Imagine going from a teenage janitor to one of the wealthiest men in Canada in about a
decade.
Hi everyone ken here, welcome to this house.
Today we are exploring Montreal’s Hosmer House.
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house.
Charles Hosmer had humble beginnings.
In 1851 he was born in Quebec and got his first job at the age of only 12 years old
sweeping floors for the offices of the Grand Trunk Railway.
At 14 years old, he dropped out of school to become the telegraph operator for the same
company.
He was really good at his job which caused Dominion Telegraph Company to take notice.
They brought him on board and he quickly worked his way from the bottom to the top.
By the age of 30, he was the president of the company.
Running a telegraph company gave Charles access to networking like the world had never seen
before.
He was able to take his money and invest it far beyond his reach, eventually owning 26
other companies.
From the energy sector to hospitals, from insurance to banking, he had his hands in
every industry.
It was no surprise that when he met hotel magnate Cesar Ritz, the two conspired to co
found the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Montreal.
Quickly, all of his investments and businesses made him very wealthy as he managed them all
from afar.
With his money, he began planning a grand home for his family.
In 1899 he purchased two lots in montreal upon which he would build a 35,600 square
foot beaux arts style mansion fashioned in brownstone.
The exterior boasted intricate details harkening back to baroque design including palmettes,
cartouches, and festoons found in abundance across the façade.
Walking inside, you would pass through a vestibule and into the stair hall with the grand staircase
still ahead of you.
To the left was the Louis the 16th Rococo reception room.
The walls had been treated with green silk, shimmering behind sofas which had been upholstered
with tapestries.
All set below a hand painted ceiling featuring a floral motif framing a central cartouche.
Pocket doors opened to the drawing room fashioned in the Louis the 15th style with rose colored
silk covering the walls.
In the cornice, tiny lightbulbs had been concealed, illuminating the ceiling details from a recessed
position, possibly the first example of recessed electric lights in a private residence.
The drawing room opened directly towards the stairs.
The baroque style hall boasted ornate columns supporting a coffered ceiling mirrored on
either side of the staircase whose landing divided the stairs below a window, turning
them back towards the hall as they ascended.
To one side of the stair hall was the library, finished out with hatched wallpaper contrasting
the ironwork composing the fireplace surround, frieze and ceiling.
The lights were planned create a shimmer across the surface of the ceiling, creating the illusion
of more depth in its details.
To the other side of the stair hall, at the back of the house, was the gothic dining room.
With hand stenciled walls set below large wood beams.
A rustic chandelier was suspended from several chains in front of the solid stone fireplace.
Though Charles had come from nothing and had gained the world, he never forgot his humble
roots.
His house also included private bedrooms for each of the servants as well as indoor bathrooms
for the men and women, something that was unheard of at this time.
The servants quarters also included a private dining room, hall, and kitchen divided between
the basement and the attic, allowing his servants to feel at home when they were off the clock.
Charles lived here comfortably for the rest of his life until the passing of his wife
Clara in 1926.
He passed away just one short year later in 1927, leaving his fortune to his two unmarried
children, Elwood and Olive.
He left them 20 million dollars, or the modern day equivalent of nearly 350 million dollars.
His son Elwood moved into the mansion, but he was nothing like his father.
He preferred to spend his days traveling and partying.
He briefly married a woman for 2 years before divorcing and moving into the Ritz Carlton
to live with his lover Alphonse Jongers.
He lived out the rest of his life in the hotel, becoming known as the Grey Ghost of the Ritz,
as he spent his last years drinking gin and smoking cigars in the same armchair of the
hotel’s palm court.
Upon Elwood’s death in 1947, his sister Olive inherited the family home.
She died in 1962, leaving it to her personal assistant and companion sold it McGill University.
Though much of the interior has changed, the house continues to stand with most of its
façade still intact.
It currently serves the university as McGill’s School of Physical and Occupational Therapy
and its beauty continues to be admired by students on campus.
Which room was your favorite?
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