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