Ritz Carlton (rénovations et agrandissement) - 12 étages - 100M$ (2013)

[internationalx]

Vandalism. They are going to ruin this building. We are going to look back in 20 years and wonder what were they thinking?! This is the kind of project that I am surprised and shocked that there is NO opposition or criticism of.

 

There are much better ways to enlarge the hotel. This is NOT one of them.

[yarabundi]

Vandalism. They are going to ruin this building. We are going to look back in 20 years and wonder what were they thinking?! This is the kind of project that I am surprised and shocked that there is NO opposition or criticism of.

 

There are much better ways to enlarge the hotel. This is NOT one of them.

Boy !! Until today I thought I was alone in my camp !! I realyy support you 110 %

[WestAust]

i'd rather have a really modern extention than some prefab copy of the ritz original stone.

[internationalx]

It does not have to be pre-fab anything. There are architects and designers and builders for that matter that build in limestone. Not tile slabs of limestone, but actual large, carved pieces as they did in the early 20th century. Robert AM Stern is the master. Check out his 15 Central Park West that is nearing completion.

 

I wouldn't have a problem with building another wing in the back that is a modern tower. However, tacking on an extension on top of the original as such is well, tacky.

[mtlurb]

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.

Print Edition - Section Front

 

Section B Front Enlarge Image

The Globe and Mail

 

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.

[Habsfan]

I'm still undecided about this renovation project for the Ritz.

 

They could copletely fvck up this beautiful building with teh glass addition. I just hope it turns out OK!

[yarabundi]

I'm still undecided about this renovation project for the Ritz.

 

They could copletely fvck up this beautiful building with teh glass addition. I just hope it turns out OK!

 

They will completely mess it. As it is now, this project should be refused by the city !! Send the architect back to their computer and come out with a respectful design.

[Habsfan]

je ne suis pas sûr. j'aime ce qu,ils ont l'intention de faire sur le coin de l'édifice, c'est plutôt ce qu'ils vont rajouter sur le toit qui m'inquiète.

 

le "setback" devrait être plus prononcé.

[Habsfan]

J'ai aussi hâte de voir le holt Renfrew une fois que les rénos seront terminées!

[mcgill]

Why do people keep referring to de la Montagne street as Mountain Street?

The street is named after a person, not the mountain!

I guess I shouldn't have such high standards from the Globe and Mail...