1913 – Unbuilt Design for Hotel Qu’appelle, Regina, Saskatchewan

Designed in the Chateau style characteristic of Canadian railway hotels, concrete pilings and two sub-storeys of reinforced concrete basement were built in 1913 to support the ten-storey structure. The hotel’s girders were already up five floors when construction was halted due to the Great War. However, construction never resumed as in 1919, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway went bankrupt. For years after its nationalisation and merger into Canadian National, the uncompleted building stood before being dismantled.

Following out their policy of constructing a chain of hotels, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company have commenced the erection of the Hotel Qu’Appelle at Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan. In some respects the site is similar to that of the Chateau Laurier, Ottawa, on Major Hill Park, immediately opposite the Central Union Station, and but a short distance from the Dominion Houses of Parliament. In Regina, the site selected is Wascana Park, at the corner of Sixteenth avenue and Albert street, two sides facing these thoroughfares and the other elevations overlooking the park and commanding a view of the Provincial Parliament Buildings. The architects, Messrs. Ross & Macdonald, Montreal and Winnipeg, have arranged with the owners to set the building back from the street line sufficiently to give it a setting and relationship to the surrounding landscape that takes advantage of the admirable situation to the fullest extent. Architecturally, like the other three G.T.P. hotels, it is of the Chateau type and promises to be equal to, and may even excel in design and detail, also in arrangement and equipment and structures completed and now under construction.

Immediately opposite the hotel, the new station will be erected, providing for tourists and travellers, as guests, convenient and immediate communication with the hotel. The station building will also include the power house, from which light, heat and power service will be transmitted to the hotel through a service tunnel under the streets.

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The main entrance will be placed in the centre of the Albert street elevation. A few steps lead from the entrance to the concourse or rotunda, and immediately opposite this entrance, commanding also the ladies’ entrance, the elevator, stair, palm room and dining room approaches, has been placed the office. Adjoining the rotunda the telephone and telegraph booths and the news and cigar stands will be situated. The palm room and main dining room overlook the park, and doors from the palm room open on to a terrace, from which steps lead down to the park.
The main dining room, palm room and rotunda extend through the height of two storeys, the main floor and the mezzanine. The mezzanine provides a musicians’ gallery for the dining room, a gallery overlooking the rotunda and a spectators’ view of the dining room. It also provides a private dining room, a small banquet room and manager’s office, providing the facilities for private entertainment and gives the manager’s office a key position in the administration of the building. Immediately upon entering and before ascending the few steps to the main floor, approach may be made to the grill room and bar by stairs leading left and right from this entrance landing. Above the main floor and the mezzanine, there will be seven floors for guests’ bedrooms. All rooms facing Wascana Park and the streets, will have outside private bathrooms, all rooms to the main court will have running water, and on every floor will be provided ample toilet room accommodation.

There will be a total of two hundred and twenty-four bedrooms, almost all of which can be used as double rooms on account of their large dimensions. The grill room, bar, barber shop, general toilet, main service and kitchen are in the basement, and the laundry, stores, locker-rooms, elevator machinery and refrigerator equipment in the sub-basement.

In construction the exterior will be of a selected grey brick with stone dressings and finish; the interior will be of steel frame and re-inforced concrete. The typical floors of guests’ rooms will be finished with hardwood doors and enamelled white trim.
Engineering and Contract Record, July i6, 1913

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