CBC Digital Archives

Château Frontenac's 100th anniversary

The Algonquin called it Québec, or "where the river narrows." On a rocky point high above the St. Lawrence, French explorer Samuel Champlain founded the first permanent French settlement in North America on July 3, 1608. In 2008, Quebec City celebrates the 400th anniversary of Champlain's feat, and the CBC Digital Archives takes a walk through the city's storied streets and its remarkable history.

Quebec City is hardly lacking for remarkable architecture, but one building literally towers over the rest. Built in 1893, the Château Frontenac - a posh Canadian Pacific Railway hotel - is perched atop the city's Cap Diamant overlooking the St. Lawrence River. In its 100 years it's been the residence of the governor general and the premier, hosted two war conferences and starred in the 1953 Alfred Hitchcock film I Confess. As CBC reporter Mark Kelley learns, the Château may even have its very own ghost.
• The Château Frontenac was the first eastern location in the Canadian Pacific Railway hotel chain. Only Alberta's Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise are older.

• From its original 170 rooms, the hotel has been expanded numerous times, in 1899, 1908, 1920 and 1924, when its 18-storey tower was added. It now has 605 rooms.

• The hotel was named for one of the governors of New France: Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, who ruled the colony from 1672 to 1698.

• Immediately adjacent to the Château is Quebec City's Dufferin Terrace, a wide boardwalk with an unparalleled river view. Reconstruction work began on the terrace in 2005 to secure the supporting wall beneath it, and an archaeological dig there has yielded artifacts dating to the 1620s. Visitors during Quebec's 400th anniversary celebration in 2008 will get a chance to see the site and its treasures.  
Medium: Television
Program: Prime Time News
Broadcast Date: July 7, 1993
Guest(s): Patrick Cleary
Host: Kevin Newman
Reporter: Mark Kelley
Duration: 2:46

Last updated: January 30, 2012

Page consulted on August 21, 2012

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