Le Chateau Frontenac, Quebec, Quebec

Five splendid examples of Canadian architecture - CPR hotels of grand scale - are depicted in a new commemorative stamp booklet to be issued June 14, 1993. Richly ornate, these hotels were built originally as stop-overs for travellers - catering to nobility and head of state - or as resorts for the privileged. The stamp issue also marks the centenary of the opening of the Château Frontenac in Quebec. The other hotels include: the Algonquin, St. Andrews; the Royal York in Toronto; Banff Springs; and the Empress Hotel in Victoria. Opened on December 21, 1893, the hotel was built in Quebec City on the former site of the château of Governor Frontenac of New France in the seventeenth century. An architectural heir to the earlier French regime, the impressive structure embodies these ancient roots, overlooking the St. Lawrence River as it dominates the city. At the time the Château Frontenac was constructed, travel to and from Europe was by ocean liner and Quebec City was a major port where the sea passage often ended and the railway trip westward could commence. Conceived by CPR president William Van Horne and designed by architect Bruce Price, the hotel displays traditional French Canadian architecture in its sheetmetal roof, small gables, highly artistic ironwork and impressive stonework.