | | | | immediately in front of the Lord Elgin Hotel. |
| to the ByWard Market and Sparks Street. Further | | | | Being the nosy person that I am I wanted to get the |
| south on Elgin Street is another major entertainment | | | | real low-down on this property and Randy Battcock, |
| area nestled inside an established neighbourhood with | | | | Guest Services Manager at the Lord Elgin, agreed to |
| exclusive homes and condominiums. | | | | take me on a tour through the property. Randy is an |
| Ann Meelker from the Lord Elgin Hotel was kind | | | | interesting individual himself, he hails from |
| enough to give me a lay of the land and pointed out | | | | Newfoundland and worked for a local airline for 21 |
| the local landmarks. She also explained to me that the | | | | years. After running a guest house in Ottawa for 8 |
| National Conference Centre actually used to be a | | | | years he applied for the Guest Manager's position and |
| railroad station many years ago, when train tracks | | | | got the job the next day. It is obvious that Randy |
| were routed right next to the Rideau Canal. | | | | loves what he does. |
| My big interest in this hotel was its history as it was | | | | During our tour through the building, Randy explained |
| constructed more than 60 years ago. So I did some | | | | that the original building was H-shaped and that the |
| reserach to dig into the background of this historic | | | | back was filled in many years ago to enlarge the |
| building. | | | | rooms. In some of the boardrooms on the higher |
| In 1940, as the Second World War brought more and | | | | levels you can still see the former street façade |
| more official visitors into town, Ottawa found itself | | | | on the west side, now forming an inside wall. |
| desperately short of hotel accommodation. A local | | | | Two 8-storey towers were added on the north and |
| entrepreneur and city alderman by the name of | | | | south side and they added 55 additional bedrooms, an |
| Chester Pickering, President of Dustbane, Modern | | | | inground pool and a restaurant. Another little known |
| Building Cleaning, and Michael's Industrial Equipment, | | | | fact is that there is a 3 bedroom apartment on the |
| was entrusted with the job of bringing a good hotel | | | | 12th floor which to this day is the residence of the |
| to the City. He connected with Jack Udd, a wealthy | | | | former manager of the hotel who spent 50 years |
| businessman from Rochester, New York, the | | | | managing the hotel and raised his children there. The |
| president of the Ford Hotel Chain. | | | | apartment has the only patio in the building with a |
| They were looking for a suitable site for the hotel | | | | perfect view east towards the Rideau Canal. |
| and finally found one in an abandoned lot at the | | | | Randy also enlightened me that of the four guest |
| corner of Elgin and Laurier. However, obtaining the | | | | elevators, two are original and date all the way back |
| land was complicated by the fact that it was owned | | | | to 1941. The fourth elevator used to be a |
| by the federal government. | | | | smokestack for the furnace in the basement, but it |
| It seemed highly unlikely that this land could be | | | | was dismantled bit by bit to allow for the |
| obtained from the government, but through personal | | | | construction of an additional elevator. The building still |
| connections and various outright shenanigans Chester | | | | has an original functioning mail chute where you can |
| Pickering was able to get the property. Chester | | | | drop your letters from any floor and gravity will take |
| Pickering knew that then Prime Minister Mackenzie | | | | them to the mailroom from where they will be sent |
| King longed to make Ottawa the most attractive | | | | out. |
| capital in the world, so he was sure that the idea of | | | | Although the Lord Elgin Hotel is one of the most |
| cleaning up this run-down area would appeal to the | | | | renowned and venerable institutions in Ottawa, it has |
| Prime Minister. | | | | a cozy feel to it. During my stay it was hosting |
| And not only did Pickering get the land, he also got a | | | | hundreds of people who were attending Winterlude, |
| low-cost tax assessment on it, in light of the fact | | | | so you saw all these families with children dressed up |
| that government had not been receiving any taxes | | | | in heavy winter garb walking through the hallways. I |
| on this federally owned property at all before. With all | | | | had several friendly chats with staff members, and in |
| the conditions met, Jack Udd started building the | | | | particular with one young bellman who was part of |
| hotel and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King | | | | the Lord Elgin team in the 26th Annual Bedzz Race |
| even laid the cornerstone. The Lord Elgin was | | | | on Dow Lake. |
| completed in 1941 in a classical French chateau style | | | | The spot in front of the fireplace in the lobby was |
| at a cost of about C$1,500,000. | | | | always taken by people relaxing, reading a paper, or |
| All throughout Prime Minister Mackenzie King took a | | | | conversing while warming up after a cold day. We |
| strong interest in the hotel and virtually designed the | | | | noticed that the atmosphere was always relaxed and |
| pillars in front of the hotel himself. He also insisted | | | | down-to-earth, never snobbish, as you might expect |
| that the hotel be built of stone, not brick. Jack Udd | | | | of a hotel of this stature. For us it was the perfect |
| agreed on a compromise and used stone at both | | | | location for a weekend of exploration in Canada's |
| ends and in the front, but he would put brick in the | | | | capital. |