Parker: Fairmont Palliser celebrates 110th anniversary

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In the history of this city, no other building compares with the life and times of the Fairmont Palliser hotel, which opened June 1, 1914.

We are all invited to celebrate its 110^th birthday by walking down memory lane at a Turning Moments into Memories photographic exhibition currently running until year end.

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Located in the hallways of the mezzanine level of the hotel and in the foyer of the Alberta Room, it really begins as you walk up the grand staircase from the stately lobby area. There you will want to pause to look at early photographs, including one of bakers Mahood Cokar and Frank Nady, and the original brick oven in which the hotel’s famed crusty French bread was baked. Cokar was just one of the hotel’s many long-serving employees who worked as a baker for 41 years beginning in 1970.

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The Palliser originally opened as an imposing eight-storey hotel offering 350 suites served by 300 staff. Three more floors and a penthouse suite were added in 1929 — the tallest building in the city until Elveden House was built in 1958.

As Calgary grew, many other hotels were built. But while so many suffered demolition, the Palliser maintained its status as the place where the rich and famous stayed, and Calgarians gathered to celebrate important family events in the Crystal Ballroom. The majestic exterior also appeared in many photographs, a backdrop as a memory of a visit to this city, and collectors can find dozens of different views on postcards — my favourite looking along 9^th Avenue with the CPR Station in the foreground.

The exhibition delves into the nostalgia of the Palliser’s staff and the dedicated individuals who have contributed to its history over the years. Room staff, seamstresses, bartenders and servers are shown in a 1919 photograph. And life in the hotel can also be seen in a 1940s photo of the proud staff showing off their new uniforms, the staff choir that performed in the lobby, and even while clearing tables.

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Palliser hotel managers were well-known and highly respected citizens; there’s a photo of the longest serving general manager, Don Williams, who held that position for 13 years from 1966 to 1979.

On May 10, the exhibition switches to the evolution of Calgary’s skyline with the Palliser’s enduring presence amid the city’s ever-changing landscape, including welcoming its new neighbour — the Calgary Tower — in 1968.

In July and August the exhibition focuses on the hotel’s experiences with the excitement and pageantry of the Calgary Stampede — many will remember the horses and chuckwagons in the lobby.

The hotel’s role within the entertainment industry will be featured in September and October, highlighting the glamour of music and movies made within the Palliser’s walls. Big bands were popular in the 1930s and 40s, while k.d. Lang was applauded as a singer in 1985. Many movies have been shot inside the Palliser, and stars such as Lee Marvin and Sissy Spacek were guests while shooting Prime Cut in 1972. Other stars include Roy Rogers, Cary Grant, Sophia Loren — and the list goes on.

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Many of the hotel’s other famous guests will be the focus of the exhibition from Oct. 25 to Dec. 28; images that showcase the distinguished personalities who have graced the hotel in its long history. One of the earliest was Queen Victoria’s son, former Canadian governor general Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, who came to the hotel in 1914. Queen Elizabeth was also a guest several times. Politicians such as Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill were guests, and there is a photograph of Mikhail Gorbachev taken with the staff.

The photographic exhibition, coupled with the publication of the book The Fairmont Palliser: The Story of Calgary’s Most Iconic Hotel, by local historian Harry Sanders, will share more than a century of cherished memories and timeless elegance.

Notes:

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has announced its new list of fellows, to be inducted in the RAIC College next month. It includes Calgary architects Keesa Hutchinson, associate principal of Keystone Architecture and Planning, and Joanne Perdue, associate vice-president of sustainability at the University of Calgary.

David Parker appears regularly in the Herald. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622.

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