Music has always provided the sign-posts in my life. There are songs that I associate with different chapters and events, and when I hear them memories come flooding back to me in a very rich way. Occasionally, this goes the opposite way – something is happening to me in the moment and a song comes on that perfectly captures that moment.
I left the Club the other day walking on air because the new metal roof was nearly complete and the dry-wall was being delivered. This signals a key milestone in that we are now putting Humpty back together! I hopped in the truck and playing on the radio was Crowded House with Neil Finn singing “Now we’re Getting Somewhere” – the irony of the line ‘ooh tell me please why it takes so long’ made me smile and punctuated the feeling that we really are getting there.
This edition of Confessions will provide the last look behind the walls and allow me to start to share what to expect from the Club moving forward. In keeping with this, here are a few more things that we found along the way:
The items above were found together, so we assume that these are from the 1940’s as the raffle tickets are supporting the war effort. One of our new suites will be named in honour of Royal Military College and to celebrate the history of military personnel who were members of the Frontenac Club from 1906 – 1931.
The raffle ticket would appear to be from 1948, as the grand prize was a new Oldsmobile sedan from St. Remy Motors. The ticket was to support the fundraising for the Kingston Memorial Centre!
Two of the coolest finds we have had are below:
Phylis – if you are still looking for your license, we have it at the front desk…..so cool to find something like this! It makes me wonder what brought Ms. Grant to Kingston and whether she had an apartment at the Club, was visiting friends or just out joy-riding.
Just a great find – a business card from the 3rd generation of the Club’s life. It is rumoured that our friendly ghost is that of Mrs. Webb… we really hope she likes the changes we are making.
Looking ahead, we have had to do a lot of design and re-design on the fly.
Room configurations, sizes, names and amenities have been in a state of flux until recently. We have had some major shifts in our timelines and gone further than we had originally planned. We really believe that our decisions will ensure the longevity of the Club, make it a more efficient operation and, most significantly, enhance your experience.
We have done enough masonry work on the interior and exterior of the building that I think it might have been easier to rebuild it! The upside is of course that we are restoring the building to its original grandeur and protecting it for the future.
Below you can see the new metal roof that has been installed over the Bank section of the Club.
Moving forward, we will have 20 new suites. For those of you whom have stayed with us in the past, some of the names will remain the same. Those with authentic and historic import are staying while we are adding several new names that speak to the rich history of the region. Nine of our rooms will feature Kohler free-standing soaker tubs and all of the rooms have terrific new showers.
Each room at the Club is unique in its size and configuration, but all will have some common amenities. Each room will have a king bed, a new gas-fireplace and its own bar. We will have beautiful linens and towels for you to enjoy and thoughtful touches that will make our stay incredibly comfortable.
We are very excited to be adding a lounge to the Club. In the mornings, we will serve breakfast in the old bank floor in the afternoons and evenings we will craft cocktails and pour wine and whiskey until you return to your room. Below you can see the lounge with the drains in the floor ready at the bar.
There are a host of other surprises that we will reveal as we get closer to opening in the early winter. To give you some hints…
Check back with us in a few months for some shots of the room layouts and an update on a whole host of other topics.
