Zoe’s has a dramatic marble fireplace, an open kitchen, and Karsh’s historic Churchill portrait back on the wall for all to see.
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After a major renovation that took most of the year, the newly updated Zoe’s lounge and restaurant at Château Laurier is not only sleek and gorgeous but also fits in perfectly with the rest of the historic, downtown Ottawa hotel.
Designed by Calgary’s Frank Architecture and Interiors, the main-floor space was thoroughly modernized, from plumbing to security, without losing the charm of the castle-like building that’s been standing at the top of Rideau Street for 114 years.
Now billed as Zoe’s: The Capital’s Social Place, the new floor plan connects the lounge and dining areas, maintaining the cozy vibe of the oak-panelled reading lounge alongside the palatial grandeur of the dining room where high tea will again be served.
New architectural features include a vast marble bar that serves as the focal point of the lounge, a floor-to-ceiling marble fireplace that doesn’t burn wood or fossil fuel and an open kitchen in the dining room where you’ll be able to see the chefs work their magic.
And in one corner of the dining room is a grand piano, a sure sign that live music is set to return to the landmark inn, which had a long tradition of hosting jazz players and crooners. More details will come soon, according to general manager Geneviève Dumas.
The lounge is also where you’ll find a series of black-and-white Yousuf Karsh prints, including the iconic portrait of Winston Churchill known as the Roaring Lion. The original print is back on the wall, armed and secured under Plexiglass, after it was stolen and replaced with a fake almost three years ago.
Karsh was the master photographer who had a studio on the sixth floor of the hotel and lived in a suite with his wife, Estrellita. They gifted the portrait to the Chateau when they decided to move to the United States.
In a recent note to the hotel, Estrellita said the lounge was one of their favourite spots in the building. “We wanted to do something to express our gratitude for the decades of hospitality and chose a portrait to hang in the reading lounge, where we had spent many happy evenings with friends,” she wrote.
The lounge, named after the wife of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh prime minister of Canada, re-opens to the public at noon on Nov. 18.
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