1914-10-23ap

“The announcement was made this morning that the contract had been let for the new Royal Connaught hotel and that work will commence immediately.”

Hamilton Herald.   October 23, 1914.

It had been well known that a new first-class hotel was something that was needed in Hamilton, and that an effort was being made to gather a number of prominent Hamiltonians to invest in such a project.

There was also a property which would be an ideal location for such a hotel. On the south side of King Street East, east of John street, a luxury by the standards of the day had been built in the 1850s. That hotel, the Anglo-American hotel, had been in business for only a few years before it was converted into the Wesleyan Ladies’ College. After that institution ceased operation, the building had been known as the Waldorf Hotel.

Hamilton’s most luxurious hotel, the Royal Hotel, on James Street North, had long become too small, too old-fashioned for the hotel needs of the twentieth century.

 That the possibility of a new major hotel being built in Hamilton was very real, the unexpected events of August, 1914 put that potential project in jeopardy.

The announcement of October, 1914 put to rest concerns that the project might be postponed indefinitely:

“Coming as it does at this time when financial pressure is being felt all through the country owing to the great European war, the decision to go ahead with the enterprise will, it is believed, give impetus to the efforts of the business men to arise to their responsibilities, as many of Hamilton’s business men have shown enough confidence in Hamilton’s future to invest $1,200,000 in the project.”¹

¹ “Contracts Let for Royal Connaught : Announcement Made Today That Work of Building Hamilton’s $1,200,000 Hotel Would Be Proceeded With At Once”

Hamilton Herald. October 23, 1914.

The site of the large building that began its history as the Anglo-American Hotel had already be targeted as the site for what would be the grandest hotel ever to be built in Hamilton to that point.

The contract for construction was let to the firm of Stone & Weber, of Boston. To preempt any criticism that a Hamilton firm was not chosen, the Herald carried the justification given in the announcement as follows :

“The firm has a Canadian charter, and has done work in about fifty cities in Canada and the United States, that called for a total outlay of $150,000,000.

“The firm has a great reputation and unlimited resources. The financial resources of the firm were called upon in connection with the contract, the firm assisting materially in the financing of the proposition before it received the contract. This was the chief reason that the contract was let outside the city.

“At the same time, the directors have laid down a stipulation that, wherever it is possible, Canadian material will be used in erecting the building. The contract stipulates that all the sub-contracts shall be let to Canadians, and, if possible, Hamilton contractors, unless their prices are prohibitive.”¹

The announcement indicated that, when completed, the hotel would be the tallest building in Hamilton at 12 stories. The hotel would have 250 rooms, and would, “set the pace for all future homes for the traveling public.”¹