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The Royal
By : Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. Architects
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 16th edition
Discipline : Interior Design : Grand Winner
Categories : Accommodation, Restaurant & Bar / Boutique Hotel : Platinum Winner
The Royal Hotel in Canada’s historic town of Picton, Prince Edward County (PEC), Ontario, reimagines a landmark Victorian hotel and reinstates it as the anchor of Picton’s main street.
When the project began, the building had been empty and derelict for at least a dozen years. The central staircase was lined with a lush carpet of green moss and early in the planning phase, the roof caved in. Over a decade, Giannone Petricone Associates (GPA) transformed the property into a destination for architectural and gastronomic delight.
A key challenge was restoring the lost lustre of the 31,000-square-foot hotel, while also elevating it to a glorious 21st century version of itself –– one that provokes curiosity in PEC and feels connected to its current rhythms. Within the building’s three salvageable brick walls, the architectural/design team established 28 guest rooms, a cafe, three bars, a fine-dining restaurant, a spa, gym, and sauna. The back of the building was reconfigured to add garden terraces and open the interior to increased natural light. The hotel stables were also rebuilt to establish The Royal Annex, which houses five guest suites suitable for families, extended stays or even staff accommodation.
GPA’s design concept plays on the expectations of the hotel’s name, history, and context by embracing the quintessential tropes of a Victorian railway hotel, then abstracting and reinserting them to create a rich contrast between the formalities of British tradition and the informalities of rural Ontario. The hotel’s gilded exterior balustrade and the elevator cage are fabricated from construction-grade metal. Traditional ceiling rosettes are reinterpreted as a grand mushroom and ripples of water. And Victorian textile patterns are “petrified” in plaster, stone and wood such as unfurling, starched linen fireplace mantles, cross-stitch headboards, and tartan tile floors. The Royal is about escapism, and the design creates a transporting experience that’s deeply rooted in the local context.
Significantly, the hotel now serves as a benchmark for future heritage conservation efforts in the area.
Collaboration
Architect : Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. Architects
General Contractor : HADY Construction Associates
General Contractor : Structure Corp
Landscape Architecture : Janet Rosenberg Studio
