BANFF SPRINGS HOTEL

BANFF SPRINGS HOTEL
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
OF
CANADA
Commemorative Integrity Statement
THE BANFF SPRINGS HOTEL
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE OF CANADA
Commemorative Integrity Statement
1.0
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Overview
The Banff Springs Hotel has been welcoming guests since the summer of 1888. Since that time
there have been major changes to the complex of structures that make up the present hotel, but
the main central block, which was completed in 1928, remains the focal point. The visual image
of this building has become a widely recognized icon, matched by the hotel’s grand interior and
its reputation for superior accommodation and service. In 1988 The Banff Springs Hotel was
designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
The hotel is situated within the Town of Banff, in Banff National Park. It is operated by
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.
Fig. 1: The Banff Springs Hotel as it appeared in 1888, the year it opened for business
legacy represented by these places and their associated resources;
1.
1.3
1.3.1
To encourage and support owners of national historic sites in their efforts to
ensure commemorative integrity.
Commemorative Integrity
Definition of Commemorative Integrity
The term commemorative integrity describes the health or wholeness of a national historic site.
A national historic site possesses commemorative integrity when:
1.3.2
2.
the resources directly related to the reasons for designation are not impaired or
under threat;
3.
the reasons for designation as a national historic site are effectively
communicated to the public, and
4.
the site’s heritage values (including those not related to designation as a national
historic site) are respected in all decisions or actions affecting the site.
Definition and Purpose of the Commemorative Integrity Statement
A commemorative integrity statement is a document which defines what is meant by
commemorative integrity for a particular national historic site.
A Commemorative Integrity Statement guides site management by:
5.
identifying what is most important about the site, relative to the national
designation, and ensuring matters relating to national significance, whether
resources or messages, are given the highest priority.
6.
ensuring that there is a focus on the whole site and not just the individual
resources.
properties.
10.
providing the basis for design guidelines for developments which may have an
impact on the national historic site.
11.
giving direction on heritage messages for marketing plans and programs.
The achievement of commemorative integrity is a goal which is necessarily site specific. For
this reason the three elements of commemorative integrity will be dealt with as they relate to
the Banff Springs Hotel National Historic Site of Canada, and commemorative integrity
objectives will be identified for each element.
Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Policy
1.4
Cultural Resource Management
Cultural resource management is an integrated and holistic approach to the management of
cultural resources. It applies to all activities that affect cultural resources, including the care
taken of these resources and the promotion of public understanding and enjoyment of them. Its
objective is the management of cultural resources in accordance with the principles of value,
public benefit, understanding, respect and integrity.
Cultural Resources
Parks Canada’s CRM Policy defines cultural resources as places or human works that have been
determined to have historic value. Cultural resources include those directly related to the
reasons for the site’s national significance and those not related but which possess historic
value.
Effective Cultural Resource Management Practice
The CRM Policy is the basis for management of cultural resources by Parks Canada. Other
owners of national historic sites are encouraged to apply the principles and practice from the
CRM Policy.
Effective cultural resource management practice is based on:
I.
an up-to-date inventory of resources;
IV.
Monitoring and review to ensure that conservation and presentation objectives
continue to be met effectively.
A commemorative integrity statement sets out the results of points 1 and 2 (above) in
order to facilitate points 3 and 4.
2.0
DESIGNATION AND CONTEXT
2.1
Designation
In 1988 the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recommended to the
Minister responsible for Parks Canada, that the Banff Springs Hotel, a leading Canadian
example of a large-scale resort hotel in a natural setting, is of national historic
significance and should be commemorated by means of a plaque. With the Minister’s
approval of this recommendation the Banff Springs Hotel became a National Historic
Site of Canada (see Appendix 6.1).
2.2
Commemorative Intent
2.2.1 Definition of Commemorative Intent
Commemorative intent refers specifically to the reasons for a site’s national historic
significance. It is determined from the recommendation by the Historic Sites and
Monuments Board of Canada, approved by the Minister. The question as to why a site
has been designated a national historic site is answered in a Statement of Commemorative
Intent.
2.2.2 Statement of Commemorative Intent
The Banff Springs Hotel was designated a national historic site in 1988. The reason for
its national significance, identified in the 1988 Board minutes, is that it is a leading
Canadian example of a large-scale resort hotel in a natural setting.
2.3
Designated Place
2.3.2 Description of the Designated Place
The designated place of the Banff Springs Hotel National Historic Site encompasses the
main hotel building, constructed between 1911 and 1928, as it existed at the time of
designation. (See Appendix 6.2)
2.4 Historical and Geographical Context
2.4.1 Historical Context
In his first report to the Minister of the Interior, dated February 1888, Superintendent
Stewart of Rocky Mountains Park noted important changes in the standard of
accommodation available to the public. Whereas early visitors had been obliged to stay
in tents, or a primitive log shack at the Cave and Basin, he could now report the existence
of a number of hotels and boarding houses. One of these, the Sanitarium, had counted
2,096 arrivals the previous year. However, the greatest change of all came about when
The Banff Springs Hotel opened for business in June 1888.
The Canadian Pacific Railway had supported the government’s decision to establish a
reserve around the Sulphur Mountain mineral springs, the nucleus of Canada’s first
national park (The Rocky Mountains Park of Canada, 1887; renamed Banff National
Park in 1930). The natural attractions of the place were bound to stimulate passenger
traffic on the railway, an important consideration in the wake of the financially
exhausting struggle to build the line. What is more, it was expected that a goodly
number of those passengers would be willing and able to pay for superior
accommodation and service, both on the trains and at their destination. The CPR decided
to capitalize on this attractive possibility by building a superior hotel.
Construction History of the Hotel
W.C. Van Horne’s favourite architect, Bruce Price, designed the first Banff Springs
Hotel. It was an enormous wooden structure in Price’s signature Chateau style. Its
popularity necessitated several expansions, the most dramatic of which was built in the
winter of 1902-03, resulting in a second wing matching the original, and connected to it
by a low passageway. Even this addition failed to meet demand.
and the use of dark stained wooden shingles as exterior cladding for the older wings.
Fig. 2: The Banff Springs Hotel in 1903, following the addition of the south wing. A decade later the
masonry Painter tower would be inserted between the two wings.
The north and south wings of the original hotel were replaced in 1927-28 with
masonry projections from the central tower, designed by J.W. Orrock. The design
resembled Painter’s earlier plans, but on a more monumental scale. The north wing was
built first, following the destruction by fire of its wooden predecessor, the original 1888
hotel. Although the fire caused some damage to the central tower, the newer structure
remained intact, validating the decision to adopt steel-reinforced concrete. Following the
completion of the new south wing the main hotel building remained largely unchanged
for sixty years.
Until 1969 the hotel had been closed every winter, and the change to year-round
operation necessitated much interior renovation and upgrading. This work continued for
almost two decades, and included the replacement of Painter’s large semi-circular
outdoor pool with a smaller rectangular one, as well as the covering of some of the
hotel’s outdoor terraces with unsympathetic metal-framed glass enclosures. The indoor
Fig. 3: A 1920 image of the Banff Springs Hotel, taken from the Tunnel Mountain Road across the Bow
River, a favourite vantage point for generations of photographers. It shows the large central tower flanked
by the older wooden wings, the one on the right being the original 1888 hotel.
The Setting
At various times there have been ancillary buildings on the Banff Springs lease which
have since disappeared, such as a boiler house and laundry (with a tall chimney), and a
bus garage built in 1925. Others have survived, such as the original part of the so-called
Earnscliff Cottage (since renovated and expanded to provide executive accommodation),
built of logs in the 1880s for Lady Agnes Macdonald, and now the oldest building on the
site. The original 1911 golf clubhouse has long been in use as staff accommodation,
include a parking structure and tennis courts. The famous Banff Springs Golf Course,
which opened in 1911 with 9 holes, was expanded to 18 holes in 1927. The expanded
course was designed by Stanley Thompson, the foremost Canadian golf course architect
of his day. Nine more holes were added in 1988, but the Thompson layout was restored a
decade later.
Fig. 4: A winter scene: the Banff Springs Hotel as completed in 1928, with new masonry wings flanking the
older central tower.
2.4.2 Geographical Context
Unlike the other CPR mountain hotels, which grew in stages from small trackside dining
rooms, The Banff Springs was a large hotel right from the start. Neither was it built next
to the railway down in the valley bottom. Rather, a location was chosen some distance
from Banff Station, a site “affording some of the finest scenery in the Park”, in Stewart’s
words. The original hotel stood, as does its successor, on the edge of a terrace at the foot
of Sulphur Mountain. It was oriented in such a way that the distant Fairholme Range
could be viewed through the great gap between Mount Rundle and Tunnel Mountain,
where the Bow River changes course below the picturesque Bow Falls.
Stewart also built a scenic road up and around Tunnel Mountain, providing views of the
town and surrounding valleys and mountains that are still enjoyed today. The Banff
Springs Hotel can be seen in its most widely recognized setting across Bow Falls from a
sharp bend in this road, known traditionally as “Surprise Corner”. Tour buses stop
Fig. 5: A 1998 view of the Banff Springs Hotel with Sulphur Mountain in the background, which illustrates
the dramatic natural setting. Compare this view with Fig. 4.
here for photographs. The image of the hotel as seen from this point has become a
Canadian icon.
Today the Banff Springs Hotel National Historic Site of Canada is near the edge of a
busy urban setting. Spray Avenue and the intersecting streets are lined with large homes.
The hotel is within the boundary of the Town of Banff. Nevertheless, the view from
Surprise Corner is remarkably unchanged. The great mass of the hotel still appears to
stand alone against the green backdrop of Sulphur Mountain.
Within the designated place at the Banff Springs Hotel National Historic Site, these
resources consist of the hotel building, as it existed at the time of designation.
Values
The Banff Springs Hotel is of national historic significance because, among the other
large-scale resort hotels in natural settings, it is a leading Canadian example. The
designated place (see section 2.3.2) has been assigned the highest level of historic value
(Level I) because, in addition to its continuing worldwide reputation for service,
accommodation and food, it has certain physical and symbolic attributes that reinforce
that distinction:
•
It is a widely recognized landmark, epitomized by its innate visual quality set
against the forested backdrop of steep mountain slopes.
•
It has a strong architectural presence, characterized by the overall coherence and
integrity of its Chateau-style design, its form, massing and colours,
•
Its large interior public spaces (see Appendix 6.3) retain a distinctive décor,
characterized by such surviving original elements as ornamental metal grillwork,
plaster beamed or vaulted ceilings with decorative scrollwork, extensive use of
carved Tyndall stone, the Bedford flagstone floor and decorative coats of arms in
the Mount Stephen Hall and the eight arched plate glass windows and fireplace of
the Riverview Lounge.
•
It symbolizes the significance of tourism in the Canadian Rockies, through its
associated history and international reputation.
•
It offers continuing opportunities to experience its heritage character, as
represented on the exterior by the views of the Bow River, Tunnel Mountain,
Mount Rundle and the distant Fairholme Range from the outside terraces. The
heritage character is also expressed in the sense of procession in the approach and
entry to the building; and in the traditional interior patterns of use, characterized
by access to long-established public spaces, and interior views of the spectacular
setting such as that provided by the great arched windows of the Riverview
Lounge.
Fig. 6: Mount Stephen Hall in the 1930s. This is one of the principal interior public spaces in the Banff
Springs Hotel. Some of the furnishings, which appear in this photograph, can still be found in the hotel.
3.2 Objects
Description
Characteristic original furniture (chairs, writing desks, cabinets and tables) as well as
paintings, prints and other works of art can be found throughout the hotel’s public spaces.
Most of these objects date from the opening of the hotel following the completion of the
north and south wings in1928. The heavy oak-finish furniture was made by the
Montreal firm of Castle and Son in an antique European style. Many of the prints are
reproductions of famous paintings, although over the years the hotel has also acquired
some early original works from the CPR collection, including a painting by W.C. Van
Horne.
•
The period design and antique oak finish of the furniture.
•
The documentary importance (scenery and portraits), of the original works of art,
their aesthetic value and their origins as the work of well-known Canadian artists.
3.3 Objectives
The cultural resources of the Banff Springs Hotel National Historic Site of Canada will
not be impaired or under threat when:
•
the cultural resources and their associated values are respected;
•
management decisions are based on adequate and sound information and are
made in accordance with the principles and practice of cultural resource
management;
•
the cultural resources and their associated values are not lost or impaired from
natural processes within or outside the site, nor are they lost, impaired or
threatened from human actions within or outside the site;
•
the historic value of the designated place is communicated to guests, visitors and
the general public;
•
particular attention is paid, in the design and intended use of additions, alterations
and similar interventions to the designated place, to the optimum retention of
historic fabric, sensitivity to the coherence of the original design, and legibility of
new work.
4.0 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF THE REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
AS A NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
The achievement of commemorative integrity requires the effective communication to
the public of the reasons for The Banff Springs Hotel’s national historic significance.
These reasons are derived from the Statement of Commemorative Intent, and to facilitate
effective communication they are embodied as messages of national significance. As an
aid to public understanding, context messages are also identified.
4.2 Context Messages
•
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries Canadian railway and steamship
companies built large, fashionable resort hotels in scenic locations along their
routes.
•
The Banff Springs Hotel is a leading example because of its size, Chateau-style
design, interior decor, its striking setting, and its wide renown.
•
The Banff Springs Hotel is located in Banff National Park, where forested
mountainsides form a dramatic backdrop.
•
The Banff Springs Hotel is a national historic site of Canada, that is, a place
designated by the Government of Canada as a site of importance to all Canadians
because of its national historic significance.
ƒ
The Chateau Style which characterizes several grand railway hotels built in
Canada before World War II is derived from the famous chateaux of the Loire
Valley in France. As expressed most clearly by the Chateau Frontenac at Quebec,
it is marked by an asymmetrical design, steep rooflines, towers, pointed dormers
and decorative stonework. The Banff Springs has a less picturesque design: it is
symmetrical, with round arches, and flat-roofed dormers. It has been described as
a “Scottish Baronial” derivation of the Chateau Style.
4.3 Objectives
These reasons for the Banff Springs Hotel’s national historic significance will be
effectively communicated to the public when:
•
the overall heritage presentation experience conveys the reasons for the site’s
national historic significance;
•
guests, visitors and others who experience heritage presentation understand the
reasons for the national historic significance of the site;
5.1 Messages Not Related to the Reasons for National Significance
In addition to the messages described above, the communication of certain other
messages is an important part of respecting the full range of heritage values associated
with The Banff Springs Hotel:
•
The continuing story of The Banff Springs Hotel began in the 1880s, at an
important time in the history of western Canada; and the intervening years have
seen physical changes and the growth of an international reputation.
•
The Banff Springs Hotel, the Town of Banff and Banff National Park are closely
related historically as well as geographically.
•
The Banff Springs Hotel is one of more than 800 national historic sites in Canada.
•
Other national historic sites, which are thematically related to the Banff Springs
Hotel, are the Chateau Frontenac (Quebec), the Chateau Laurier (Ottawa), the
Fort Garry Hotel (Winnipeg), the Empress Hotel (Victoria), the Prince of Wales
Hotel (Waterton Lakes National Park), Banff Park Museum and the Cave and
Basin (Banff).
Fig. 7: A 1950s promotional image which represents the “million-dollar view” of the Fairholme Range and
the Bow River through one of the great windows of the Riverview Lounge.
Fig. 8: Detail of the bronze gates at the entrance to the Alhambra Dining Room.
5.2 Objectives
Effective communication of these messages will be achieved when:
•
part of the heritage presentation experience conveys these messages;
•
these messages and their presentation do not overwhelm or detract from the
presentation and understanding of the site’s national significance.
•
guests, visitors and non-visitors who receive these messages understand them.
•
management decisions are based on adequate and sound information and are
made in accordance with the principles and practice of the Cultural Resource
Management Policy.
5.3 Other Values
5.4 Objectives
The significant natural values of the Banff Springs Hotel National Historic Site of
Canada will be respected when:
•
the significant natural values of the particular sector of Banff National Park
affected by the presence of the hotel are identified and understood;
•
decisions by park, town and hotel management, which may have an impact on
these values, are based on adequate and sound information.
•
these values are communicated to guests, visitors and the general public.
1.06
APPENDICES
6.1 Proceedings of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
Minutes of the June 1988 Meeting:
The Board recommended that the Banff Springs Hotel, a leading Canadian example of a
large-scale resort hotel in a natural setting, is of national historic significance and
should be commemorated by means of a plaque - that plaque, while making brief
reference to its architectural style, should focus on the hotel as a manifestation of an
important continuing social phenomenon.
These minutes were approved by the Minister 14 October 1988.
Text of the Commemorative Plaque Inscription:
This hotel is among the largest and most renowned of the fashionable resort hotels
established along railway and steamship routes in Canada during the late-19th and
early-20th centuries. Constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company in stages
between 1911 and 1928, the hotel developed an international reputation for excellence as
a vacation retreat and became a symbol of the significance of tourism in the Canadian
Rockies. Its striking natural setting, Chateau-style design, and lavish interior decor
appealed to a wealthy clientele seeking a wilderness experience in opulent surroundings.
Cet hôtel est l’un des plus grands et des plus célèbres établis le long des voies
ferroviaires et maritimes du Canada au tournant du XXe siècle. Construit par le
Canadien Pacifique en différentes étapes, entre 1911 et 1928, il acquit une réputation
internationale d’excellence comme lieu de vacances et devint un symbole de l’ouverture
des Rocheuses canadiennes au tourisme. Sa situation dans un décor naturel saisissant,
son style Château et son aménagement intérieur somptueux attirèrent une clientèle
fortunée désireuse de vivre une expérience en milieu sauvage dans un cadre opulent.
The formal commemoration ceremony took place 22 March 1992.
6.2 Plan of the Designated Place
Fig. 11: Map of the Town of Banff and the Location of the Banff Springs Hotel National Historic Site of
Canada.
6.3 List of Principal Public Spaces of Level I Historic Value
Exterior:
1. Original entry porch.
2. Swimming pool deck and its overlooking terrace.
3. The garden terrace.
Interior:
4. The original main entry lobby.
5. Mount Stephen Hall.
6. Riverview Lounge.
7. The “Spanish Walk”.
8. Alberta Dining Room.
9. Alhambra Dining Room.
10. Cascade Ball Room.
11. Conservatory.
6.4 The CIS Team
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Holly J. Wood, Regional Director of Public Relations, Alberta.
Parks Canada
1. CANADA, Department of Canadian Heritage, Parks Canada: Parks Canada Guiding
Principles and Operating Policies, Ottawa (1994).
2. CANADA, Department of Canadian Heritage, Parks Canada: Banff National Park
Management Plan (1997).
3. Town of Banff, Alberta: “Development Process in the Town of Banff”; website
MACROBUTTON HtmlResAnchor www.townofbanff.com.
4. Pratte, France Gagnon: The Banff Springs Hotel: the Castle in the Rockies; Quebec,
Editions Continuite inc. (1997).
5. De Jonge, James: “Banff Springs Hotel, Spray Avenue, Banff, Alberta”; Historic Sites
and Monuments Board of Canada Agenda Paper 1988-25; unpublished report, Ottawa
(1988).