Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature The historic 112-year old King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto has under- gone a $40 million restoration, bringing together a unique blend of old world charm and modern style amenities. Purchased by Omni Hotels & Resorts in 2013, renovations began soon after and were completed in 2015 when the hotel was unveiled as The Omni King Edward Hotel. Work included a full renovation of all guest rooms and guest baths; aesthetic upgrades to the Vanity Fair, Windsor and Sovereign Ballrooms, as well as to owns it as well. That means they really care about the end project and under- stand a reasonable amount of time is re- quired to get the work done properly.” Moncur says her firm has done a number of these historic restoration projects including The Algonquin Resort St. Andrews by-the-sea, The Westin Portland, The Westin Nova Scotia, and The Westin Montreal. Though each of these properties is unique, she says a common thread is the balance between respecting and honouring the history of the hotel, while giving it a fresh look and new life. “I never want to try to create a replica of the original,” she says. “Rather we 22,000 sq. ft. of meeting spaces, the Victoria’s Restaurant and Lobby Bar; and a redesign of the front hotel lobby. Moncur Design Associates provided interior design services for the restora- tion. Shurway Contracting Ltd. acted as general contractor. Endicott Flooring and Classic Fire Protection Inc. also added their expertise. Robynne Moncur, president of Mon- cur Design, says her company provided the redesign for the consortium who previously owned the King Edward and she was pleased to have the opportu- nity under Omni to revisit the project. “Omni is a seasoned operator who doesn’t just manage the property but Fire Sprinkler Systems residential Fire Sprinkler Systems Fire Alarm and Monitoring Systems Inspections, Maintenance, Service Special Hazards Suppression Systems Fire extinguishers & Safety Products restaurant Systems Classic Fire Protection Inc. is a total fire protection company, which can service each and every one of your needs from turnkey engineered design systems installed to service calls and inspections on your present fire protection equipment. Industrial Dry Chemical Systems Fire Safety Plans Classic electrical Services Inc. We distribute many products from some of the largest manufacturer’s in the world. We have a vast in-house stock of parts and products to complement our complete testing and training areas for each of our Divisions at our head office. With our large fleet of service vehicles we are able to offer emergency response time of within 2 hours. Our field staff is comprised of licensed sprinkler fitters, certified fire alarm technicians, factory trained and certified kitchen suppression and fire extinguishers technicians. North York Location 645 Garyray Drive North York, ON M9L 1P9 T: 416-740-3000 F: 416-740-2039 Burlington Location 4380 South Service Rd, Unit #13 Burlington, ON L7L 5Y6 T: 905-631-6100 F: 905-631-9558 24 HoUr eMergeNCY SerVICe CALL Toll Free: 1.888.842.6862 www.classicfire.com The Canadian Design and Construction Report — May-June 2016 – 41