The Greenhill Hotel, named after West Canadian Collieries' nearby Greenhill Mine, was another major construction project in the company-owned West Townsite. The builder was W. Pettifor of Calgary, who used the fireproof hollow red clay blocks found in many WCC buildings of the era. After its completion in late 1921, instead of being operated by West Canadian Collieries itself, the Greenhill was leased to a private entity, officially opening in February 1922.
While the hotel provided rooms for miners, its best rooms were reserved for wealthier clients, visiting WCC share-holders and other notables. As the newest and best appointed establishment in town, the Greenhill Hotel was
the place to stay. Guests of the hotel have included Queen Maria of Romania and boxer "Sugar" Ray Robinson. The bar on the main floor served miners and managers alike, ofttimes downing their beers standing elbow-to-elbow at the bar.
Greenhill Hotel
HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE
The Greenhill Hotel was constructed in 1920 by West Canadian Collieries Ltd. for use as a miners' boarding house and to provide first-class accommodation for visiting Company officials from Europe. West Canadian Collieries Ltd. was incorporated in 1904 by a group of French capitalists that included J.J. Fleutot. He had been active in the development of coal reserves on the Alberta side of the Crowsnest Pass since the turn of the century. Between 1904 and 1914 the Company acquired and developed coal properties in the Bellevue and Blairmore areas. The Greenhill mine in Blairmore became one of its largest and most successful operations and the economic mainstay of the town. The company also made a major contribution to the development of Blairmore as one of two dominant urban centres in the Crowsnest Pass region.
From 1910 to 1912 Blairmore experienced a significant building boom in which the West Canadian Collieries Ltd. was a major participant. The West Blairmore subdivision was created and sold by the Company. During these years the Company also brought in a number of management personnel and miners to operate the mine complex that it was building. This investment in the communities of Blairmore and Bellevue continued after the war under the direction of Jules Charbonnier. The hotel and Company headquarters were constructed during this post-war building boom in Blairmore. The Company retained ownership of the hotel until it was sold to a Blairmore resident, Joseph Kubic, in 1950. The Greenhill Hotel thus plated a significant role in the operation of a company and a community involved in the Crowsnest Pass coal industry.
From the Alberta Register of Historic Places
