Queen's Hotel, Toronto, Victorian hotel on Front Street, Toronto, Canada
Queen's Hotel was a four-story building on Front Street with 210 rooms, private parlors, a restaurant, and gardens near Union Station. The hotel offered guests tennis and croquet courts alongside modern conveniences like elevators, telephones, and running water in each room.
The building was constructed in 1844 as row houses designed by John Howard and became Sword's Hotel in 1856. It took the name Queen's Hotel in 1862 and grew into one of the city's premier lodgings.
The hotel maintained a register that included signatures from the Prince of Wales, Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, and numerous Canadian Governors-General.
The hotel was located centrally near the main railway station, making it easy for guests to access. Visitors should remember this was a historical building where the modern conveniences of the era would feel modest by today's standards.
The hotel's name was not chosen by chance but likely honored Queen Victoria and her significance to Canada as a British colony. This naming choice reflected Toronto's close connection to the British Empire and made the building a symbol of that era.
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