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Located in the heart of Canada's capital next door to the Parliament Buildings, the landmark Fairmont Château Laurier is a magnificent limestone edifice with turrets and masonry reminiscent of a French château. In 1907, Ottawa's premier hotel was commissioned by American-born Charles Melville Hays, General Manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway of Canada. Following a disagreement with architect Bradford Lee Gilbert, Ross and Macfarlane Contractors was hired to build the hotel in French Renaissance style using granite blocks for the base, buff Indiana limestone for the walls and copper for the roof.
Fairmont Château Laurier was opened by its namesake, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, on June 12, 1912. It was once dubbed 'the third chamber of Parliament' in reference to the number of politicians roaming the corridor.
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