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