Winnipeg | Downtown Developments & Discussions

[pspeid]

Oh, sure, show us the horsey pillows. Now I'll have "My Lovely Horse" running through my head all day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYzVMcgWhg

[Wpg_Guy]

The rooms definitely have a bed and breakfast / rustic boutique hotel vibe.

[Mr Tall Forehead]

It’s like they decorated the rooms entirely for the 100-200 wealthy senior British tourists that come through each year by train and their way to Churchill. “Ooooh…look at the pillows and furs luv. We’re in the western frontier now.”

I’ve stayed in comparable OG railroad hotels with pokey rooms (Royal York, Bessborough, Banff Springs) and the sizes of the rooms is kind of quaint and charming, but the decor choice here is just weird.

[borkborkbork]

It's really too bad. As much as I wish the MMF well, a hotel like this should be run by an operator who knows what they're doing with a heritage GTP hotel. The only other two remaining Grand Trunk hotels are the Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton and Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, and both are run by Fairmont.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

It's really too bad. As much as I wish the MMF well, a hotel like this should be run by an operator who knows what they're doing with a heritage GTP hotel. The only other two remaining Grand Trunk hotels are the Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton and Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, and both are run by Fairmont.

At this moment we don't know if the MMF will try to purchase the Fort Garry, and if they do, whether they will make significant changes to the room furnishings or decor.

My unedjumacated guess is IF the purchase goes through they would probably try to put their own stamp on it, and redecorating the rooms might be the way they would do it.

Personally I think this could be a good opportunity for the old place. Traditional decorative Metis themes tend to incorporate stylized roses, vines, roses, berries and geometric patterns. These could be tastefully incorporated into room decoration to create a more unique guest experience than what seems to be the standard minimalist greys and whites of many hotel rooms.

[BorealLynx]

Originally Posted by pspeid

At this moment we don't know if the MMF will try to purchase the Fort Garry, and if they do, whether they will make significant changes to the room furnishings or decor.

My unedjumacated guess is IF the purchase goes through they would probably try to put their own stamp on it, and redecorating the rooms might be the way they would do it.

Personally I think this could be a good opportunity for the old place. Traditional decorative Metis themes tend to incorporate stylized roses, vines, roses, berries and geometric patterns. These could be tastefully incorporated into room decoration to create a more unique guest experience than what seems to be the standard minimalist greys and whites of many hotel rooms.

I would make it a GRAND hotel, in the old style. It already has the look on the outside, so match that grandeur on the inside. Winnipeg already has the modern stylings of the Hilton and Fairmont and Hyatt brands, so do something different, something that keeps in the character and style of a grand European hotel.

That being said, I am no hotelier, so I have no idea whether there is a market for that kind of accommodation in North America. I just think that the interior should match the expectation set by the grand exterior. No other hotel property in Winnipeg has that same aesthetic.

[Wpg_Guy]

Interesting sale, hopefully it's a good news story.

[FactaNV]

Pics dont work Wpg Guy

[trueviking]

interesting...can't be bad news.

[Wpg_Guy]

• Video Link

[Wpg_Guy]

arrowarchitectural

[Sheepish]

Beautiful restoration. Looks great. Too bad everything around it has turned to shit. Unless there is a concerted effort to keep that property free of tents and drugs, Thunderbird House will not rise from the proverbial fire. It will be sad.

[WinCitySparky]

Looks great though I give it two weeks before someone tries pulling the roof off again cuz it still looks like copper

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by Sheepish

Beautiful restoration. Looks great. Too bad everything around it has turned to shit. Unless there is a concerted effort to keep that property free of tents and drugs, Thunderbird House will not rise from the proverbial fire. It will be sad.

just hoping the fire is proverbial and not literal

[Spocket]

That is pretty snappy. My question is how did it deteriorate so quickly? It's only 25 or 26 years old and we're talking about the roof, not something people touch and interact with.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Spocket

That is pretty snappy. My question is how did it deteriorate so quickly? It's only 25 or 26 years old and we're talking about the roof, not something people touch and interact with.

Except that's exactly what happened. The roof has been falling apart for years, the copper cladding started peeling and leaking badly. Copper thefts made it worse, and the building sat neglected for years especially during COVID.

[drew]

^ right at the beginning of COVID, I took my daughter for a covid test at the thunderbird house.

The building was fine at that point (obviously). The deterioration of the building was rapid in the time since then

[Biff]

I have to say, that is a pretty good photographer to capture just the building and not the immediate area around it with all the tents and urban garbage dump that is Higgins and Main. The building looks amazing. Too bad we couldn't transport it somewhere else.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by Spocket

That is pretty snappy. My question is how did it deteriorate so quickly? It's only 25 or 26 years old and we're talking about the roof, not something people touch and interact with.

Real copper is worth a lot at the scrap dealer. Probably why the new roof is copper coloured steel.

[Sheepish]

Biff...it's just a lot of close cropping. And the long shot on their page...really effective photoshopping. But the building sure looks nice surrounded by greenery.