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The Windsor Hotel in Montreal had a long and vibrant life as a cultural landmark in the heart of what was for many years Canada’s largest city. The construction of the Windsor Hotel was finished in 1878, and it remained in operation at 1170 Peel Street until 1981. Throughout its history, the Hotel attracted illustrious guests—including politicians, royalty and celebrities—with its luxurious lodging and the extravagant events hosted in the venue’s banquet halls.
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Figure 1: “Windsor Hotel in the 1950s Montreal Gazette. 2019.
“History Through Our Eyes: Oct. 29, 1981, Windsor Hotel closes.” Montreal Gazette: https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/history-through-our-eyes/history-through-our-eyes-oct-29-1981-windsor-hotel-closes (accessed August 17, 2023). |
Figure 2: Advertisement for dinner service
at the hotel. June 30, 1928. La Presse: p65 |
The opening of the Hotel was celebrated in 1878 with an immense ball that lasted into the early hours of the morning and that featured a program consisting of quadrilles, waltzes and other dances (Collard 1969, 6). The Windsor struggled during its earliest years of operation due to a lack of guests and even a fire that destroyed much of the building, but following reconstruction and expansion of the building, the Hotel became a great success and a landmark in Montreal’s artistic and cultural scene, establishing it firmly as a critical scene for music by the 1920s, when our VMQ project starts (Collard 1969, 6). The Hotel regularly hosted concerts, dances and dinner events that featured resident ensembles, including the Windsor Hotel Orchestra and the Windsor Hotel Trio. These ensembles saw the participation of the likes of violinist and conductor Danny Yates, pianist and orchestral harpist Nicholas Eichorn (Hildesheim and Potvin 2006), and cellist and founding member of the Montreal Orchestra Raoul Duquette (Potvin 2007). With regular musical events that could be attended live or heard over the radio, the Windsor Hotel was an important point of connection for musical circles in Montreal and was deeply embedded in the musical lives of the city and its residents. One such Montreal resident who had an important musical connection with the Windsor was the musician, composer, painter and socialite Corinne Dupuis-Maillet (1895-1990). In 1926, the Windsor Hotel Trio performed a program showcasing the music of Dupuis-Maillet for radio broadcast (Le Canada 1926, p3). The broadcast featured selections from a musical stage piece with music composed by Dupuis-Maillet and Henri Miro alongside instrumental works from Dupuis-Maillet’s oeuvre. While Dupuis-Maillet would eventually shift her focus away from composition and onto other artistic endeavours, this broadcast was an important point in her early career as it marked the first time that her music was performed over the radio. |
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Dupuis-Maillet’s connection to the Windsor Hotel is particularly interesting for the way that it adds a new dimension to the idea and meaning of place. The Hotel was not just a static location for her—architectural pieces from the Hotel found their way into a space known as l’Arche, which, beginning in 1904, served as a meeting place for a collective of Montreal-based artists and musicians (Centre d’Archives de Vaudreuil Soulanges, n.d. a). It was here that Dupuis-Maillet first became close with her future husband, Roger Maillet (1896-1960). The two became strong proponents of the arts in Montreal, with Dupuis-Maillet being inducted into the Order of Canada in 1973 for her contributions to the arts (Centre d’Archives de Vaudreil Soulanges, n.d. b).
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Figure 3: Corinne Dupuis-Maillet, circa 1950.
(Centre d’Archives de Vaudreil Soulanges, n.d. a).
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For over a century, Montreal’s Windsor Hotel was a cultural hub in one of Canada’s most vibrant cities. The Hotel served as a beacon for Montreal’s musical culture and is woven throughout decades of the city’s musical and artistic history. The events that occurred here their frequent appearance in newspapers have helped us understand more about musical life in Montreal.
Figure 4: Listing for radio broadcast directly from the Windsor Hotel.
January 10, 1928. La Presse: p15
January 10, 1928. La Presse: p15
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References
Centre d’Archives de Vaudreil-Soulanges. n.d. a. “Corinne Dupuis et Roger Maillet.” < https://www.archivesvs.org/histo/rubriques-historiques/maillet.html> (accessed August 17, 2023).
Centre d’Archives de Vaudreil Soulanges. n.d. b. “Fonds Corinne Dupuis-Maillet.” <https://www.archivesvs.org/archives/fonds-privees/fonds-corinne-dupuis.html> (accessed August 17, 2023).
Collard, Edgar Andrew. 1969. "Of Many Things… The Windsor Hotel." Montreal Gazette (December 6, 1969): p. 6.
Governer General of Canada. “Mr. Corinne Dupuis Maillet.” < https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-14643> (accessed August 17, 2023).
Hildesheim, Lucile Brais and Gilles Potvin. 2006. “Harp.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. < https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/harp-emc> (accessed August 17, 2023).
Le Canada. 1926. “Emissions Locales.” Le Canada (October 2, 1926): p3.
Potvin, Gilles. 2007. “Raoul Duquette.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/raoul-duquette-emc (accessed August 17, 2023).
Centre d’Archives de Vaudreil Soulanges. n.d. b. “Fonds Corinne Dupuis-Maillet.” <https://www.archivesvs.org/archives/fonds-privees/fonds-corinne-dupuis.html> (accessed August 17, 2023).
Collard, Edgar Andrew. 1969. "Of Many Things… The Windsor Hotel." Montreal Gazette (December 6, 1969): p. 6.
Governer General of Canada. “Mr. Corinne Dupuis Maillet.” < https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-14643> (accessed August 17, 2023).
Hildesheim, Lucile Brais and Gilles Potvin. 2006. “Harp.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. < https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/harp-emc> (accessed August 17, 2023).
Le Canada. 1926. “Emissions Locales.” Le Canada (October 2, 1926): p3.
Potvin, Gilles. 2007. “Raoul Duquette.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/raoul-duquette-emc (accessed August 17, 2023).