By Michelle Ramsay-Borg
“La chaise à Yvette, la reine du Château,” her chair proclaims, with a plaque funded by fellow habitués of The Laff to celebrate Yvette’s joyous 80th birthday last year Daily, for four decades, she has taken the bus from her home at Bank and Somerset to spend the evening in her second home, the Château Lafayette She stays right up until the minute when she has to leave to catch the last bus She has the timing down pat, thanks to years of experience Some nights the bartender offers Yvette a lift, which she accepts, happy to stay put in her chair until lights out.
Yvette is one patron amongst millions that the oldest public house in Ottawa has welcomed at 42 York Street over the past 166 years More than eight generations of Lowertowners have crossed over the threshold since it opened in 1849 under the name Grant’s Hotel’ It was the first of seven names for the hotel over the years, including Salmon’s, Dominion House and Bodega’, the Spanish word for wine cellar An oddity, considering that the public house sold only beer until 1999.
The Bodega Hotel was renamed Château Lafayette in 1936, a change marked by the installation of its neon sign—thought to be the oldest neon sign in Ottawa
Today, the Château Lafayette, whose lounge is fondly known as The Laff, is a family business owned and operated by Jill Scott, her brother Todd Scott and her uncle John Sloan.
General Manager Jill started with The Laff in 1985, “doing the books at home when the kids were small, then working here beginning in 1991” Her husband, Pierre Labelle, was the head bartender through the 1990s Jill adds, “I feel honoured to have been involved for so long, especially now that there is more public awareness of what The Laff is to Ottawa”
Jill’s daughter, Deek Labelle, is Assistant General Manager and the third generation to work in the business since her grandfather James Scott bought it in 1966 “I’ve been here my whole life, full-time since 2007 I’ve worked every position possible, from the kitchen to the bar”, said Deek, her eyes alight with enthusiasm “Canada Day for me is always a highlight, the one day of the year I tend the bar This becomes the coolest place in Ottawa on Canada Day” Interesting, considering that the public house had already been operating for 18 years when Confederation, the event celebrated on Canada Day, occurred.
In 1849, the hotel’s first year, the Parliament Buildings were not even conceived of yet, but the canal was completed, the second-generation market building had just opened, and Notre-Dame Cathedral was under construction In September that year, people took refuge in Grant’s Hotel to escape the Stoney Monday riot—one of the seminal events leading up to the selection of Ottawa as the capital city.
In its early years, Grant’s Hotel put up farmers who came to Ottawa for the week to sell their produce in the market Over time, the establishment at 42 York came to be frequented by itinerant workers and local labourers, and soldiers during war time By 1936, when it became the Château Lafayette House, it was a seedy and raucous place that didn’t lack for customers.
When tourists discovered’ the ByWard Market in the 1950s and 60s, some stopped in at the Château Lafayette to soak up the vibes of what was then known as a dive bar By the 1970s and 80s, after James Scott took over the business, it had evolved into a laid-back student hang-out, with live music, no cover charge and affordable beer.
The 1990s were marked by top-to-bottom renovations, beginning with the washrooms (which are located in the old vaults of the Dominion Bank, next-door neighbour to the hotel back in the early 1900s) and ending with the installation of a new bar in 1999—a necessity when the family started offering liquor as well as beer.
The 90s also brought a change in atmosphere and image for The Laff It transitioned into a relaxed pub, attracting patrons who didn’t “drink their face off,” as Deek puts it But they liked to smoke, and they stayed away in droves when the city enacted its smoking bylaw “It was such a huge change, such a bad time for business,” according to Jill The Laff survived on income from submarine sandwiches, having bought a Quiznos franchise in 2003 The sub shop took over half the area of their former lounge.
Also thanks to its Quiznos business, the Laff was able to hold onto music, unlike other pubs and bars Jill explains, “Bars couldn’t afford musicians any more, because they took such a big hit (financially) Thirteen years after the smoking bylaw, it’s still really tough to find live music in the market.”
Except at The Laff, where it resonates through the old plank floors and bounces off the walls most evenings and weekend afternoons “Local artist and icon” John Carroll has performed weekly since 2004, and “local Ottawa legend” Lucky Ron has filled the room every Saturday for the past 16 years Birdie Whyte is also a big draw, with her open-mic nights and Sunday solo shows All free, as Deek reminds us, “Never a cover charge, ever!” Reviews on tripadvisorcom and elsewhere attest to the popularity of The Laff’s musicians.
What is a typical day at The Laff? “We see everyone from ages 19 to 81,” Deek replies “First, there are the daytime regulars, older men who faithfully watch The Price is Right’ and News at Noon’ Don’t ever change the channel on them!” She continues, “Then the place is quiet for a couple of hours, until the after-work crowd comes in looking for drink specials There’s usually a blip of tourists too” By late night, “We get the staff from bars and restaurants in the market, and musicians after their shows end” Deek adds, “It’s like taking a ride on a bus You never know who is going to be sitting next to you.”
And what about the hotel? Is it still operating? Deek says yes, it is, with mostly long-term rentals “We have 19 tenants, all men, nice quiet people who share a need for assisted living and companionship Some hold down simple jobs; others do small tasks from time to time around the place Garry, who is in his late sixties, has been living here and working at The Laff for about 30 years.”
The upstairs quarters where tenants live did not escape the renovation years In fact, a few surprises were uncovered A wall demolition revealed an old fireplace in Room 5 that contained a 1908 postcard from Toronto and tickets for moonlight cruise on the Duchess of York dated July 11, 1910. When the lounge was renovated to accommodate Quiznos, workers found lovely embellished tiles under four layers of flooring Ten years later, when Rob Pennie designed new signage, he incorporated a corner of the tile’s four-sided maple leaf medallion The sign is a work of art, hardwood hand-carved by Rob and his son Sorel, owners of Trisohn Construction.
What’s next for The Laff? Well, more renovations because they need more space “Business is good, we’re even hosting weddings Two last year, including for our bartender Jourdon and his wife Lauren, who works at Play Lucky Ron married his sweetheart Kathy here in 2001,” says Deek Her younger brother, Francois Labelle, has moved back from Vancouver to help with the renovations and the business.
They created more space for The Laff by closing Quiznos, and they are putting in a kitchen Deek describes it as “A simple kitchen with a simple menu that showcases the food sold in the market We want to promote our neighbours, and local beers” The room set-up is being designed to take advantage of acoustics, “We’ve had a lot of years to figure out how the music sounds best, and we’re going to rebuild the bar so we can load it from the back, making it longer too, for customers who like to be at the bar.”
With all this rebuilding, they’ll hold onto the mementos There’s the painting of a former bartender, donated by a regular in honour of Mark’s 32 years of service Next to it is a painting of long-time regular “Old Eddie”, donated by another regular, artist and poet Robert Craig Another keeper is a painting mounted on the ceiling that portrays God serving a quart to Adam, mimicking the Sistine Chapel’s Creation of Adam’ by Michelangelo It was painted by Christine, who is a big fan of The Laff Add to these all the old still-good fixtures and vintage commercial signs, as well as Yvette’s chair, and you have over a century’s worth of memories being safeguarded by the Scott family.
The renovations will be finished in time for Canada Day, so pencil in a peek at the New Laff on your calendar for July 1st this year It’s the only day of the year you’ll see Deek behind, rather than in front of, the bar at The Laff “the coolest place in Ottawa on Canada Day.”
“Come in no matter who you are, what you’re wearing or where you’re from We offer an equally good time for everyone.”
For more of the history of the Chateau Lafayette, visit www.thelaff.ca.