Expansion
In 1906, a fire destroyed almost 100 guest rooms. The fire did not adversely impact the hotel's success or reputation, but simply prompted significant renovations and the addition of a new wing, known as the Windsor Annex, to the north of the original building. The number of rooms more than doubled, going from 368 to 750, and the hotel now occupied an entire city block. The north annex contained the famous "Peacock Alley" (named after the peacock designs in its stained glass windows), and two additional ballrooms. Unlike the rest of the hotel, the north annex was designed in the Second Empire style. The new annex cost C$1 million to construct and opened in 1908.
The success of the hotel helped draw large commercial enterprises to this part of Montreal, including Morgan's and Ogilvy's, and contributed to the slow decline of Montreal's other grand railway hotel, the Hotel Place Viger.
Read more about this topic: Windsor Hotel (Montreal)
Famous quotes containing the word expansion:
“Artistic genius is an expansion of monkey imitativeness.”
—W. Winwood Reade (1838–1875)
“The fundamental steps of expansion that will open a person, over time, to the full flowering of his or her individuality are the same for both genders. But men and women are rarely in the same place struggling with the same questions at the same age.”
—Gail Sheehy (20th century)
“We are caught up Mr. Perry on a great wave whether we will or no, a great wave of expansion and progress. All these mechanical inventions—telephones, electricity, steel bridges, horseless vehicles—they are all leading somewhere. It’s up to us to be on the inside in the forefront of progress.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)