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Toronto hotels, hotel reviews, lodging guide |
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  lame it on The Drake. Thanks to the Parkdale revolution, diners, drinkers, and to some degree lodgers, have begun to expect a lot more for their money. Consider it a repercussion of the huge popularity of The Drake, which dropped a truckload of creativity on the boutique hotel theme, giving scenesters a reason to trek to head west.
Designed and built by architect George Miller in 1889, The Gladstone is pure Parkdale, in the physical and social sense. Even in its much-celebrated overhaul, it?s a place where artists and regular neighbourhood folk come just to hang out. From cabaret performances to film screenings, art exhibitions to wedding parties the Gladstone hosts events for a vast range of artists and community groups.
The hotel - designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style - has gradually been restored to reflect the building?s architectural history, offering artist designed hotel rooms. Approximately one-quarter of the 51 rooms have been designed by local artists; the hotel issued an open call for design submissions for the guest rooms, giving participants a sense of ownership and pride in the Gladstone - from a slick, minimalist room (Suite 312) and the Blue Line Room (Suite 318) to the Canadian log cabin (Room 404) and the framed bed concept (Suite 411).
For anyone raised on multiplexes, stepping into the restored hotel foyer is like discovering the remains of a lost civilization. The Gladstone now exposes what is a fine example of a Victorian Hotel, witnessed in the arched windows and the stone and brick of the building?s exterior, further adorned with the original gargoyles. Plaster castings in the hallways have been lovingly restored, as was the restored elevator; the last hand-operated elevator in Toronto, wherein a sign beckons you to flag down a staffer to take you for a ride. A solitary visit will attest that the new Gladstone is not Starbucks gentrification, but a restoration that effectively nails the desired tone that the area strives unsuccessfully to maintain.
Location
1214 Queen West, Toronto, ON |
Phone416-531-4635 |
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MBO Toronto :: Hotels
