château laurier – a splendid century - cnrha century insert nov… · r.b. bennett, renowned...
TRANSCRIPT
ISBN 978-0-9684235-3-0
www.cnrha.caISBN 978-0-9684235-3-0
Printed in Canada $44.95
A publication of the
CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAYS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
Opened in 1912 by the Grand Trunk Railway and greatly expanded in the late 1920s by corporate successor Canadian
National Railways, the Château Laurier was the flagship property of CNR’s cross-Canada chain of hotels and seasonal resorts.
Today, as Fairmont Château Laurier, it remains an Ottawa landmark and a Canadian icon.
In concept and construction at the heart of Canada’s capital, it gave form to the varied aspirations of a governor general,
a prime minister, and a railway baron. Architects’ reputations were made – and maligned. Its opening was overshadowed
by tragedy, and its expansion on the eve of the Great Depression contributed to the howling of political wolves bent on
bringing down one of North America’s most capable railway executives. It has been permanent home to Prime Minister
R.B. Bennett, renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Ottawa radio studios.
To many, young and old, it is the embodiment of a fairy tale castle – “A poem in stone,” in the words of its original owner.
160 pages
More than 240 black-and-white and colour photographs
CNRHA
Front cover Richard Rummell’s 1911 bird’s-eye panorama encompasses the Château Laurier,
Union Station, the Rideau Canal and Parliament Hill. library and archives canada
Back cover The enlarged Château Laurier in the mid-1950s. canada science and technology museum collection
L’Auberge, 1964. canada science and technology museum collection
The Rotunda, 2015. courtesy fairmont château laurier
Canadian National Railways Historical Association www.cnrha.ca
© 2017, All Rights Reserved
Printed in Canada
Kevin J. Holland is a writer, editor and publications designer living near
Toronto. He has written extensively on the history, technology and architecture
of North American railways. He is editor of the CNRHA publication CN LINES,
design editor of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society journal Railroad
History and senior editor of Passenger Train Journal. A member of the Lexington
Group in Transportation History, his current book projects include Renaissance
Men, a post-World War II management study of Canadian National Railways
passenger service.
Château Laurier – A Splendid CenturyThe Life and Times of Ottawa’s Grand Railway Hotel
Kevin J. Holland
Château Laurier – A
Splendid Century H
olland
Splendid Century Jacket.indd 1 2017-03-09 09:43
Château Laurier – A Splendid CenturyThe Life and Times of Ottawa’s Grand Railway Hotel
Kevin J. Holland
Built by the Grand Trunk Railway and greatly expanded by Canadian National, the Château Laurier remains an icon in Canada’s capital. Its 1912 opening was delayed by tragedy, and its expansion on the eve of the Great Depression contributed to the demise of one of North America’s most capable railway executives. Flagship property of CNR’s nationwide chain of hotels, it was permanent home to renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Ottawa radio studios. Coverage also includes a chapter on Ottawa Union Station.
“Meticulous archival research, inspired photographic selections and carefully crafted text lift the volume above mere history.” –Canadian Rail
“Rich with information, and full of fabulous photographs.” –karsh.org
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