FALL/ WINTER 2015 DREAMSCAPES
45
A CANADIAN ICON
TURNS
75
IT BEGAN AS A PRIME MINISTER'S DREAM, WAS
NAMED FOR A GOVERNOR GENERAL AND HAS
HOSTED MANY CELEBRITIES. ALL IN ALL, OTTAWA'S
LORD ELGIN HOTEL—CELEBRATING ITS 75
TH
BIRTHDAY
IN 2016—HAS A FASCINATING PEDIGREE.
BY LAURA BYRNE PAQUET
P
rime Minister Mackenzie King
nursed big plans for the city, says
Ann Meelker, the hotel's director of
sales and marketing. "He had a
vision of Ottawa—one that included the Lord
Elgin Hotel."
After spearheading construction of the
National War Memorial, King wanted to
make adjacent Elgin Street suitably beau-
tiful. A new hotel was a key part of that plan,
and it rose quickly. The groundbreaking
took place in 1940, King laid the corner-
stone on February 27, 1941, and the Lord
Elgin opened less than five months later.
The property, owned and operated for
many years by Ottawa's Gillin family, has
strong ties to the capital, and a loyal core of
long-time employees and frequent guests.
The latter include the current Lord Elgin
and his family, who live in Scotland.
Through the decades, the hotel has main-
tained a friendly vibe. In winter, families
gather around the lobby fireplace after
skating on the nearby Rideau Canal. In
summer, music fans relax after taking in the
Ottawa International Jazz Festival in Confed-
eration Park, across the street. One senses
Mackenzie King would be pleased.
DS
T R A V E L P L A N N E R
For more information or to book your
stay at the Lord Elgin Hotel,
visit lordelginhotel.ca.
