The Art of Design Issue 29 2017 | Page 75

75 When it opened in 1958, The Queen Elizabeth was one of the world’s great modern hotels, and it remains Canada’s largest hotel east of Toronto. Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth embodies the midcentury vision of the perfect hotel: a grand international-style building built at the heart of the key infrastructure projects of the day, a beacon of modernity lighting the way to downtown Montreal’s future. At the time, the hotel’s original brand (Hilton) was still closely linked to passenger rail, specifically the Canadian National Railway. In the 1960s, the hotel’s restaurants and lounges, such as the Beaver Club, attracted international politicians and businesspeople. Legendary musicians like Oscar Peterson performed there, and the hotel hosted an impressive list of prestigious parties, balls and events attended by heads of state, royalty and captains of industry. Today, the hotel pays tribute to its past by providing an inspiring space and new programming in tune with its quintessential Montreal character. Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth is opening itself to the city, making the most of its spectacular views, and providing living and working spaces that will encourage local and international clients to make it their own.