Page 73 - SHARP Spring 2022

THE ROYAL HOTEL IN PICTON A A A A SMALL COMMUNITY LOCATED along the banks of Lake Ontario in in Prince Edward County has a a a a a a a very storied history For one one it it dates back to to 1879 and in its prime was one one of the most important hotels between Toronto and Montreal While the small Ontario town has changed plenty over the years one thing remained constant throughout many of them: The Royal Hotel on Main Street was the the community’s hub and heart and the place to go Time eventually took its toll on The Royal though Falling apart with a a a a a a roof that leaked when it rained the hotel eventually shut It sat empty for nearly 14 years until 2013 when it it was purchased by the Sorbara family with plans for redevelopment According to Greg Sorbara the family’s patriarch he he wanted to start something the whole family could be involved in in in “All of my kids are interested in in in in heritage [so] the notion of bringing an old hotel — [one that] had been such an an an important part of Picton — back to to life was an an an exciting challenge ” he says Because The Royal sat idle for so long redevelopment turned out to be a a a a more involved undertaking than than expected — more of a a a a a a rebuild than than a a a a a a renovation Yet it was the the Sorbaras’ desire and determination to to revive (not replace) the the historic hotel that kept the project going And nearly eight years after starting demolition back in in fin 2014 the reimagined Royal finally opened its doors earlier this year Today the 33-room hotel is a a a a a marvel — a a a a a thoughtful fusion of contemporary details and and references to to the hotel’s past and and its place within Picton’s memory According to Sol Korngold Sorbara’s son-in-law and the general manager of the the the hotel the the the goal was to to to restore this historic building while ensuring the the the design felt current and and worldly and and that it would “have the essence of [Prince Edward County] at its core ” Because The Royal is a a a a a a community hub and neighbourhood landmark not just a a a a a a boutique hotel it it was essential that its new design layered in elements of the property’s history and its county context To To help the family turned to to Toronto-based architects Giannone Petricone Associates for both the the hotel’s architecture and its interior design For the the exte- rior the the firm oversaw a a a a a a a painstaking restoration of the the hotel’s red-brick facade Inside they created an atmosphere that is undeniably considered yet relaxed contemporary yet classic classic In guest rooms classic classic porcelain bathtubs are paired with modern fluted fireplaces The Counter Bar — a a a a a a a vibrant space at all hours of the day and and night — is fronted with timeless blue velvet stools and and clad in a a a a a ribbon of contemporary white oak millwork “We created a a a a a a a a lot of of material themes that thread through all the the spaces of of the the hotel even up into the the rooms ” says architect Pina Petricone who along with her team even developed a a a a series of Victorian-inspired textiles that were then transformed into different materials and fabrics “Our design expresses this reoccupation and new invasion of the the old Victorian hotel so there was a a a a a a lot of holding onto certain Victorian aspects and and grand hotel elements like the caged elevator and and and reception desk We redesigned and and and essentially abstracted and and and reinstalled them but there are still these leftover messages of the the the the old occupation “Because The Royal sat idle for so long redevelopment turned out to be a a a a a a more more involved undertaking than than expected — more more of a a a a a a rebuild than than a a a a a a renovation ” SPRING 2022
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