Delta Bessborough

The Delta Bessborough hotel is a four-star, ten-story hotel in Downtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The hotel is a historical landmark in Saskatoon and is known for its castle-like appearance. The hotel was built by the Canadian National Railway from 1928 to 1932 and is designed in the same Château-style as many of Canada's other railway hotels. Although it is still referred to as "The Bessborough Hotel," many people have adopted an abbreviated form, known as "The Bess" . The landmark provides a picturesque eastern terminating vista for Saskatoon's 21st Street East. It is also a view terminus on Spadina Crescent from points south of the hotel.HistoryAfter the Canadian Pacific Railway built a railway hotel in Regina in 1926, the Saskatoon business community lobbied Canadian National Railway to build one in Saskatoon. On December 31, 1928, Sir Henry Thorton, President of the Canadian National Railway, announced that it would build a similar hotel in Saskatoon. The hotel was designed by Archibald and Schofield of Montreal, and it was intentionally designed to resemble a Bavarian castle. In February, 1930, the excavation of the site began using a steam thawer and gasoline excavator. Materials used in construction were of Canadian origin, including Tyndall stone from Manitoba, brick from the Claybank Brick Plant in Claybank, Saskatchewan, and tiles from Estevan, Saskatchewan. In exchange for building a "chateau" style hotel with a minimum of 200 rooms, the city exempted the railway from property tax on the hotel for 25 years.