A place where history and hospitality share a stylish, storied home
Here we offer a few highlights from the Lord Elgin’s origin story, including excerpts from The Lord Elgin: Mackenzie King’s capital vision and the birth of a landmark.
“Steady streams of military personnel, public servants and equipment suppliers from coast to coast were pouring into the capital every day to plan and carry out Canada’s war effort.”
First conceived of after the outbreak of World War II, in 1939, the Lord Elgin’s conception and construction solved a practical problem—a wartime hotel-room shortage—in a way that also made an enduring contribution to Ottawa’s transformation into a world-class metropolis.
“After talks with city alderman Chester Pickering and other top municipal and federal officials, John C. “Jack” Udd, president of the U.S.-based Ford Hotels Company, tentatively agreed to construct a hotel with at least 350 rooms. But the exact site, design, and financial terms still had to be worked out. Who ultimately made it all happen? None other than Canada’s wartime prime minister: William Lyon Mackenzie King.”
After approval of the hotel’s plans, construction—”at the height of the war and through the dead of winter”—was completed in just 10 months, yielding an elegant limestone building with 12 storeys and 400 rooms.
“At the cornerstone ceremony marking The Lord Elgin’s construction in February 1941, a time when Britain was reeling from the enemy’s nighttime bombing Blitz and the future of all democratic nations was in doubt, the fast-rising hotel was hailed as a symbol of the faith that freedom would ultimately prevail over tyranny.”
In the ensuing 80+ years, there have been ownership changes, major expansions, and momentous happenings in the life of the Lord Elgin. Through it all, thousands of hotel employees and millions of guests and visitors have added layer upon layer of human experience to this dignified architectural gem.
Our history remains at the heart of our identity, and we hope you’ll agree that the Lord Elgin has only improved with age. To this day, the hotel continues its longstanding commitment to the social and cultural development of Ottawa, and to Canada as a whole. We invite you to come and visit this special place that offers so much to discover!
