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Historic Albion Hotel gets eclectic overhaul
THANA DHARMARAJAH
The Record
GUELPH (Jul 17, 2007)
When patrons step into Guelph's Albion Hotel once it undergoes its dramatic restoration, they'll blink twice wondering if they are in the wrong joint.
Throwing open the solid oak doors of the historical landmark on Norfolk Street, you'll walk inside and encounter what's almost a lounge, with a booth laden with pillows opposite leather chairs.
Dangling just above the mahogany tables are tiny lamps.
In another corner of the room are plush armchairs you can sink into.
"We're drawing off of different eras of music, popular culture, creative art and the history of the Albion itself," said Andrew Donaldson, the current owner of the Albion Hotel.
It's going to be an eclectic fusion of early Canadian heritage and classic pub motif, he said.
The upstairs will be left relatively untouched and remain as the historical anchor of the building.
Donaldson purchased the hotel in 2005 from Rodger Crane, who owned it for 23 years.
A crew of workers have been hammering away at the Albion, putting up the refurbished neon sign that's been hanging outside the stone building since 1946 and moving in new furniture for the last month.
It's a work in progress, said Donaldson, who expects the restoration to be completed in late summer or early fall.
His intention is to keep the spirit of the Albion Hotel and its philosophy of embracing different aspects of popular culture.
The Albion Hotel has been standing at the corner of Norfolk and Macdonell since 1856, when it opened as Stella's Tavern, Crane said.
It's believed to have the second-oldest liquor licence in Ontario, Donaldson added.
The original building was wooden, said local historian Gil Stelter, and built in a restrained Georgian style that precedes the flamboyant Victorian style.
The neon sign is an "art moderne" style popular in the 1930s, which was an imitation of industrial design.
In the 1980s, the sign was recognized as a historical artifact by the Guelph Arts Council.
The Albion was a popular overnight spot for farmers who brought goods to be sold at the Winter Fair building, Stelter said.
Many employees who worked at the Bell sewing factory on Carden Street also stayed at the hotel, he said.
"It was an urban community's connection to the countryside."
Legend has it that 1920s Chicago mobster Al Capone had a mistress at the hotel, while others believe the woman was Hamilton bootlegger Rocco Perri's mistress.
Whichever theory is correct, many vow the woman still haunts the building.
Crane said he's seen her on occasion, out of the corner of his eye, but only when there's not a lot of people around. The thin woman in a wispy white dress seemed to be about 18 to 25 years old, he said.
When he worked in his upstairs office, he would occasionally hear doors opening and shutting and people walking in the hallways, but when he peered outside, there was no one there.
Customer Ashley Kasaboski, who visits the Albion every Thursday to listen to independent and '80s music with her friends, said she'll miss the old flavour of the bar.
"It was almost a little bit divey," she said. "It was fun and it was so comfortable. . . . It seemed like it was untouched."
But Donaldson, who's now the eighth owner of the Albion, said the bar's taken different directions in terms of atmosphere and decor over the years.
In fact, in 1983 under Crane, the bar became the first in Guelph to have a licensed patio.
"The difficulty is so many people have so many different views of what the Albion represents," Donaldson said.
He said he's trying to extract from as many different eras as possible, while giving the building a much needed cleanup and revitalization.
The building was in a dire state and had been long neglected.
Nerina McElroy and Carl Collin, who were recently having lunch on the ground-floor patio of the Albion, said it's the place where they come for a relaxing evening.
McElroy said she's glad to see they're "classing" up the joint.
"It's not dingy," she said about the new interior. "You come in and you want to sit down and you want to bring your friends in."
The decor of the Albion isn't entirely what draws folks to gather there for drinks after work or late in the evenings, Alison Miles said.
She became a regular, coming in at least twice a week, because the bar offered local music and had great food at a cheap price, she said.
Now, the Albion has not only spruced up its menu with offerings such as chicken and mushroom crepes, shrimp stir-fry and Thai shrimp kebabs but has kept the prices low.
Donaldson said the bar will showcase local visual artists on a two-month rotation, while the upstairs will continue to promote local, independent and live music.
Once the doors are thrown open to the new Albion, there will be an official celebration for the local community.
For this, Donaldson will invite current and former employees and customers from different eras, he said.
THANA DHARMARAJAH
The Record
GUELPH (Jul 17, 2007)
When patrons step into Guelph's Albion Hotel once it undergoes its dramatic restoration, they'll blink twice wondering if they are in the wrong joint.
Throwing open the solid oak doors of the historical landmark on Norfolk Street, you'll walk inside and encounter what's almost a lounge, with a booth laden with pillows opposite leather chairs.
Dangling just above the mahogany tables are tiny lamps.
In another corner of the room are plush armchairs you can sink into.
"We're drawing off of different eras of music, popular culture, creative art and the history of the Albion itself," said Andrew Donaldson, the current owner of the Albion Hotel.
It's going to be an eclectic fusion of early Canadian heritage and classic pub motif, he said.
The upstairs will be left relatively untouched and remain as the historical anchor of the building.
Donaldson purchased the hotel in 2005 from Rodger Crane, who owned it for 23 years.
A crew of workers have been hammering away at the Albion, putting up the refurbished neon sign that's been hanging outside the stone building since 1946 and moving in new furniture for the last month.
It's a work in progress, said Donaldson, who expects the restoration to be completed in late summer or early fall.
His intention is to keep the spirit of the Albion Hotel and its philosophy of embracing different aspects of popular culture.
The Albion Hotel has been standing at the corner of Norfolk and Macdonell since 1856, when it opened as Stella's Tavern, Crane said.
It's believed to have the second-oldest liquor licence in Ontario, Donaldson added.
The original building was wooden, said local historian Gil Stelter, and built in a restrained Georgian style that precedes the flamboyant Victorian style.
The neon sign is an "art moderne" style popular in the 1930s, which was an imitation of industrial design.
In the 1980s, the sign was recognized as a historical artifact by the Guelph Arts Council.
The Albion was a popular overnight spot for farmers who brought goods to be sold at the Winter Fair building, Stelter said.
Many employees who worked at the Bell sewing factory on Carden Street also stayed at the hotel, he said.
"It was an urban community's connection to the countryside."
Legend has it that 1920s Chicago mobster Al Capone had a mistress at the hotel, while others believe the woman was Hamilton bootlegger Rocco Perri's mistress.
Whichever theory is correct, many vow the woman still haunts the building.
Crane said he's seen her on occasion, out of the corner of his eye, but only when there's not a lot of people around. The thin woman in a wispy white dress seemed to be about 18 to 25 years old, he said.
When he worked in his upstairs office, he would occasionally hear doors opening and shutting and people walking in the hallways, but when he peered outside, there was no one there.
Customer Ashley Kasaboski, who visits the Albion every Thursday to listen to independent and '80s music with her friends, said she'll miss the old flavour of the bar.
"It was almost a little bit divey," she said. "It was fun and it was so comfortable. . . . It seemed like it was untouched."
But Donaldson, who's now the eighth owner of the Albion, said the bar's taken different directions in terms of atmosphere and decor over the years.
In fact, in 1983 under Crane, the bar became the first in Guelph to have a licensed patio.
"The difficulty is so many people have so many different views of what the Albion represents," Donaldson said.
He said he's trying to extract from as many different eras as possible, while giving the building a much needed cleanup and revitalization.
The building was in a dire state and had been long neglected.
Nerina McElroy and Carl Collin, who were recently having lunch on the ground-floor patio of the Albion, said it's the place where they come for a relaxing evening.
McElroy said she's glad to see they're "classing" up the joint.
"It's not dingy," she said about the new interior. "You come in and you want to sit down and you want to bring your friends in."
The decor of the Albion isn't entirely what draws folks to gather there for drinks after work or late in the evenings, Alison Miles said.
She became a regular, coming in at least twice a week, because the bar offered local music and had great food at a cheap price, she said.
Now, the Albion has not only spruced up its menu with offerings such as chicken and mushroom crepes, shrimp stir-fry and Thai shrimp kebabs but has kept the prices low.
Donaldson said the bar will showcase local visual artists on a two-month rotation, while the upstairs will continue to promote local, independent and live music.
Once the doors are thrown open to the new Albion, there will be an official celebration for the local community.
For this, Donaldson will invite current and former employees and customers from different eras, he said.