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History
6 facts
| Date | Statement | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910-02-09 | It was thought some time ago that the Geo. A. Fuller Company, the contractors in charge of the Chateau Laurier, would be forced to discontinue the steel construction work because of the belief that a steady supply of steel was not to be obtained from the Dominion Bridge Co. at Montreal. The difficulty has been averted and it is probable that the steel work will be finished by spring. Fifty men are now employed and the contractors have on hand 200 tons or more of the material and there are prospects for a steady supply. | Ottawa Journal 1910-02-09(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1910-06-25 | At the present rate of progress the concrete work on Chateau Laurier will be completed about the third week in August, thus closing in the building. Similar progress is being made on the new station; the finishing work on the walls and ceilings will be begun presently. Very satisfactory work is being done on the lower tunnel, which will be 7 x 8 feet and 238 feet long, used for the transmission of electric and steam power to the Chateau from the power house south of the station, and 28 feet below the surface of Rideau street; thirty men are working in it, drilling and blasting in the bedrock. The management hope to finish the rough work on both the power tunnel and the passenger tunnel before October, with finishing work completed before Christmas. The passenger tunnel will be about the same length and 8 x 11, and will be ornately finished. | Ottawa Journal 1910-06-25(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1911-05-05 | The order for the china for the Chateau Laurier, the new Grand Trunk Hotel at Ottawa, has been awarded to the Theodore Haviland Co. of Limoges, France. This china is of a very handsome and unique pattern, and will be the best that can be turned out by this well known company, and includes Regular service, Banquet service, Palm Room or Tea Room service and a De Luxe set for use in the Royal Suite. | Eastern Ontario Review 1911-05-05(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1911-08-21 | An employee of the Dominion Bridge Company, was pushing a hand car, loaded with structural steel, when his foot slipped and he fell under the car which, passing over his leg, broke it. | Ottawa Journal 1911-08-21(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1912-06-01 | The Chateau Laurier, the magnificent new hostelry erected at a cost of over $1,000,000 by the Grand Trunk Railway, was opened this afternoon. There was no official ceremony; the bust of Sir Wilfrid Laurier in the rotunda of the hotel had been unveiled by Manager F.W. Bergmann the day before, with Sir Wilfrid himself present to see it. Every department of the new house was in good running order awaiting the arrival of the first guest. An informal dinner for newspapermen was given by the Grand Trunk in the Chateau that evening, with journalists from all over Canada and the United States present. The 1912-06-03 Ottawa Journal report gives the first name entered in the register as Sir Wilfrid Laurier's, and describes almost 500 visitors passing through on the opening day alone. | Ottawa Citizen 1912-06-01(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1913-03-11 | The white marble bust of Sir Wilfred Laurier, which originally served to embellish the rotunda of the Chateau Laurier, suffered destruction recently at the customs bondhouse because of the refusal of the designer to pay about $240 duty on it. The bust was made in France, but in putting it into position at the Chateau one of the employees fractured the nose; unsuccessful efforts were made to remove all signs of the defect, so it was decided to order a new bust and return the former one to France. When informed the duty still had to be paid, it was decided the bust would remain in the bondhouse, where it lay for several months until the customs officers shattered it into bits. Members of the bondhouse staff rescued some of the pieces for souvenirs, but most of it went to the refuse heap. The new bust is now in position at the Chateau. | Ottawa Citizen 1913-03-11(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |