Gladstone House

Gladstone House, long known as the Gladstone Hotel, describes itself as the city's longest-operating hotel. The building on Queen Street West was built in 1889 to designs by George Martell Miller in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, and it originally served rail travellers and visitors to the Canadian National Exhibition from its position opposite the old Parkdale railway station. It has had heritage designation from the city since 1973.

The modern hotel took shape after the Zeidler family led a restoration completed in 2005, with the architect Eberhard Zeidler and his firm. The work reduced the hotel to 37 rooms, each one different and created from winning designs in an artist competition, which gave the Gladstone its reputation as an art hotel. A hand-operated elevator from 1903, restored and still running, is one of the last of its kind in Toronto. In 2020 the hotel was sold to Streetcar Developments and Dream Unlimited and has continued to evolve under the Gladstone House name.

Art remains central. The hotel runs an art programme and displays curated art in its public spaces, and many of its rooms reflect the original artist-led approach. The Melody Bar keeps two restored pillars with a faux marble finish from the old interior. The Gladstone Bistro serves food and drink, and the hotel's spaces are popular for weddings, celebrations and other events.

The hotel sits in the heart of West Queen West, a short walk along Queen Street from The Drake. It suits couples, design lovers and travellers who want a characterful, independent hotel in a neighbourhood setting rather than a large downtown property.

Before its 2020 sale, the Tippin and Zeidler families had bought the hotel in 2000, and the Zeidlers became sole owners in 2003. The Gladstone Bistro publishes its menu online in the hotel's Eat and Drink section.

The hotel can be reached by phone or by text message, and general enquiries go to the hotel's own email address. Because each room is different, look at room descriptions and photographs on the website before booking to choose the style and size you prefer for your stay.