Château Laurier in Ottawa was commissioned by Charles Melville Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Railway. Bradford Gilbert of New York was dismissed after disagreements with the railway, and the Montreal firm Ross and Macfarlane completed the design. Construction ran from 1909 to 1912 and cost 2 million Canadian dollars.
The style is French Gothic Revival in the Châteauesque manner, meant to complement the nearby Parliament buildings. The exterior is Indiana limestone under a copper-clad roof, with conical turrets and carved gables. The lobby floors are Belgian marble. It has 429 rooms and about 660,000 square feet.
Hays died on the Titanic, and the opening ceremony was held on June 12, 1912. A 1929 east wing added 240 rooms. It is a National Historic Site and is managed by Fairmont. The article gives no public visiting hours.
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