Donegana's Hotel, previously known as Bingham House, stood on the north-west corner of

Notre-Dame Street Notre-Dame Street (officially in ) is a historic east–west street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs parallel to the Saint Lawrence River, from Lachine, Quebec, Lachine to the eastern tip of the Island of Montreal, island in Poi ...

and Bonsecours Street, a block away from Bonsecours Market in the

Old Montreal Old Montreal (, ) is a historic List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, neighbourhood within the List of municipalities in Quebec, municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is b ...

district of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. Originally built as a private residence in 1821, the house served as the vice-regal residence of the Governors General of Canada from 1837 until 1843. From 1843 to 1846 it briefly housed the High School of Montreal, before the school built its own premises. The building was then bought by Jean-Marie Donegana, who enlarged it to become the largest hotel in the

British Colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England, and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire. There was usually a governor to represent the Crown, appointed by the British monarch on ...

. It became famous across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, where its reputation was only equal to, if not exceeding, that of New York's

Astor House The Astor House was a luxury hotel in New York City. Located on the corner of Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway and Vesey Street in what is now the Civic Center, Manhattan, Civic Center and Tribeca neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan, it opened in 18 ...

.Important from Canada, 1849
/ref> Donegana's was burnt down on 16 August 1849, in the aftermath of the Montreal Riots of 1849. The site was sold in 1850 and the hotel rebuilt one block to the east by American managementTroy Daily Whig, July 16, 1850 as a new Donegana Hotel, which prospered until th
1870s
under hotelier Daniel Gale. Gale promoted it in New York papers as a Montreal hotel that was equal to the finest American hostelries. Confederate agent and wine merchant P. C. Martin lived there around 1863, and after 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 family of ex-President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

stayed at the Donegana during their time in Montreal. In 1880 the second hotel was replaced by the Hôpital Notre-Dame.

Early years

Originally built as a private home, the main structure was started in 1821 for the American

millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. Many national currencies have, or ...

William Bingham (1800-1852), only son of Senator Bingham, in preparation for his marriage the following year to Marie-Charlotte Chartier de Lotbinière (1805-1866), daughter and co-heiress of the 2nd Marquis de Lotbinière. Senator Bingham was one of the wealthiest man in the United States, and the building was inspired from Lansdowne House in London, property of his friend the U. K. Prime Minister

Lord Shelburne William Petty Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (2 May 17377 May 1805), known as the Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Anglo-Irish Whig statesman who was the first home secr ...

, of the Fitzmaurices, Marquess of Lansdowne. The Bingham house became a centre for fashionable society living in, and visiting,

. In 1834, the Binghams left

for

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and for a time they leased their old home to Lord Seaton. In 1837, Lord Durham, the newly appointed

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

, took lease of the house having chosen the imposing

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

over the run-down Château de Ramezay for his official residence. Durham required that the house was furnished in "superior style" and no expense was spared to meet his exacting standards.Edgar Allen Collard
Donegana's and the Charity Ball
in ''

Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

''(1972), accessed 1 January 2018 Governors General Lord Sydenham and afterwards Sir Charles Bagot maintained the house as their official residence until 1843, when it was sold by the Binghams who by then had made their permanent home in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

at Broome Park,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. In September 1843, the house became the first home of the newly enrolled students of the High School of Montreal, of whom there were 167 by the end of the session. At the end of the school's first academic year, the closing ceremony, presided over by the Hon.

Peter McGill Peter McGill (August 1789 – September 28, 1860) was a Scots-Quebecer businessman who served as the second mayor of Montreal from 1840 to 1842. Biography He was born Peter McCutcheon in the village of Creebridge, Wigtownshire (now Dum ...

, with Lord Metcalfe presenting the prizes, was held in the large hall that had previously been the Binghams'

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...

. In 1845, the school moved to its purpose built home on Belmont Street.

Donegana's

In 1845, the house was purchased by hotelier Jean-Marie Donegana, the already well-known general manager of Rasco's Hotel in

. The facade of the building was kept as it had been when it was the Bingham's home, but extensive additions were made to the rear of the building. Donegana's stretched across to the

Champ de Mars Champ, CHAMP or The Champ may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Champ (cartoon character), an animated dog introduced in 1960 * The Champ, played on radio and created by Jake Edwards (radio personality), Jake Edwards * Champ ...

and in its time was the largest hotel in the

British colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England, and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire. There was usually a governor to represent the Crown, appointed by the British monarch on ...

. Every luxury was made available, including hot and cold baths at any hour of the day, and the

gas lighting Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a fuel gas such as methane, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directly by ...

that lit the hotel was said to have given "a marvellous effect to the rich

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

decorations" in the lobbies.Edgar Allen Collard, Montreal Gazette - 1972
/ref> Each of the 150 apartments had its own bathroom. The dining room measured 100 by 218

feet The foot (: feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is an organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of ...

and the gallery surrounding the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

that rose over the building offered a commanding 360 degree view of the city. Though

was still a comparatively small town of some 40,000 people in 1845, John Bigsby had noted 25 years previously that its inns were "as remarkable for their palatial exterior" as for their "excellent accommodation within"; remarking that Montreal was "a stirring and opulent town.. advanced in all the luxuries and comforts of high civilisation." Donegana's did not disappoint, it was said to be on a par to

in New York and as good a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

as many in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. A

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

who was visiting Montreal described it as "a magnificent establishment," finding the furnishings equal to its "splendid" architecture: "Everything was conducted in this hotel in the first style: the furniture was superb, and the attendance. All French waiters, most admirable, while the

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...

was of the most recherché character". In 1847, Donegana's hosted the first Charity

Ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for s ...

in aid of the Montreal Maternity Hospital under the

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of the

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

, Lord Elgin. Not long after this event, Elgin's aide-de-camp, Lord Mark Kerr, decided to stir up some excitement in the hotel when he had heard there was an abundance of American tourists staying. He rode his horse through the three immense doors into the dining room and stepped around the table. At first the tourists were stunned and then greatly amused, and Kerr afterwards found himself showered with invitations to New York. It was also at Donegana's that members of the Montreal Hunt met to halt a

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

officer from selling their hounds. Guests included Maurice Sand and Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte. Residents when Parliament was in session included Sir Allan Napier MacNab of Dundurn Castle and Chief Justice Joseph-Rémi Vallières de Saint-Réal.

First home of Notre-Dame hospital

In 1880, the former hotel became the first home of Notre-Dame hospital, where it could host about 50 patients. By 1900, the hotel was too small for the needs of the growing institution. The hospital would move north in 1924, on Sherbrooke street where it still stands today.

References

External links

Photograph:Donegana Hotel, circa 1860
- McCord Museum {{Defunct hotels in Canada Buildings and structures demolished in 1880 Buildings and structures in Canada destroyed by arson Demolished buildings and structures in Montreal Defunct hotels in Canada Houses completed in 1821 Hotels in Montreal Houses in Montreal Landmarks in Montreal Neoclassical architecture in Canada Buildings and structures in Old Montreal

Early years

Donegana's

First home of Notre-Dame hospital

See also

References

External links