This Sunday I am going for High Tea at the Beautiful and Historic Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

I have been to this hotel many times in my life (staying there a couple of times with my family before I moved to Toronto) and every time I’m blown away by its grandeur. It truly is a sight to see when visiting Toronto, a vintage lovers dream.

Royal York Hotel Vintage Toronto
Source: Wikipedia

History

The Royal York opened it’s doors on June 11, 1929. It was the tallest building in the British Commonwealth and quickly set the hospitality standard of the day. The magnificent hotel became known as a city within a city, rising in 28 floors of architectural splendor and replete with mechanical genius and opulence never before seen in Toronto.

It boasted 1,048 rooms – each with radios, private showers and bathtubs. The 1.5 acres of public rooms included a 12-bed hospital, 12,000-book library and ten ornate passenger elevators. The Concert Hall featured a full stage and mammoth pipe organ weighing 50 tons, which surpassed anything else in Canada with 300 miles of copper wire. There was a glass-enclosed roof garden, the largest hotel kitchen in Canada with a bakery that could produce over 15,000 French rolls a day, a 66-ft.long switchboard manned by 35 telephone operators, its own bank and golf course (now known as St. George Golf & Country) (Source).

1929 Ad for the opening of the hotel.

1929 Royal York hotel Opening Ad
Source: AdClassix.com

The Hotel on Front Street, 1930s.

1930s Royal York Hotel Toronto
  Source: Toronto Archives

Thank you to the Fairmont Royal York for finding this AMAZING sketch of the fashions wore during the opening Gala Ball on June 11, 1929.

I will take…all the outfits!

1929 vintage fashion images
Source: Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Vintage Image of the Lobby.

Postcard Royal York Hotel Toronto

The Lobby Today (AKA at time of this post). They did a renovation in 2019. See the next picture for a more recent photo.

Royal York Hotel-Toronto Lobby

Urban Toronto

Below is a sketch of the Royal York Hotel ballroom, clearly in the year that it opened from the outfits I see.

According to the Fairmont Royal York Pinterest Page:

When the Royal York hotel opened its doors on June 11, 1929, it brought about a new social era, attracting a true “who’s who” list of royalty, celebrities, dignitaries and leisure travellers to the city of Toronto. On opening night, the Royal York hosted four grand balls where guests dined and danced until the wee hours of the morning. It set a new standard in luxury, elegance and entertainment.

Royal York Hotel Toronto Ballroom Vintage Image
Source: Fairmont Royal York Hotel

The Ballroom looks exactly like it did when it first opened-Stunning!

Royal York Ballroom Toronto
Royal York Ballroom Toronto

The Hotel did everything top-notch. Look how stylish the Bartenders look in the 1940s?

I wonder what they are making, it looks delightful whatever it is.

Historic Royal york hotel 1940s Toronto
Source: Toronto Archives

What a Buffet! Can you see the Ice Sculpture Deer in the background? I love fun details like that.

1940s Royal York Hotel Toronto
Source: Toronto Archives

Image of the 66 foot long telephone switchboard that required 35 operators to run it.

Fairmont Royal York Telephone Switchboard Vintage Image
Source: Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Of course a hotel on this grand of scale also had to have amazing entertainment.

Quote from the Fairmont Royal York Pinterest Page:

The Imperial Room was once the most sought after show room in North America, when it opened in the hotel in 1929 it was the cityโ€™s newest and most elegant dining and dancing establishment. It defined the Toronto social scene as the meeting site of high society functions and big band shows. The stage of the Imperial Room has seen headlining acts such as Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald and Bob Hope.

Imperial Room Royal York Hotel toronto vintage image
Source: Fairmont Royal York Hotel

The early bands often were employed by hotels, and many bore their employers’ names, eg, in Montreal, the Windsor Hotel Orchestra and Andy Tipaldi and his Ritz-Carlton Orchestra. The largest hotels in Canada had successions of orchestras which, by the 1950s and 1960s, also came to be used as showbands to accompany individual performers. Leaders at the Royal York Hotel (Toronto) have included Charles Bodley, Fred Culley, Rex Battle, Don Romanelli, Billy Bissett, Horace Lapp, Stanley St. John,Moxie Whitney, and Howard Cable (Source).

The band below is clearly the house band of the Royal York as the signs say “RY”. What kind of music do you think they are playing if the first row is all Violins?

Royal York Hotel Toronto Vintage Images
Source: Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Guests from all walks of life stayed at the hotel, like Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly (swoon) and even….Queen Elizabeth II (seen below).

Queen Elizabeth the 2nd at the Royal York Hotel Toronto
Source: Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Here is an adorable image of an Ice Follies performer in the 1940s who was staying there. How cute is that outfit??

Royal York Hotel Toronto Canada Historic images
Source: Toronto Archives

Royal York also had various advertising campaigns over the years. Here are some great vintage ads.

I adore this cute early 1960s ad (I think) for their meeting rooms. Reminds me of a Mad Men episode.

vintage marketing ads for the royal york hotel toronto
Source: Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Looking to get married? The Royal York I will do the job nicely.

This ad is clearly from the same illustrator as above, love it.

Vintage Wedding at the Royal York Hotel Toronto
Source: The Fairmont Royal York

The Royal York has even hosted fun events like this Direct Broadcast party of the Grey Cup (superbowl of Canada) in November 1956.

royal york hotel Grey cup 1950s
Source: Toronto Archives

Complete with Marching Girls.

1956 Grey Cup in toronto Royal York Hotel
Source; Toronto Archives

Many clubs and companies hosted events at the Hotel over the years, like The Electric Club from the 1930s-50s. Who apparently liked their menus to have pretty girls in swimsuits on the front (and lassie).

vintage Electric Club Menu's for Fairmont Royal York - date ranging from 1937 - 1952
Source: Fairmont Royal York

After looking thru all these photos, reading stories on the Royal York I’m thrilled the Fairmont and Toronto has seen value in keeping it standing after all these years because this truly is a fantastic piece of Toronto History.

royal york hotel 1929 vintage image
Source: Fairmont Royal York Hotel

So Friends..have you been to the Royal York? Or do you have a favorite vintage hotel? Do Tell!

FURTHER READING:

Liz ๐Ÿ™‚

19 Comments on Vintage Glamour-The Historic Royal York Hotel, Toronto Canada

  1. I love the RY and you will looove having High Tea there! I could die for that Ice Follies pictures…the outfit is the cutest!

    • I went a few years ago to RY for High Tea and it was fantastic! Can’t wait to do it again. When I saw the Ice Follies picture I was wishing I could pull that off for the Xmas party ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Ooooh, your history filled posts are always huge favourites with me. Awesome look back at this iconic, well known Toronto landmark. I always loved passing it when we lived in the GTA, but can’t claim to have been overly well versed in the particulars of its storied history – until now. Thank you for the wonderful, informative lesson, dear gal.

    โ™ฅ Jessica

    • Thanks so much Jessica, the history posts are one of my favorite to put together because I always learn something new. Something I did not post (and I’m going to edit it) is that the Royal York actually was the tallest building in toronto for 35 years after it was built. Hard to imagine looking at the skyline today.

  3. The picture of the 2 waiters mixing drinks…the one on the left is my grandfather Leonard Sowten….who.worked at the Royal York since it’s opening in 1929 till 1953…thanks for the memories.

    • Really?!! That is wonderful to hear! Thank you so very much for sharing that with me, I love when I can make an image real for myself and for my readers.Have a marvelous day.

      Liz ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. I found your blog while researching for an article I am writing on my first impressions of Toronto when i came here in July 1965.

    The Royal York Hotel will always hold a special place in my heart.

    It was a boiling hot July when the plane arrived and the airpot. After my spouse failed to meet the baby and I at the airport as planned, the backup plan was to go to the Royal York Hotel which was a drop off for the airport bus, and there I was to wait to rendezvous with my spouse.

    I found a bench in the shade at the back entrance of the hotel, where the bus had dropped us, and settled the bags and ourselves there to wait. And wait, and waitโ€ฆ

    We arrived there at 2pm and were still there at 5pm. During that time, the very kindly head porter noticed us, and first went and got fruit juice for the baby, who was understandably fretful, and water for me. Both the baby and I were completely overdressed, not ready for a Toronto July heatwave. I kept on removing layers of clothing, and piling them on top of our bags.

    There were no cellphones then, and I had no way of contacting the missing spouse (donโ€™t ask why), so was just stuck waiting and fretting.

    By 5 oโ€™clock the kindly porter said he was going off shift at 5:30 and if no one had arrived to pick us up, he was calling his wife and they would put us up for the night, and we would try contacting the spouse in the morning. He said he was not about to abandon us at the hotel!

    Luckily, just around then the missing spouse arrived in a cab, all flustered because of the missed connection at the airport. And the kindly porter helped to bundle me, the bags and the baby into the cab and wished us well. A lovely man.

    And that, my friends, was my introduction to my new home town,Toronto. A kind and generous gesture from a complete stranger.

    • What an incredible story! I am so very glad that in the end all was well, and that you received such kindness from the Porter. A little nice gesture sure goes a long way and in your case, never leaves your memory.

      Thank you so very much for sharing your first experience in Toronto with me. I really appreciate.

      Take care of yourself!

      Liz

  5. In the summer of 1949 I met the love of my life, and my future husband, at a beautiful resort north of Toronto. It was definitely love at first sight. During our courtship, we often went to the supper dance in the Imperial Room oif the Royal York. It was magical; so elegant, so glamorous, so romantic. I think the big band was that of Moxie Whitney. I felt like a princess, dancing with my sweetheart to the wonderful music and dining on delicacies that I’d never had at home. And I certainly recall the Pol Roger champagne that my sweetheart ordered by the bottle! The waiter would bring an ice bucket containing the sparkling wine and leave it beside our table. I had never seen that before. remember a blue strapless dress I wore for these enchanted evenings. I am now 92 years old, and my dear husband has been dead for over 30 years, but the memories I treasure of those fairy-tale evenings in the Imperial Room will last forever.

    • WOW!!! What a romantic story and something right out of a movie. I am so happy you shared this with my readers and myself. Thank you for letting me take a small look into what it would of been like to have been all dressed up, drinking champagne with a handsome man in a beautiful hotel. I love this story! What a memory to carry with you all these years later.

      Thank you again for commenting ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liz

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