The Chalet style hotel was the brainchild of railway magnate, Canadian-American James J. Hill, president of the Great Northern Railway. It was his vision to create a chain of resort hotels in areas served by his railway, primarily to increase rider-ship on his line. Though his motives were pretty much mercenary, the legacy of his entrepreneurship remains with us in the tourist facilities he built to entice tourists to ride his railway which was, in many places, the only means of entrance to the area.
In the lobby of the hotel is the CNHS plaque, which reads:
The Prince of Wales Hotel is a grand survivor from the golden age of railway resort development in Canada. Constructed in 1926-1927, it was the sole Canadian link in a chain of resort hotels developed by the Great Northern Railway. Its soaring roofs, gables and balconies convey the appearance of a giant alpine chalet and enclose a magnificent timber- framed interior that continues to evoke the rustic atmosphere of mountain lodges built in that period. The hotel's striking design and dramatic setting make it a unique landmark closely associated with the history of Waterton Lakes National Park.
The Prince of Wales Hotel is unique in that it is the only hotel among
Canada's grand railway hotels to have been built by an American railway, as opposed to a Canadian railway. Extremely well situated, the hotel stands on a bluff above the town of Waterton, overlooking it and Waterton Lake, with an unobstructed view of the town, the lake and the backdrop of snow capped mountains to the south and of the lake, mountains and prairies to the east. Few, if any, hotels in the world were built with a better view.
Prince of Wales Hotel
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Prince of Wales Hotel is a large hotel, designed in a Swiss-chalet style. It is picturesquely situated on a promontory overlooking Waterton Lake and the town site of Waterton Lakes National Park. The formal recognition consists of the footprint of the building at the time of designation.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Prince of Wales Hotel was designated a national historic site in 1992 because it is constructed in the Rustic Design tradition and it is associated with tourism development in the national parks.
Built in Waterton Lakes National Park by the Great Northern Railway (GNR) as the only Canadian link to a network of American park resorts, the Prince of Wales follows the Swiss-chalet theme established for GNR resorts. The design theme extended the bold Rustic aesthetic used in Canada's national parks during the early 20th century.
Built in 1926-7, the Prince of Wales Hotel represents the golden age of railway resort development in Canada. The construction of a large hotel was considered vital to the success of the national park as a tourist destination. The hotel functions as the pre-eminent resort facility within the park. The hotel's striking design and spectacular setting make it a landmark and symbol of Waterton Lakes National Park.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The key elements relating to the heritage value include:
- its Swiss chalet motifs, including steeply pitched gabled roofs, intersecting gables, two-storey dormers, tiers of continuous balconies supported on large brackets, a lantern cupola, and the use of contrasting finish colours;
- its blocky, six-storey massing;
- its reliance on wood materials for its construction, cladding and detailing;
- the natural, textural qualities of its materials;
- rustic features of its interior, including the open, timber-framed lobby, with an open space ascending to the building's roof ridge line, natural wood finishes and original detailing, original doors and windows;
- its spectacular siting on a promontory overlooking Waterton Lake;
- viewscapes to and from the hotel and the surrounding prairies, mountains and lakes.
From Historic Places Canada