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The history of the Château de Frontenac
What you need to know about the Château de Frontenac
This hotel is located in the historic district of Quebec City, in Old Quebec, at 1 rue des Carrières. On the Grand Cap Diamant, it overlooks Quebec and the Saint-Lawrence River.
It is close to many scenic and historic sites. These include, for example, the Citadel of Quebec, the Old Port, the Plains of Abraham, the Château Saint-Louis or Place Royale.
It was built at the end of the 19th century and its “Châteauesque” architecture borrows more from the Gothic and Victorian styles than from the Italian. The Château Frontenac contains 18 floors and more than 600 rooms and suites.
A member of the Global Historic Hotels Network, it is considered one of the most photographed hotels in the world. It has also been listed as a Canadian National Historic Site since 1981 and is also listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is a historical jewel, symbol of the city of Quebec and one of its most famous monuments.
The Canadian Post has also published a stamp bearing the image of the hotel and designed by Kosta Tsetsekas - from illustrations by Heather Price.
The suites of the Château Frontenac that have hosted heads of government and state have taken up their visitors as a theme. There are, for example, the Trudeau-Trudeau suites (Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Justin Trudeau), Churchill, Roosevelt, Charles de Gaulle and Elizabeth II. Great names in art also have suites in their name in the Château Frontenac: Alfred Hitchcock and Céline Dion. Finally, the second president of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the one who commissioned the construction of the hotel - William Cornelius Van Horne - also has his eponymous suite here.
The origin of the Château de Frontenac
This building owes its name to Louis de Buade, the Count of Frontenac. This governor general of New France during the 17th century is a well-known historical figure in Quebec City. During King William's War, this fierce war fighter miraculously saved the colony from a massive British invasion.
William Van Horne, President of the Canadian Pacific Railway orders the construction of the Château de Frontenac. He also decides on the location and style of this hotel which he wants to be extravagant. This hotel is a castle-type prototype for the establishments of the group.
He had to add prestige to the city while respecting the architecture of Old Quebec around. It is built on the site of the former Château Saint Louis. The latter served as the main administrative offices for the French and British colonial governments of Quebec City until it burned down. After that, Haldimand Castle - named after the Governor of Quebec - was also built on this location. It was then demolished to make way for the Château Frontenac.
Tycoon William Van Horne believed that building high-class accommodations along his railroad network would attract wealthy travelers from all over the world. It was indeed aimed at a new type of well-to-do traveler who traveled the world in search of new picturesque sites to visit. Already at the time, Quebec City was one of the leading destinations in the Canada. Its port welcomed cruise ships from the United States and Europe and it was also served by train.
The Château Frontenac, the chain's most ambitious hotel, was built to attract this category of tourists. Characterized by comfort, elegance and elaborate decor, it quickly became a symbol of quality accommodation.
It is one of the first castle type hotels built by the railway companies at the end of the 19th century and in the 20th century.
It was designed by New York architect Bruce Price and construction began in 1892. It is built around an interior courtyard and sits atop a hill for a striking overhead view. It has very steep roofs, many imposing towers and turrets, tall chimneys, a freestone base, marble staircases, carved stone decorations, mahogany paneling, etc. The Frontenac remains the one that best expresses this style, with a design inspired by the Loire Valley castles of the 14th and 15th centuries.
Extensions followed in 1908 (by WS Painter) and again in 1920 (by the brothers Edward and William Maxwell).
In the 90s, the Arcos group carried out its modernization. The modifications then essentially concern the addition of a swimming pool, a fitness center and an outdoor terrace. In 2011, the hotel's restaurants, the large lobby, and three-fifths of its available rooms and suites were reworked.
The hotel was sold to Legacy REIT - partially owned by Fraimont - in 2001 for $185 million. It then took the name of Fairmont le Château Frontenac. The group to which it belongs then takes the name of an American company acquired in 2001. Canadian Pacific Hotels become Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.
The hotel was sold again in 2011, this time to Ivanhoé Cambridge. This company then plans and executes many renovations in the hotel
The Château de Frontenac: a place of historical decisions
In 1943, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met regularly at the Fairmont le Château Frontenac. These two conferences Quebec held in August 1943 and September 1944) - hosted by then Canadian Prime Minister William Mackenzie King - were set up for the Allies to find a strategy to end the war. Plans for landing in Normandy were refined during these meetings. It was also at the Château de Frontenac that Italy's resignation was finalized.
In 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - or the Organization for Food and Agriculture - was founded at the Château Frontenac.
This hotel has seen many personalities pass through it: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom, French Presidents Charles de Gaulle and François Mitterrand, Princess Grace of Monaco, the cinematographer Alfred Hitchcock and the military aviator Charles Lindberg.
Prime Minister Maurice Duplessis stayed at the Château Frontenac during his mandates.
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