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What was once the getaway of the industrialist owner of the Montreal Canadiens opens later this month as an intimate 11-room boutique hotel with a serene Canadiana vibe and sweeping views of Gatineau Park.
Long-empty O’Brien House, built on a promontory overlooking Meech Lake for J. Ambrose O’Brien in 1930, has been revived and rechristened simply as O’Brien.
It opens March 30.
“We did our best to retain the integrity of the structure, and I think that’s been successful,” said Robert Milling of WMD Wakefield Mill Developments Inc. in the hotel’s library lined with shelves of board games and vintage books.
“Our intent was to create a feeling of a 1930s cottage lodge, obviously with contemporary touches. The objective is just to feel comfortable and relaxed, a place that’s like the biggest cottage you’ve ever been to.”
It’s been a four-year project for Milling — “1,465 days ago we started,” he quips — who envisioned a second Gatineau Park destination linked to his Wakefield Mill, which opened in 2001. O’Brien is about a two-hour ski from the mill and three km from Chelsea.
“The primary inspiration was the fact that it was in the park,” he said. “We’d always been looking for a sister property connected by ski trails.”
Milling, who already caters to cross-country skiing and cycling enthusiasts, is expecting an international clientele to come for three- or five-day ski, cycling and hiking trips, and to host meetings and small weddings. A fine-dining restaurant is overseen by chef Patrick Marion.
Rooms will range from $229 to $729 depending on size and season.
Photos: O'Brien in Gatineau Park
Milling won’t say how much was spent on renovations but when the National Capital Commission’s board of directors approved the use as a hotel in September 2016, it gave NCC staff the authority to approve the design of a $3.9-million rehabilitation. The lease is for five years with the option of a 20-year renewal.
What was once known as Kincora Lodge was designed by Ottawa architect W.E. Noffke, who designed everything from Old Ottawa South’s iconic fire hall to the city’s Central Post Office.
One of the first homes in Gatineau Park, it sits imposingly atop a winding road, but the materials — granite, log siding and cedar — link it to the Canadian wilderness, according to the NCC, which acquired the property in 1964.
But by the time Milling conceived of the project, “it was just bare walls,” architect Peter Simister said.
He designed the renovation aimed at solving challenges such as making the lodge accessed by steep steps wheelchair accessible — the solution was a scenic walkway — while salvaging as much as possible, like half-a-dozen fireplaces, the original wooden floors and even the arched front door, now a glossy maple leaf red.
Those contemporary touches include two new dining rooms and guest rooms that combine old and new with sleek log headboards that double as room dividers and spa-like bathrooms.
Simister has also designed two “tree houses,” guest rooms housed in modernist cubes that will be ready by summer.
From the lodge, views to the south include Ottawa’s skyline in the distance behind a canopy of trees. Next door is Willson House, where the Meech Lake Accord was negotiated. Northward, new decks offer views of the treetops and lake.
The rooms are outfitted with luxurious touches like custom-made mattresses — guests choose between soft and firm — McAusland Woollen Mill blankets in a rainbow of hues and works by local artists. All will be for sale to guests via Shopify.
Much as it was in O’Brien’s day, though, is the Douglas-fir beamed Canadiana Room with a massive stone fireplace, rustic wooden mantle rescued from storage and a new wrought iron firescreen depicting birds and branches by blacksmith Michael Kinghorn.
The hotel’s great room, it’s furnished with an eclectic mix of art, carpets and antiques from the NCC’s Crown Collection of the official residences, which provided spectacular pieces like Charles Pachter’s graphic, oversized painting of a Canadian flag.
There are a few nods to the hotel’s first occupant, but they’re subtle, said Milling, who delighted in researching the life of the Renfrew-born scion of a railway builder.
“Almost singlehandedly,” according to the Hockey Hall of Fame, O’Brien organized the rival National Hockey Association, the forerunner of the National Hockey League, when Renfrew’s application for a team was rejected in 1909. He went on to launch the Canadiens. Remembered as “a fine player and ambitious promoter,” he was inducted into the Hall as a builder.
Now O’Brien’s picture sits on the front desk beneath a painting of hockey players in a blur of motion.
Nearby is a century-old Underwood typewriter that guests will be able to write out messages on postcards featuring vintage images of Gatineau Park.
During a conversation interrupted by the sounding of a grandfather clock once owned by Sir John Thompson, Canada’s fourth prime minister, Milling said that it’s one of the counterpoints to technology aimed at guests who want to escape modern life.
The hotelier hoped to create a place that’s “casual, comfortable but quite elegant,” he said.
“As if you’re a guest of Ambrose O’Brien himself.”
查看原文...
Long-empty O’Brien House, built on a promontory overlooking Meech Lake for J. Ambrose O’Brien in 1930, has been revived and rechristened simply as O’Brien.
It opens March 30.
“We did our best to retain the integrity of the structure, and I think that’s been successful,” said Robert Milling of WMD Wakefield Mill Developments Inc. in the hotel’s library lined with shelves of board games and vintage books.
“Our intent was to create a feeling of a 1930s cottage lodge, obviously with contemporary touches. The objective is just to feel comfortable and relaxed, a place that’s like the biggest cottage you’ve ever been to.”
It’s been a four-year project for Milling — “1,465 days ago we started,” he quips — who envisioned a second Gatineau Park destination linked to his Wakefield Mill, which opened in 2001. O’Brien is about a two-hour ski from the mill and three km from Chelsea.
“The primary inspiration was the fact that it was in the park,” he said. “We’d always been looking for a sister property connected by ski trails.”
Milling, who already caters to cross-country skiing and cycling enthusiasts, is expecting an international clientele to come for three- or five-day ski, cycling and hiking trips, and to host meetings and small weddings. A fine-dining restaurant is overseen by chef Patrick Marion.
Rooms will range from $229 to $729 depending on size and season.
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Photos: O'Brien in Gatineau Park
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Photos: O'Brien in Gatineau Park
Off the foyer is a grand room, filled with art, heritage furniture and the original stone fireplace. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
Off the foyer is a grand room, filled with art, heritage furniture and the original stone fireplace. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
The O'Brien foyer. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
The library and sitting room. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
Bedrooms at the small hotel include incredible views of the Gatineau Hills. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
Luxury abounds in the picturesque rooms with incredible views and all the modern amenities, including soaker tubs — some of which have fireplaces in the en suites as well. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
Bedrooms at the small hotel have incredible views of the Gatineau Hills. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
O'Brien is a Gatineau Park heritage property renovated into a boutique hotel with spectacular vistas over Meech Lake and the Gatineau Hills. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
The outdoor patios look over Meech Lake and the mountains. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
Views on three sides is on the menu in one of the dining rooms. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
O'Brien is a Gatineau Park heritage property renovated into a boutique hotel with spectacular vistas over Meech Lake and the Gatineau Hills. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
Perched on a prominence, O'Brien is a Gatineau Park heritage property renovated into aboutique hotel with spectacular vistas over Meech Lake and the Gatineau Hills. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
Robert Milling, founder and business development manager of WMD (Wakefield Mill Developments Inc.), is co-owner of the new hotel. Julie Oliver/Postmedia
Milling won’t say how much was spent on renovations but when the National Capital Commission’s board of directors approved the use as a hotel in September 2016, it gave NCC staff the authority to approve the design of a $3.9-million rehabilitation. The lease is for five years with the option of a 20-year renewal.
What was once known as Kincora Lodge was designed by Ottawa architect W.E. Noffke, who designed everything from Old Ottawa South’s iconic fire hall to the city’s Central Post Office.
One of the first homes in Gatineau Park, it sits imposingly atop a winding road, but the materials — granite, log siding and cedar — link it to the Canadian wilderness, according to the NCC, which acquired the property in 1964.
But by the time Milling conceived of the project, “it was just bare walls,” architect Peter Simister said.
He designed the renovation aimed at solving challenges such as making the lodge accessed by steep steps wheelchair accessible — the solution was a scenic walkway — while salvaging as much as possible, like half-a-dozen fireplaces, the original wooden floors and even the arched front door, now a glossy maple leaf red.
Those contemporary touches include two new dining rooms and guest rooms that combine old and new with sleek log headboards that double as room dividers and spa-like bathrooms.
Simister has also designed two “tree houses,” guest rooms housed in modernist cubes that will be ready by summer.
From the lodge, views to the south include Ottawa’s skyline in the distance behind a canopy of trees. Next door is Willson House, where the Meech Lake Accord was negotiated. Northward, new decks offer views of the treetops and lake.
The rooms are outfitted with luxurious touches like custom-made mattresses — guests choose between soft and firm — McAusland Woollen Mill blankets in a rainbow of hues and works by local artists. All will be for sale to guests via Shopify.
Much as it was in O’Brien’s day, though, is the Douglas-fir beamed Canadiana Room with a massive stone fireplace, rustic wooden mantle rescued from storage and a new wrought iron firescreen depicting birds and branches by blacksmith Michael Kinghorn.
The hotel’s great room, it’s furnished with an eclectic mix of art, carpets and antiques from the NCC’s Crown Collection of the official residences, which provided spectacular pieces like Charles Pachter’s graphic, oversized painting of a Canadian flag.
There are a few nods to the hotel’s first occupant, but they’re subtle, said Milling, who delighted in researching the life of the Renfrew-born scion of a railway builder.
“Almost singlehandedly,” according to the Hockey Hall of Fame, O’Brien organized the rival National Hockey Association, the forerunner of the National Hockey League, when Renfrew’s application for a team was rejected in 1909. He went on to launch the Canadiens. Remembered as “a fine player and ambitious promoter,” he was inducted into the Hall as a builder.
Now O’Brien’s picture sits on the front desk beneath a painting of hockey players in a blur of motion.
Nearby is a century-old Underwood typewriter that guests will be able to write out messages on postcards featuring vintage images of Gatineau Park.
During a conversation interrupted by the sounding of a grandfather clock once owned by Sir John Thompson, Canada’s fourth prime minister, Milling said that it’s one of the counterpoints to technology aimed at guests who want to escape modern life.
The hotelier hoped to create a place that’s “casual, comfortable but quite elegant,” he said.
“As if you’re a guest of Ambrose O’Brien himself.”
查看原文...
