The Royal York Hotel

Royal York Hotel
Address	100 Front Street West
City	Toronto, , Ontario
Country	Canada
Type of Location	Hotel

Overview

The Royal York Hotel is a large and historic hotel in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 100 Front Street West.

Opened on June 11, 1929, the Royal York was designed by Ross and Macdonald (with Sproatt and Rolph) and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway across the street from Union Station. With 28 floors, the Château-style building was the tallest building in Toronto at that time, and the tallest building in the British Empire until the construction of Toronto’s Canadian Bank of Commerce tower on King Street one year later.

History

It is the third hotel to occupy the site. In 1843 the Ontario Terrace opened at this site and was renamed Sword's Hotel in 1853. The hotel was renamed again in 1860 as Revere House and finally as the Queen's Hotel in 1862. Prior to its demolition, the Queen's Hotel had been one of Toronto's most prestigious hotels. The Queens Hotel was owned by Winnett and McGaw. Winnett and McGaw were the hoteliers of Upper Canada at the turn of the century owning the Queens Royal Hotel in Niagara on the Lake and were managing partners in the Tecumsie House in London, Ontario. Henry Winnett acquired Dick McGaw's interest in the hotels after his death. Henry Winnett's estate eventually sold the Queens Hotel to the Canadian Pacific Railway, who then demolished the Queen's Hotel and built the Royal York. Both Thomas Dick McGaw and Henry Winnett are buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery with several members of their families.

It was a state-of-the-art hotel when it was constructed, with ten elevators, a radio in each of its 1,048 rooms, and a private shower or bath in each room. 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. The hotel was enlarged in 1959 with the addition of the east wing to a total of 1,600 rooms and was the largest hotel in the Commonwealth for many years.

The hotel has been the residence of choice for Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Canadian Royal Family when in Toronto. The Queen usually has an entire floor reserved for her and her party, occupying the Royal Suite herself.

Characters Associated with the Royal York Hotel

• The Golden Claw

Episodes Featured in

• The Golden Claw - The hidden top floor, accessed by a secret elevator, is the headquarters for the Golden Claw; Until the Red Panda and the Flying Squirrel capture them.