The Globe and Mail

Montrealers appreciate their old buildings and can get quite annoyed when somebody proposes a radical facelift to a historic edifice - recently, it was the glass cube addition proposed for the old Erskine and American United Church that raised the ire of the architectural heritage community. But a major facelift planned for a grande dame of Montreal - the Ritz-Carlton hotel - that includes a glass and steel addition across one end and the top of the century-old stone landmark has raised barely a whimper. That could be because the $100-million renovation is better than what was rumoured to be the alternative - seeing the hotel close. Far from closing, the hotel, which opened in 1912 with double rooms and a bath going for $4.50 a night, will be getting an extensive makeover to bring it up to modern standards, as well as to tap into a recent trend for hoteliers - offering condo units. The Ritz-Carlton, at the corner of Sherbrooke and Mountain Streets along Montreal's Golden Square Mile, was designed by famed New York architectural firm Warren & Wetmore. An imposing neoclassical building with terra cotta trim, it was inspired by the architecture of Robert and James Adam.