Earthmoving equipment digging up Thunder Bay’s waterfront behind the venerable Prince Arthur Hotel suggests the next century of the city’s north side could look remarkably different from its first 100 years.
Staff at the former Canadian Northern Railway hotel marked its 100th year anniversary for one night this past spring by dipping into the past.
They took a page out of the opening night menu from March 14, 1911, serving caviar hors d’oeuvres, essence of tomato soup, halibut and beef tenderloin.
It was a sold-out evening gala attended by 163 patrons
“We could have sold more tickets, but we wanted to keep it nice and elegant,” said Tony Scarcello, hotel manager for the past six years.
The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society staged a symposium on the hotel’s history and supplied several historical pieces for the event.
The Prince Arthur was built at a time of great prosperity as the former twin cities of Fort William and Port Arthur became established as major global grain ports.
The hotel’s origins date back to a 1908 poker game on a westbound railway coach when Port Arthur Mayor J. J. Carrick offered the land to Canadian Northern Railway president William Mackenzie.
Instead of the hotel being built for a modest $250,000, its final price tag was a staggering $850,000.
“And here we are 100 years later,” said Scarcello.
The stately brick and stone building on Cumberland Street on the former Port Arthur side of the city offers an unobstructed harbour view of the Sleeping Giant.
Where once Great Lakes package freighters and passenger liners unloaded cargo and passengers disembarked onto the piers and onto trains for the trip west, the landscape has been gradually transformed over the years from a working harbour to a people place.
It’s the site of multi-million dollar waterfront revitalization effort — Prince Arthur’s Landing — that’s being viewed as a catalyst for urban renewal in the city’s north end.
“I think we have the best location with the marina and with the waterfront development, It’s going to be good for us,” said Scarcello.
Though unimpressed at the prospect of a new waterfront boutique hotel going up, Scarcello reconciles that “having another property down here is going to draw people this way.”
He’s also keen on the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission’s vision to revitalize the downtown and spruce up the historical district.
The commission’s CEO Steve Demmings compared the Prince Arthur to another famous railway hotel, the Fort Garry, in his hometown of Winnipeg.
Demmings moved his staff into the Whalen Building across the street, another heritage building that is being restored to its original lustre and is being showcased as an information technology centre.
“The plan he has for that building is incredible in putting everything back the way it used to be,” said Scarcello. “That’s what we’re doing here as we’re updating.”
The hotel has spent $1 million on new carpets, beds and drapes for the 120 guest rooms, with new furniture arriving this summer. But they’re also preserving the past by retaining crown moldings and exposing part of the marble staircases.
“People love that stuff, it adds character,” said Scarcello.
“We’ve come a long way over the last few years, but we still have a ways to go.”
Scarcello said they’ll be staging smaller promotional events this year, including a client appreciation night for their regular customers and suppliers.
