Damaged by fire, then reborn: This storied Banff hotel spans four eras (PHOTOS)

Sep 27 2022, 11:00 pm

The intersection of Banff Avenue and Caribou Street is unquestionably the very heart of downtown Banff’s commercial district and the life of the community.

And for over a century, the Mount Royal Hotel at the southeast corner has had a highly prominent role in bringing life to these crossroads, whether it be its active street frontage — spanning from its new Brazen restaurant at the intersection’s corner at one end of the block to the punched-in retail units south of the hotel lobby — or its commanding presence as one of the tallest buildings in the area, and its well-defined heritage character.

Although the hotel spans a length of about 100 metres of streetfront or nearly half of the very long city block, it can be mistaken for four separate buildings. But up until 2018, that was not the case.

A devastating fire in December 2016 required the hotel to be gutted and rebuilt, but in a manner that preserved and enhanced its heritage features. Photos and videos of the blaze show the fire ripped through the upper level of the mid-section of the building, with a portion of the roof even caving in.

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Although the fire itself was destructive, it was the water damage to extinguish the blaze that did the most damage, according to Mount Royal Hotel manager Mathieu Perreault, who provided Daily Hive Urbanized with a walk-through tour of the property. Firefighters fought the flames erupting through the roof from above, dumping tons of water into the building.

That water cascaded and pooled into every floor of the complex, and solidified into ice from being exposed to Banff’s -30°C overnight low.

About 300 people were safely evacuated; there were no injuries. It was a devastating blow to the community.

Despite the extent of the damage, it only took Pursuit — an Alberta-based attraction and hospitality giant behind some of Banff’s largest and most popular destinations — 18 months to redesign and plan the hotel’s reconstruction, receive the necessary permitting, and carry out construction. Mount Royal Hotel officially reopened on Canada Day 2018.

What was visually a large monotonous building before the fire is now less monolithic and more human scale, said Darren Enss, the director of planning and development for the City of Banff, in an interview with Daily Hive Urbanized.

Before the 2016 fire:

Mount Royal Hotel Banff before 2016 fire

Pre-2016 fire condition of the previous Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Google Maps)

After the 2018-completed reconstruction:

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Three-fourths of the hotel that front Banff Avenue have had their facades reimagined to celebrate each section’s unique history and varying era of construction. The remaining quarter section of the hotel — the southernmost section — already had a unique facade character, as it was the Cascades Hotel up until 1992, when Mount Royal Hotel absorbed the property as an expansion.

Enss said the removal of the mansard roof in the two middle sections while preserving the mansard roof for the northernmost quarter section of the hotel, is key for its new fine-grained urban style.

During the review process for the hotel’s reconstruction, Enns said the taller height of the hotel, reaching up to four storeys, was protected instead of requiring the project to follow the current bylaws limiting to three storeys.

“We have some very rigid design guidelines in Banff. We make sure the buildings that are built here reflect our community,” said Enns.

“We require our buildings to have stone on the first level, maximum of three storeys, and strong pedestrian elements like structural canopies.”

Before the 2016 fire:

Mount Royal Hotel Banff before 2016 fire

Pre-2016 fire condition of the previous Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Google Maps)

After the 2018-completed reconstruction:

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The rebuilt Mount Royal Hotel embraced the incorporation of four weather protection canopy typologies over the sidewalk, with unique designs that further established each quarter section’s distinct identity.

All of this gives rise to Mount Royal Hotel’s varying structural history spanning the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Signs in the interior’s long hallways and stone exterior facade demarcate where one era begins and ends.

The exterior facade differences are clearly highlighted by both their architectural form and nighttime lighting that accentuates the features.

Inside the hotel, the varying eras are made evident by the different interior colours for each of the four sections. The rooms have varying sizes and styles due to the era they were constructed, but they all have the same decor.

As the Mount Royal Hotel was shorter than Cascades Hotel by several feet, a small staircase was installed in the 1990s to seamlessly connect the hallways as much as possible. Prior to the 2016 fire, the last major renovation to the property was conducted in the 1990s as part of the integration and renewal of the adjacent hotel building. The Cascades Hotel structure that exists today was built in 1949.

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Perreault also explained that the 1960s section of the hotel, originally named Banff Hotel, exists because a fire in 1967 burnt down the oldest wing of the hotel, dating back to 1908. This section is the northernmost wing of the hotel, fronting the intersection. It was subsequently rebuilt, with the 1940s and 1950s sections retained and renovated.

Altogether, following the 2016 fire, Pursuit spent $45 million to not only rebuild the hotel with enhanced heritage charm and contemporary amenities and features, but also modern critical building systems — new plumbing, HVAC, and most importantly, fire prevention and suppression systems. The property now has a total of 133 guest rooms.

The footprint of the rebuilt hotel stayed the same, with its modernization and thoughtfulness to its heritage and place now making it a shimmering highlight in downtown Banff. The intricate restoration design was quickly produced by architectural firm Dialog.

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 1908 1967 original fire

The previous oldest part of Mount Royal Hotel, originally known as Banff Hotel, at the northernmost parcel of the block next to the prominent intersection. This hotel wing was built in 1908, and burned down in 1967. (Pursuit)

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

Nighttime lighting on the 2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

The possibility of growing larger than what previously existed before the fire is challenged by not only Banff’s bylaws for height and character but also the federal government’s cap on the amount of commercial floor area that can be built in the mountain town inside the national park.

Banff’s commercial space is limited to 3.8 million sq ft or about 10% of the total area of the town.

The population of Banff is about 8,000, but it swells up to 50,000 during the peak season when visitors in accommodations are also accounted for.

In contrast, Whistler has about 12,000 residents, and its population also grows to about 50,000 when visitors are included in the peak season tally. Whistler has a self-imposed municipal limit on the amount of commercial space that can be built, now reaching a total of 2.6 million sq ft and a separate limit on the number of beds for both residents and visitors.

For Banff, Enns says the commercial space cap has forced businesses to continuously reinvent themselves in creative ways, and fill every nook and cranny to optimize space for retail, dining, and entertainment.

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff, adding a rooftop lounge within the former Cascades Hotel. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff, adding a rooftop lounge within the former Cascades Hotel. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

brazen restaurant mount royal hotel banff

Inside the 2022-opened Brazen restaurant at Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Pursuit)

Hotel lobby before the 2016 fire:

Mount Royal Hotel Banff before 2016 fire 1

The previous pre-2016 fire lobby of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Pursuit)

Hotel lobby after the 2018-completed reconstruction:

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022 35

2022 post-renovation condition of the lobby at Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Pursuit)

This is also the case for Mount Royal Hotel. During the pandemic, they did not waste the downtime from the downturn in tourism by refurbishing a portion of the uppermost floor of the former Cascade Hotel at the southernmost end of the property. The floor area of several rooms was turned into an amenity space for guests, with an expansive indoor lounge area that opens up to an outdoor area with hot whirlpools. From both the indoor and outdoor lounge space, guests can enjoy panoramic views of the town and surrounding mountains.

And at the opposite end of the hotel, the northernmost end, the restaurant saw a complete reinvention, also carried out during the pandemic. The prominent corner space occupied by Orlando-based restaurant chain Tony Roma’s was replaced with an in-house creation by Pursuit that provides a curated local flair and nod to Banff and the province.

The new concept restaurant of Brazen opened within Tony Roma’s space this past July.

Brazen head chef Dan Jiricka told Daily Hive Urbanized the new restaurant combines a new modern twist with the old twist in both its menu and interior design, with the best of Alberta matched with an international, fusion, and daring touch.

Banquettes and booths in the previous restaurant configuration that divided the space were removed to create a more open-concept restaurant. Kids writing on the historic bricks of the interior Tony Roma’s were removed, and more of the restaurant was opened up to the hotel lobby.

“This hotel itself has been one of the oldest in Banff, so we wanted to pay homage to the pioneers and people who explored the land to what it is now,” said Jiricka.

Northern 1960s section of Mount Royal Hotel:

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

1960s section: 2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

1940s mid-section of Mount Royal Hotel:

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

1940s section: 2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

1950s mid-section of Mount Royal Hotel:

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

1950s section: 2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Southern 1940s section of Mount Royal Hotel, previously the Cascades Hotel until 1992:

Mount Royal Hotel Banff 2022

1940s-built section: 2022 post-renovation condition of Mount Royal Hotel in Banff. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

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