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