Jun. 30, 2010 - Issue #767: The Bestest of Edmonton 2010
Bestest hotel
The Hotel Macdonald almost bit the dust
Like a crown atop the North Saskatchewan River, the Hotel Macdonald's confident elegance and classic design have anchored Edmonton's architectural heritage on this otherwise bustling, ever-changing Jasper Avenue street corner for almost a century.Opened 95 years ago this July, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway hired architects Ross and Macdonald to build the "Mac"—named our first prime minister, Sir John A Macdonald—in the popular 16th-century French chateau-style that can be found in other Canadian cities, such as Winnipeg's Fort Garry Hotel. Built with Indiana limestone and copper roofing, the seven-story landmark would immediately dominate the young city's underwhelming skyline and bring a sense of refinement and welcome elegance to an otherwise burgeoning hinterland.
To gaze upon Edmonton's crowded downtown core today, you'd be forgiven for overlooking the hotel's diminutive stature amidst boomtown skyrises. But to truly appreciate Edmonton's first landmark, you have to envision the city as it was then: a young provincial capital in a country still finding its footing in the British Commonwealth, its citizenry a patchwork of entrepreneurs, opportunists and immigrants all scratching a new life for themselves.
Matthew Francis is the manager of Municipal Heritage Services for Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, and he explains the historical and architectural significance of Edmonton's most enduring and iconic landmark.
"Perched in the place it is, I think it just had so much to do with Edmonton defining itself," he extols.
"It was a statement that the city had arrived; Edmonton had already defined itself as the provincial capital ... but it's the most northerly of that whole family of grand hotels in the CPR, so that's making a statement as well: 'This is the last-bastion outpost of luxury going toward the Canadian North, the hinterlands; you aren't going to get the Hotel Mac treatment anywhere north of Edmonton'".
Throughout the greater part of the 20th century, however, hotel ownership changed hands twice more, all the while slipping slowly into disrepair. "It had fallen on pretty hard years previous to [its designation and restoration in 1983]," Francis notes. "During the Depression era and into World War Two, it was not used as a luxury hotel for a number of years. Also, not being on the Trans-Canada Highway—like the Banff Springs—it became a little forlorn for a good chunk of the 20th century."
By 1983 the hotel was closed and set for demolition. As a beloved landmark, however, concerned Edmontonians came to its defence, and by 1985 had ensured its designation and protection as a Municipal Historic Resource, thereby saving it from the wrecking ball. "Coming into the '70s and '80s, I think it was a moment where both the City of Edmonton and the province had a sense enough to say, 'OK, there was something really significant here that is more than nostalgia,'" Francis adds. "That's why the designation took place. In a way, I think the Hotel Macdonald is synonymous with Edmonton, in a similar way a lot of the CPR hotels are icons of the cities in which they are located."
Architecturally speaking, the chateau on the river now houses additional suites fit for a queen (previous guests include Elizabeth II and the Rolling Stones), a restaurant and ballroom, a cozy library-style lounge and a beautiful garden overlooking the river valley below. This sense of tradition and timelessness from another era offers Edmonton an architectural link to its past. "Obviously [its architectural style] is speaking to aspirations of Edmonton at the time it was built," Francis explains. "It wasn't designed with any sort of modernism in mind; it was designed to say that Edmonton had reached a certain status in terms of its place in the West, saying, 'We are a city as much as Winnipeg is a city, as much as Toronto is a city.'"
So what are Edmontonians today supposed to think of this architectural anomaly in a city with a relatively short tolerance and memory for anything older than their own generation? "I think the protection and conservation of the Hotel Macdonald speaks highly of Edmonton's regard for architectural patrimony," Francis defends. "Do we do a good job of saving everything that's important? I think that's very difficult in Alberta generally, just because Alberta has had prosperity in every generation, and when there's that money in every generation, people want to put their own stamp on things, so they build new. That is the reason why a lot of Alberta's buildings get lost. But for the Hotel Mac, I think it's a good example ... from that era that we saw and had the foresight to protect." V vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
Privacy Policy:
Vue respects your privacy. We will not forward your personal information to any other organization except as required by law, and will use your e-mail address only to respond to your comments. We reserve the right to edit and remove comments for length, clarity and/or if they are illegal or inappropriate. Your email address is never shown to visitors to vueweekly.com. Read the whole policy at: http://vueweekly.com/privacy
Comments policy
Comments go online directly without first being seen or reviewed by editors at Vue. Don't personally attack people, don't be defamatory, don't be spam-atory, don't hawk your band, don't pretend to be someone else, be clear, be on topic, be nice. Read our extended comments policy here. »
We use Disqus for our comments system. What's that all about?
We found that managing the comment community at Vue was easier to do with a system like Disqus. If this isn't straightforward to you, get help here.