The Fairmont Palliser, formerly known as the Palliser Hotel, is a hotel of the Canada-based

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a global chain of luxury hotels that operates more than 70 properties worldwide, with a strong presence in Canada. The company originated from two hotel businesses established in the late 19th century, the Canadian P ...

chain. The historic hotel (1914) is located in downtown Calgary,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

at 133 9th Avenue SW adjacent to the

Calgary Tower The Calgary Tower is a free standing observation tower in the downtown core of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally called the Husky Tower, it was conceived as a joint venture between Marathon Realty Company Limited and Husky Oil as part of an ...

and Palliser Square. The Palliser is one of Calgary's oldest and most luxurious hotels.

History

When the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) pushed west in 1883, Calgary was essentially a North-West Mounted Police post and trading centre. With an influx of tourists, mainly en route to CPR's

Banff Springs Hotel The Fairmont Banff Springs, formerly and commonly known as the Banff Springs Hotel, is a historic hotel located in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The entire town including the hotel, is situated in Banff National Park, a national park managed by Parks C ...

, a hospitality spot in Calgary was an essential link. To encourage the CPR to build the hotel,

Calgary City Council The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors. Jyoti Gondek was elected mayor in October 202 ...

offered an exemption on property from taxation, but the CPR would be subject to additional police and fire protection fees, and pave part of 9th Avenue. Groundbreaking for the building was on May 12, 1911, on property owned by the CPR. It was built by P. Lyall and Sons Construction Company with materials such as stone, steel, reinforced concrete and brick at a cost of $1,500,000. The Palliser Hotel opened without any pomp or ceremony on June 1, 1914. The hotel's first registered guest was Charles Walsh Rowley, a banker from Winnipeg who previously lived in Calgary. Like all the flagship Canadian hotels in the Fairmont chain, it was built by the CPR and was a property of Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts (CP Hotels) until the company purchased the Fairmont Hotel chain and changed its name to Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in 1999. The hotel was named after Captain

John Palliser John Palliser (29 January 1817 – 18 August 1887) was an Irish-born geographer and explorer. Following his service in the Waterford Militia and hunting excursions to the North American prairies, he led the British North American Explor ...

, who was an explorer in the region during the 1850s. Architect Lawrence Gotch of E. and W.S. Maxwell of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

designed the

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

building with a characteristic Chicago school look. The building when completed in 1914 was eight stories in height and included a sun parlour, with four additional floors added in 1929 to keep pace with the growing city. The hotel expanded from 190 staff when opened in 1914 to 375 in 1929. Upon the addition of four stories in 1929, the Palliser Hotel became the tallest building in Calgary, a title it retained until

Elveden Centre Elveden Centre is a three-tower office building located at 717 7th Avenue Southwest in Calgary, Alberta. Designed by Alberta architectural firm Rule Wynn and Rule and built in three phases between 1959 and 1964, it is one of Calgary's best examples ...

eclipsed the Palliser in 1958. The Palliser Hotel has been renovated and expanded a number of times throughout its history, including a $28 million renovation in 2000. Further enhancements and renovations included an update to Fairmont Gold and many guest rooms. The Palliser and the

Hotel Macdonald The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, formerly and commonly known as the Hotel Macdonald (colloquially known as The Mac), is a large historic luxury hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located along 100 Street NW, south of Jasper Avenue, the hotel is situa ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

received the first two

liquor licence A liquor license (or liquor licence in most forms of Commonwealth English) is a governmentally issued permit to sell, manufacture, store, or otherwise use alcoholic beverages. Canada In Canada, liquor licences are issued by the legal authority ...

s from the

Alberta Liquor Control Board Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territ ...

when Alberta repealed

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

in 1924. The Palliser Hotel's tavern was the last male-only bar room in Calgary, finally allowing women in 1970.

References

External links

*
Official Website of the Fairmont Palliser Hotel
{{Canada's railway hotels Canadian Pacific Railway hotels Hotels in Alberta Buildings and structures in Calgary Hotel buildings completed in 1914

Palliser Hotel The Fairmont Palliser, formerly known as the Palliser Hotel, is a hotel of the Canada-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain. The historic hotel (1914) is located in downtown Calgary, Alberta at 133 9th Avenue SW adjacent to the Calgary Tower ...

Sandstone buildings in Canada Historic buildings in Calgary Chicago school architecture in Canada

History

See also

References

External links