The Queen's Hotel was a large hotel, in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, located on the north side of
Front Street, between
Bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
and
York Street
York Street, also known as the Jakemans Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Boston, England, and was the former home of Boston United. Originally called Shodfriars Lane, football was first played on the site since the la ...
streets - the current site of the
Royal York Hotel.
[ In 1927 ]Canadian Pacific Railways
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
acquired the Queen's Hotel, across the street from the newly opened Union Station
A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
, so it could demolish it, and build a larger hotel.
History
In 1844 four rowhouses, designed by John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...
, were combined to form a hotel by Patrick Sword, which opened as "Sword's Hotel", in 1856.[ In 1860 the hotel was renamed the "Revere House".][ The hotel was purchased, and renovated, by Captain Thomas Dick, and renamed the "Queen's Hotel" in 1862. The hotel was considered luxurious, and hosted prominent guests, including the ]Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
.
During the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
the hotel was very popular with Americans from the Confederacy.[ Some accounts assert Southerners had booked the entire hotel. The hotel served as an informal headquarters for ]Confederate Secret Service
The Confederate Secret Service refers to any of a number of official and semi-official secret service organizations and operations performed by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Some of the organizations were directe ...
activities in neutral Canadian territory against the United States during the Civil War.[ It was the first hotel in Canada to have elevators installed.][
]
See also
* Royal eponyms in Canada
In Canada, a number of sites and structures are named for royal individuals, whether a member of the past French royal family, British royal family, or present Canadian royal family thus reflecting the country's status as a constitutional mona ...
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 43, 38, 47.1, N, 79, 22, 52.3, W, display=inline,title
Hotels in Toronto