Fairmont Royal York
| The Fairmont Royal York | |
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| Fairmont Royal York hotel seen from the Skypod observation deck of CN Tower | |
| Location | Canada |
| Address | 100 Front Street West Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Hotel chain | Fairmont Hotels and Resorts |
| Coordinates | 43°38′46″N 79°22′54″W / 43.646133°N 79.381561°WCoordinates: 43°38′46″N 79°22′54″W / 43.646133°N 79.381561°W |
| Opening date | 1929 |
| Architect | Ross and Macdonald Sproatt & Rolph |
| Rooms | 1,365 |
| Suites | Signature Rooms Executive Suites One Bedroom Suites Governor General Suite Prime Minister's Suite Royal Suite |
| Restaurants | Benihana Japanese Steakhouse EPIC Restaurant and Lounge Library Bar Piper's Gastropub York's Deli & Bakery York's Kitchen York Station |
| Floors | 28 |
| Total height | 124 m (407 ft) |
| Website | www.fairmont.com/royalyork |
| References: [1][2][3][4] | |
The Fairmont Royal York Hotel, formerly the Royal York Hotel and still often so called, is a large and historic hotel in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at 100 Front Street West. Opened on June 11, 1929, the Royal York was designed by Ross and Macdonald (with Sproatt and Rolph) and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway across the street from Union Station. With 28 floors, the Château-style building was the tallest building in Toronto at that time, and the tallest building in the British Empire until the construction of Canadian Bank of Commerce tower on King Street the following year.
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[edit] History
The Royal York is the third hotel to occupy the site. In 1843, the Ontario Terrace opened at this site and was renamed Sword's Hotel in 1853. The hotel was renamed again in 1860 as Revere House and finally as the Queen's Hotel in 1862.[5] Prior to its demolition in 1927, the Queen's Hotel had been one of Toronto's most prestigious hotels. It was owned by McGaw and Winnett. McGaw and Winnett were the hoteliers of Upper Canada at the turn of the 20th century also owning the Queens Royal Hotel in Niagara on the Lake and were managing partners in the Tecumseh House in London, Ontario. Henry Winnett acquired Thomas McGaw's interest in the hotels after his death in 1901. Henry Winnett died in 1925. His estate eventually sold the Queens Hotel to the Canadian Pacific Railway, who then demolished the Queen's Hotel and built the Royal York. Both Thomas McGaw and Henry Winnett are buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery with several members of their families.
The Royal York was a state-of-the-art hotel upon completion in 1929, with ten elevators, a radio in each of its 1,048 rooms, and a private shower or bath in each room. Other features included a large Concert Hall fitted with an impressive Casavant Frères pipe organ. With five manuals and 107 stops, it was the largest pipe organ in Canada. The telephone switchboard was 66 feet long and required 35 operators. The hotel was enlarged in 1956-57 with the addition of the east wing to a total of 1,600 rooms and was the largest hotel in the Commonwealth for many years. From 1988 until 1993, the Royal York Hotel underwent a $100 million restoration.
The hotel has been the residence of choice for Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Canadian Royal Family when in Toronto. The Queen usually has an entire floor reserved for her and her party, occupying the Royal Suite herself.
After Canadian Pacific Hotels acquired Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and chose to use the Fairmont name on all its hotels, there was a public outcry when it was announced that the chain planned to take down the historic “Royal York” sign and replace it with a new “Fairmont” sign. As a result of the protest, a new sign with both names “Fairmont Royal York” was erected.
The PATH underground walkway system connects the hotel to the Royal Bank Plaza and Union Station.
Organic green tea from Japan is the house speciality and is found in every room.
[edit] Honey bees
In July 2008, the Royal York installed three beehives on its 13th-floor rooftop terrace to serve its in-house garden, which already provides its nine restaurants with fresh herbs, vegetables and flowers. Three queens and their 40,000 workers provide the chefs with up to 700 pounds of honey. The hotel named the hives the Honey Moon Suite, the Royal Sweet and the V.I. Bee Suite. The queens entered into their 14th-storey triple-hive apiary.[6][7]
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Royal York Hotel |
[edit] References
- ^ Fairmont Royal York at Emporis
- ^ Fairmont Royal York at Glass Steel and Stone
- ^ Fairmont Royal York at SkyscraperPage
- ^ Fairmont Royal York at Structurae
- ^ Filey, Mike (2001). A Toronto Album: Glimpses of the City that Was. Toronto: Anthony Hawke (The Dundurn Group). p. 17. http://books.google.com/books?id=wTuuFKQ0wtEC&lpg=PP1&dq=a%20toronto%20album%202001&pg=PA17#v=onepage&q=a%20toronto%20album%202001&f=false. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ Staff writers (Wednesday, 9 July 2008). "Toronto hotel producing its own honey". The Vancouver Province. http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=4ed95f2e-b1ce-495f-8957-f48ef7024ad0. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
- ^ Claire Sibonney (Tuesday, 8 July 2008). "Toronto hotel boasts own honey from rooftop hives". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN0826907120080708. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
[edit] External links
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