History
Prior to the establishment of the hotel on the property, the area housed a squatters camp, colloquially known as "Galician Hotel," after a number of Ukrainian-speaking migrants from the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia settled there.[5] Grand Trunk Pacific Railway purchased the property and began construction for a hotel building in 1911, with designs from Ross and Macdonald. The building was completed at a cost of CA$2.25 million,[5] and was opened to the public on 5 July 1915. The hotel was named after John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada.[6] The building was operated by Grand Trunk Pacific until the company declared bankruptcy in 1919, after which the hotel was operated as a part of Canadian National Hotels, a division of Canadian National Railway.[2]
The hotel was one of the first two establishments to be reissued a liquor license by the Alberta Liquor Control Board, after the province repealed prohibition laws against alcohol in 1924.[6] King George VI and Queen Elizabeth used the hotel during their 1939 royal tour of Canada.[8]
In an effort to meet post-war population boom of the city, Canadian National proposed an expansion in 1949 with an estimated construction cost of $4,000,000.[10] The 16-storey wing which added 292-rooms was colloquially referred to as The Box because of its modern design and occupied the space just north of the original building.[2][11] Critics labeled the design of the structure as startling when it was unveiled, but railway officials stood by their choice stating that the new facility would become the hotel and the old structure would become the annex.[12]
In 1983, Canadian National Railway closed the hotel and announced major renovations to the property which included the demolition of The Box and restoration of the 1915 building. Plans were in place to build a complementary addition to the hotel, as well as two office towers, although these expansion plans never came to fruition.[2] In an effort to prevent the building from potential demolition, the City of Edmonton designated the hotel a "municipal heritage resource" in 1984.[6] The 1953 annex was finally demolished in 1986.[13]
The hotel, along with eight other properties of Canadian National Hotels were sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988,[8] with the company undertaking a three-year, CA$28 million renovation of the property, which included upgrading systems and restoring the original facade.[2][6] Canadian Pacific Hotels reopened the property on 15 May 1991.[8]
In 2001, Canadian Pacific Hotels reorganized into Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, adopting the Fairmont name from an American company it had purchased in 1999. As a result of the rebranding, Hotel Macdonald was renamed Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.[14]
