May 15, 1991: Hotel Macdonald reopens after 8 years
A room in the newly renovated Hotel Macdonald went for $75 per night
In May of 1991, the Hotel Macdonald reopened its doors to hundreds of spectators after an extensive $20-million refurbishment was completed.
Preserving the splendour of the original hotel, which opened in 1915, was a priority of the renovation.
The hotel paid homage to the past with the re-hanging of the old 1,200-pound chandeliers in the Empire Ballroom and the prominent placement of the Fathers of Confederation painting in the Confederation Room.
To mark the reopening, the first guest to sign the hotel's register was Marguerite Klassen, a chambermaid at the hotel in 1947.
A night in the newly reopened hotel cost $75 for a basic room or $1,200 a night for the Royal Suite.
The three-year renovation by Canadian Pacific Hotels bought the building back to its former glory after the building was closed due to disrepair in 1983.
In 1985, the building received the Municipal Heritage Resource designation from the City of Edmonton, preventing it from being demolished.
In the above video, CBC's Colin MacLean took a tour of the Hotel Macdonald on the day of the grand reopening.