After sitting empty for years, the historic O’Brien House overlooking Meech Lake is again welcoming guests.
The nearly century-old mansion in Gatineau Park officially reopened June 1 as a boutique hotel, restaurant and event venue under the management of Square Old Chelsea.
For CEO Manuela Teixeira, the project began with a simple question.
“The O’Brien House I’ve been looking at for years and years,” Teixeira said. “I was just wondering what was going on with the house because I hadn’t heard anything about it lately, and I just called up the ( National Capital Commission ) and asked to have a meeting.”
Those discussions eventually led to a lease agreement with the NCC, which owns the property. The five-year lease also includes options to renew every five years until 2051.
Square Old Chelsea operates several tourism and hospitality businesses, including the Chelsea Pub and accommodation rentals.
The NCC originally acquired the building in 1964, but it was empty for decades before undergoing a nearly $4-million renovation that was completed in 2018. It was operated for nearly two years as a boutique hotel, but closed in 2019.
“It’s very, very exciting,” said Nathalie Roy-Patenaude, the NCC’s director of real estate management. “O’Brien House is a very special property in Gatineau Park and in our portfolio.”
Roy-Patenaude said the NCC had been looking for an operator capable of creating a sustainable business while ensuring public access to the site.
“It was important to have someone who would obviously use it for the hotel, but also be open to having a public offering,” she said. “We want the public to come, sit and enjoy the site.”
The mansion was built in 1930 for industrialist J. Ambrose O’Brien, a Renfrew-born businessman credited with helping found both the Montreal Canadiens and the National Hockey Association, the precursor to the National Hockey League.
Today, the property features 11 guest rooms, weekend gourmet brunches, afternoon tea service and event spaces for weddings, retreats and corporate gatherings.
Teixeira said room rates would range from roughly $300 to $500 per night, depending on the room, while afternoon tea was priced at $70 per person.
Chelsea Mayor Brian Nolan said the reopening restored one of the municipality’s most recognizable landmarks.
“It’s great for us to have this open,” Nolan said. “It’s a historical building. It’s been with us for a century, and it’s nice to have it open again and in operation.’
Nolan said the track record of the operators, Square Old Chelsea, gave the project a strong chance of succeeding where previous efforts had struggled.
“If we look at the history that they have in Chelsea, they have different businesses as well, and they are all success stories,” he said. “I’m confident with all the experience that they bring on board that they will be able to make this a success.”
Additional amenities are already planned for the hotel. Teixeira said the company was working on expanding lunch and evening dining services and planned to open a small thermal spa for hotel guests this fall.
The restaurant has also been given a historical touch. It’s named Adele in honour of O’Brien’s wife.
For now, however, the focus is on gradually building the business and welcoming visitors back to the property.
“We want to start slow and build slowly,” Teixeira said. “We want to make sure the quality is there.”
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