Drake Hotel (Toronto)
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The Drake Hotel is a hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The hotel, on Queen Street West near Parkdale, was opened in 1890 as "Small's Hotel". At the time, the area was a major Canadian Pacific Railway hub near what was then one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the city.
In 1949, the hotel was acquired by new owners, who expanded the building and renamed it the Drake. The hotel eventually fell on hard times, along with its neighbourhood. In the 1970s and 1980s, it was variously a punk bar, a rave den and a flophouse.
In 2001, the hotel was purchased by Jeff Stober, who renovated the hotel with the goal of turning it into a bohemian arts and culture mecca in the midst of the city's recently revived gallery district. The hotel has subsequently become one of Toronto's most talked-about nightclubs and arts venues, as well as a popular accommodation for out-of-town visitors. The hotel contains nineteen rooms, a music bar called the Underground, an upstairs lounge, a dining room, a cafe and a roof top patio called the Sky Yard.
While some applaud the hotel's contribution to the arts and the city's nightlife, others worry that it has had a negative impact on the Queen Street West area, contributing to rising rents that have driven out many of the area's original art galleries and other older established businesses. Conversely, there are those who have enjoyed significant benefits from the Drake's cultural leadership. Several new galleries, condominiums, and businesses have flourished since the Drake's re-opening. Public institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) have moved onto Queen Street because of the newfound viability of this area as a destination for pedestrian traffic.
Drake's head Chef is Anthony Rose, who happens to be one of the most prominent chefs in Toronto.
Drake also boasts a corner café which at night becomes a bistro. The café is the daytime venue for breakfast and lunch, and their scones (created daily by pasty chef David Chow) were recently voted the best in Toronto by the Toronto Star.
