alklay
Senior Member
Hey, why don't they knock it down and use some of the old brick in a new point tower....oh, right. That is what we do here in Toronto. 
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Montreal's Ritz Carlton expansion
- Thread starter MartinMtl
- Start date
Edward
Senior Member
I'm not but aren't they plopping something new on top of something old here which is what they are doing in the DD.
unimaginative2
Senior Member
Not to let this get off topic, but there's a difference between renovating and adding on to an older building, and demolishing one that's part of a heritage district and replacing it with something entirely new.
Montreal's really got an amazing number of hotel projects underway. Interesting that they're finally going to be joining the chain. I wonder if it'll be the next destination for Shangri-La now that they've done Toronto and Vancouver.
Montreal's really got an amazing number of hotel projects underway. Interesting that they're finally going to be joining the chain. I wonder if it'll be the next destination for Shangri-La now that they've done Toronto and Vancouver.
ganjavih
Senior Member
Then you missed one of the major points made in the thread, the issue of scale.
Compare:
versus
H
Hydrogen
Guest
Turns the Distillery District into the brown-brick condo ammenity.
^Excellent point and thanks for making it.
^Excellent point and thanks for making it.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Another fine combination of the new with the old. I wouldn't have thought that the difference between building an addition to a hotel that has been in continuous use for almost a century on a modest sized site in one city, and entirely reinventing an abandoned former industrial complex on a 13 acre site in another city, would be all that difficult to grasp - even by those who Edward identifies as the "anti-DD tower types".
H
Hydrogen
Guest
One could characterize the Ritz proposal as a relatively modest and respectful addition. The Distillery includes large, multi-story towers and a podium that spans a considerable portion of the district. the difference is in scale and proportion, not adding the new to the old. One would have hoped that this would be clear by now.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Indeed. How many more attempted comparisons between far-flung corners of the earth and the Distillery District must we put up with before people realize that there is no interchangeability and they give up?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080122.PRRITZ22/TPStory/?query=aging+grande+dame
PROPERTY REPORT: HOTELS
Aging grande dame gets a facelift
More than cosmetics for Montreal's Ritz-Carlton: The old, stone hotel is getting a glass addition - and condos
HELGA LOVERSEED
Special to The Globe and Mail
January 22, 2008
MONTREAL -- Montrealers appreciate their old buildings and can get quite annoyed when somebody proposes a radical facelift to a historic edifice - recently, it was the glass cube addition proposed for the old Erskine and American United Church that raised the ire of the architectural heritage community.
But a major facelift planned for a grande dame of Montreal - the Ritz-Carlton hotel - that includes a glass and steel addition across one end and the top of the century-old stone landmark has raised barely a whimper. That could be because the $100-million renovation is better than what was rumoured to be the alternative - seeing the hotel close.
Far from closing, the hotel, which opened in 1912 with double rooms and a bath going for $4.50 a night, will be getting an extensive makeover to bring it up to modern standards, as well as to tap into a recent trend for hoteliers - offering condo units.
The Ritz-Carlton, at the corner of Sherbrooke and Mountain Streets along Montreal's Golden Square Mile, was designed by famed New York architectural firm Warren & Wetmore. An imposing neoclassical building with terra cotta trim, it was inspired by the architecture of Robert and James Adam.
It was the first hotel to bear the name Ritz-Carlton, (although it isn't part of the global chain) and at the turn of the 20th century, it epitomized opulence. Swiss hotelier César Ritz allowed his name to be added to what was to be just the Carlton Hotel, but with a number of conditions: Every unit had to have a bathroom, there had to be a kitchen on each floor, 24-hour valet service, a concierge and a sweeping staircase so that guests (gowned ladies in particular) could make a grand entrance.
The Ritz-Carlton enjoyed many decades of prestige but by the 1950s it was showing its age. In 1957, a wing was added, and in 1970 the bedrooms were revamped.
Now, Torriani Group, which manages the property, and its partners, Mirelis Investments Ltd., a Montreal wealth management and real estate financing firm, and Rolaco Group of Geneva, which has interests in real estate, insurance and banking, are undertaking its most profound makeover yet.
"When we did the first renovations back in the 1970s, we built on the original template and that had its limitations," says Andrew Torriani, president and chief executive officer for the Ritz-Carlton. "We installed marble countertops, large shower heads and so on, which were the latest thing then, but now we're having to do much more than a cosmetic job. The electrical and mechanical systems have to modernized, the air conditioning rumbles and the plumbing is starting to calcify."
In addition to updating the operating systems, the number of bedrooms and suites will fall to 130, from 229, to make way for the bigger bathrooms (with double sinks and separate shower and bath), demanded by today's travellers. The smaller number of rooms is also more appropriate for the size of the high-end hotel market in Montreal, according to Mr. Torriani. The 10-storey Ritz-Carlton will also be heightened by one floor and enlarged, with 35 private residences and 15 condo suites. The latter can, if owners wish, be rented out by the hotel, earning revenue for both.
"By adding the condos and private residences, we can broaden the customer base," says Fernand Roberge, chairman of the Ritz-Carlton advisory committee. "The owners will be able to use the services of the hotel but, of course, the revenues from the sale of the residential units will also defray the cost of the hotel renovation."
Adding a residential component to help finance construction or renovation is becoming a common practice among luxury hotel operators around the world (Fairmont and Four Seasons are two examples). Mr. Roberge, who has 40 years' experience in the hotel industry, is confident that this formula will work just as well in Montreal. Although the new condos are still at least a year away, he has already had more than 50 enquiries from would-be purchasers, through word-of-mouth referrals.
The new luxury residences and condo suites will form an inverted L-shaped, glass and stainless steel shell across the top and west side of the hotel building - an addition that will contrast to the imposing limestone and terra cotta exterior of the original.
"In doing this renovation, we didn't just want to imitate the old style," says Claude Provencher of Provencher Roy + associés, the lead architectural firm on the project.
"So often that leads to a banal, pale imitation, which, frankly, doesn't respect the integrity of the original building. These faux add-ons tend to look awkward and we wanted to avoid that.
"We wanted to preserve the integrity of the original Ritz-Carlton and to that end, we have designed something that is subtle, elegant and delicate. The look inside the hotel, though, will have the same ambience as the original. We wouldn't dream of tampering with that," Mr. Provencher says.
The exterior stonework will be cleaned and the windows replaced, but the public spaces - the lobby, the Palm Court, the Oval Room and the popular Jardin du Ritz with its flowerbeds and duck pond - will remain much the same as before, albeit brought up to 21st century building standards.
The major structural changes to the hotel will be the addition of a spa, a rooftop swimming pool and health club, and a remodelled restaurant, which in Montreal, with its fiercely competitive food culture, had ceased to be one of the city's top eating places.
The grande dame of the Golden Square Mile is expected to don her new livery in just over a year's time. The building permits are in place and construction is expected to start later this winter. All that remains is to decide whether the hotel should close in the interim. That could be a bad public relations move, as people might think it is closing altogether, but, Mr. Torriani says, if guests are not staying in the hotel while the work is going on, it would speed up the makeover, allowing it to quickly rejoin the ranks of the world's most prestigious hotel properties.
PROPERTY REPORT: HOTELS
Aging grande dame gets a facelift
More than cosmetics for Montreal's Ritz-Carlton: The old, stone hotel is getting a glass addition - and condos
HELGA LOVERSEED
Special to The Globe and Mail
January 22, 2008
MONTREAL -- Montrealers appreciate their old buildings and can get quite annoyed when somebody proposes a radical facelift to a historic edifice - recently, it was the glass cube addition proposed for the old Erskine and American United Church that raised the ire of the architectural heritage community.
But a major facelift planned for a grande dame of Montreal - the Ritz-Carlton hotel - that includes a glass and steel addition across one end and the top of the century-old stone landmark has raised barely a whimper. That could be because the $100-million renovation is better than what was rumoured to be the alternative - seeing the hotel close.
Far from closing, the hotel, which opened in 1912 with double rooms and a bath going for $4.50 a night, will be getting an extensive makeover to bring it up to modern standards, as well as to tap into a recent trend for hoteliers - offering condo units.
The Ritz-Carlton, at the corner of Sherbrooke and Mountain Streets along Montreal's Golden Square Mile, was designed by famed New York architectural firm Warren & Wetmore. An imposing neoclassical building with terra cotta trim, it was inspired by the architecture of Robert and James Adam.
It was the first hotel to bear the name Ritz-Carlton, (although it isn't part of the global chain) and at the turn of the 20th century, it epitomized opulence. Swiss hotelier César Ritz allowed his name to be added to what was to be just the Carlton Hotel, but with a number of conditions: Every unit had to have a bathroom, there had to be a kitchen on each floor, 24-hour valet service, a concierge and a sweeping staircase so that guests (gowned ladies in particular) could make a grand entrance.
The Ritz-Carlton enjoyed many decades of prestige but by the 1950s it was showing its age. In 1957, a wing was added, and in 1970 the bedrooms were revamped.
Now, Torriani Group, which manages the property, and its partners, Mirelis Investments Ltd., a Montreal wealth management and real estate financing firm, and Rolaco Group of Geneva, which has interests in real estate, insurance and banking, are undertaking its most profound makeover yet.
"When we did the first renovations back in the 1970s, we built on the original template and that had its limitations," says Andrew Torriani, president and chief executive officer for the Ritz-Carlton. "We installed marble countertops, large shower heads and so on, which were the latest thing then, but now we're having to do much more than a cosmetic job. The electrical and mechanical systems have to modernized, the air conditioning rumbles and the plumbing is starting to calcify."
In addition to updating the operating systems, the number of bedrooms and suites will fall to 130, from 229, to make way for the bigger bathrooms (with double sinks and separate shower and bath), demanded by today's travellers. The smaller number of rooms is also more appropriate for the size of the high-end hotel market in Montreal, according to Mr. Torriani. The 10-storey Ritz-Carlton will also be heightened by one floor and enlarged, with 35 private residences and 15 condo suites. The latter can, if owners wish, be rented out by the hotel, earning revenue for both.
"By adding the condos and private residences, we can broaden the customer base," says Fernand Roberge, chairman of the Ritz-Carlton advisory committee. "The owners will be able to use the services of the hotel but, of course, the revenues from the sale of the residential units will also defray the cost of the hotel renovation."
Adding a residential component to help finance construction or renovation is becoming a common practice among luxury hotel operators around the world (Fairmont and Four Seasons are two examples). Mr. Roberge, who has 40 years' experience in the hotel industry, is confident that this formula will work just as well in Montreal. Although the new condos are still at least a year away, he has already had more than 50 enquiries from would-be purchasers, through word-of-mouth referrals.
The new luxury residences and condo suites will form an inverted L-shaped, glass and stainless steel shell across the top and west side of the hotel building - an addition that will contrast to the imposing limestone and terra cotta exterior of the original.
"In doing this renovation, we didn't just want to imitate the old style," says Claude Provencher of Provencher Roy + associés, the lead architectural firm on the project.
"So often that leads to a banal, pale imitation, which, frankly, doesn't respect the integrity of the original building. These faux add-ons tend to look awkward and we wanted to avoid that.
"We wanted to preserve the integrity of the original Ritz-Carlton and to that end, we have designed something that is subtle, elegant and delicate. The look inside the hotel, though, will have the same ambience as the original. We wouldn't dream of tampering with that," Mr. Provencher says.
The exterior stonework will be cleaned and the windows replaced, but the public spaces - the lobby, the Palm Court, the Oval Room and the popular Jardin du Ritz with its flowerbeds and duck pond - will remain much the same as before, albeit brought up to 21st century building standards.
The major structural changes to the hotel will be the addition of a spa, a rooftop swimming pool and health club, and a remodelled restaurant, which in Montreal, with its fiercely competitive food culture, had ceased to be one of the city's top eating places.
The grande dame of the Golden Square Mile is expected to don her new livery in just over a year's time. The building permits are in place and construction is expected to start later this winter. All that remains is to decide whether the hotel should close in the interim. That could be a bad public relations move, as people might think it is closing altogether, but, Mr. Torriani says, if guests are not staying in the hotel while the work is going on, it would speed up the makeover, allowing it to quickly rejoin the ranks of the world's most prestigious hotel properties.
Irishmonk
Senior Member
If the Distillery "towers" looked anything like this I would be ecstatic. On the other hand, if a plan for two 50s boxes to be plonked on top of the Montreal Ritz were unveiled, the citizens would riot and the developers would be run out of town on a rail.