Joan E. Rankin Meet Me at the Chateau: A Legacy of Memory, 1990
The Chateau Laurier is currently the focus of a major national debate over the compatibility of a proposed new addition. This iconic hotel with its towers and turrets is a familiar landmark not only for Ottawa residents but also for many individuals internationally. The architectural fight over its future is being played out in Lowertown and this book reveals much about the Chateau that has been part of our community’s history for over a hundred years.
The author chronicles the internal as well as the external changes to the Chateau over the decades. She includes accounts of royal visits, famous international visitors and also about residents like Prime Minister Bennett and photographer Yousuf Karsh. But it is the anecdotes told by employees, many from Lowertown, that provide the rich detail. Emile Labranche’s father was an early worker in the engineering department and eventually all seven of his sons worked at the hotel. Both Dan Lupino and his future wife Yvonne Meunier worked in the main dining room. Paul Émile “Red” Tassé, the head barber, travelled with and shaved King George VI during the 1939 Royal Tour. Hector Boisvenu and Henri Seguin were bellmen. These personal accounts add to the book’s rich social history and support the calls to ensure the integrity of this heritage building.