“It is a region so full of rocks, and so high, it is as if giants who once sought to do battle with the heavens had thrown down, in this spot, the foundation for their ascent…”

– a Jesuit missionary –

The history of the Hotel Tadoussac

The first Hotel Tadoussac was built in 1864 by wealthy citizens of Montreal and Quebec City. It featured a broad facade of twelve windows and three stories. In 1879, the building was sold for the price of $12,000. In 1888, the hotel underwent its first complete renovation. It the autumn of 1941, the aging structure was torn down.

The following year, 1942, the Hotel Tadoussac was rebuilt by William Hugh Coverdale, president of the Canada Steamship Lines. Inaugurated on the 27th of June that summer, the revamped hotel featured 137 rooms: 47 double-rooms and 20 singles with bathtubs, and another 33 doubles with showers. All of the rooms boasted running water, hot and cold. A cutting-edge system of sprinklers was installed to guard against fire.

Today, grateful of that rich history, the Hotel Tadoussac preserves its unique charm. Over time, it has become a destination not be missed for thousands of visitors ever year, hailing from all corners of the globe!

The history of the Hotel Tadoussac
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Who is William Hugh Coverdale ?

Native to the province of Ontario, where he was born in Kingston in 1871, and an engineer by trade, Mr. Coverdale was a brilliant businessman. He was president or general manager of some twenty companies, as well as a great lover of history and antiques, especially those relating to the period of Canada’s colonisation.

Though a man of business, and president of one of Canada’s largest companies, he took regular summer trips with his family, and developed a particular affinity for the Saguenay region, an area he sometimes visited for work. He started collecting items in the forties, and eventually assembled at least 2,500 objects and art pieces, which were kept at his three properties in Quebec: The Manoir Richelieu, the Hotel Tadoussac, and the Chauvin house.

The Coverdale Collection

In 1968, the Quebec Ministry of Cultural Affairs was given stewardship of the Euro-Québecoise and First Nations ethnographic collections held at the Hotel Tadoussac and the Chauvin house, as well as their archaeological collections. The holdings of the Hotel Tadoussac has come to be considered an important part of Quebec’s national heritage. Today, you can admire elements of this collection in the hotel’s Coverdale dining hall.

References: La Collection Coverdale, La construction d’un patrimoine national, Nathalie Hamel, Université Laval Press, Québec 2009 390 pages

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