The Fairmont Royal York, formerly known as the Royal York Hotel, is a large and historic hotel in downtown Toronto, Ontario at 100 Front Street West.

Opened on June 11, 1929, it was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway across the street from Union Station, which at the time was very close to the Toronto harbourfront. With 28 floors, it was the tallest building in Toronto, and the tallest building in the British Empire until the construction of Toronto’s Bank of Commerce tower on King St. one year later. It was built in the Chateau style that became popular for large hotel architecture across Canada. It replaced the Queen's Hotel that had opened in 1856 and for several decades had been Toronto's most prestigious hotel but it was torn down to make way for the new structure.

It was a state of the art hotel when it was constructed, with ten elevators, a radio in each of its 1,048 rooms, each with its private shower or bath. Other features included a large Concert Hall fitted with an impressive Casavant Frères pipe organ. With five-manuals and 107 stops, it was the largest pipe organ in Canada. The telephone switchboard was 66 feet long and required 35 operators.

After it was acquired by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain, there was a public outcry when it was announced that the hotel president planned to take down the historic “Royal York” sign and replace it with a new “Fairmont” sign. As a result of the protest, a new sign with both names “Fairmont Royal York” was erected.

Also see

List of famous hotels

External link

http://www.fairmont.com/royalyork