Historic Sites of Manitoba: Royal Alexandra Hotel (Winnipeg)

The Royal Alexandra Hotel was designed for the Canadian Pacific Railway by Montreal architects Edward and William Maxwell for the north-east corner of Higgins and Main Street in Winnipeg. Upon opening in 1906, the “Royal Alex” was considered one of the finest hotels in western Canada and, for many years, it served as the social centre of Winnipeg. The hotel closed its doors in 1967 and was demolished in 1971. The interior of its dining room was carefully disassembled, then reassembled at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel at Cranbrook, British Columbia. Some Tyndall stone lion heads that originally graced the facade were donated to the City of Winnipeg by Alexander Billinkoff, and are displayed a few blocks from the former hotel site.

Postcard of Royal Alexandra Hotel, early 1960s Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2011-0009 View Larger Map Former Site of the Royal Alexandra Hotel Source: Google Royal Alexandra Hotel Plaque (2009) Source: City of Winnipeg Plaque Site Location (lat/long): N49.89760, W97.13497 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Sinclair’s Creek Plaque (Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Transfer Railway Spur Line Plaque (Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Royal Alexandra Hotel Shard (Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg)

A Fallen Splendour: The Challener Murals of Winnipeg’s Royal Alexandra Hotel by Susan Moffatt Rozniatowski
Manitoba History, Number 42, Autumn / Winter 2001-2002

Sources:

Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.

Information for this page was collected and prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 17 March 2012

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