$10 · The Empress of Victoria

The Empress of Victoria by Godfrey Holloway Paperback, revised in 1998, 130 pages. In a very special way The Empress Hotel is Victoria. The reverse, too, is true; Victoria is The Empress Hotel. The big vine-covered pile of brick and its surrounding gardens seem not to be a commercial enterprise so much as a civic development. In his colorful history of The Empress, Godfrey Holloway reveals that while people have poked fun at the famed hostelry, chuckled over its potted palms and old world characters, they do so with affection. Truth is they love The Empress. They revel in the heavy, quiet atmosphere. They are enthralled by the lobby and Palm Court and hushed by the vastness of the corridors. It was with warm delight, plus a little anxiety, that they watched the hotel go through its two great renovations. This book is designed to tell you something of what the Dowager has been, something of the city she dominates, and something of what she has become. This is the story of a celebrated Grande Dame who despite the dignity of her years, is still very much "with it" on today's scene. It is an interesting book, alive with humor, soft with memories, warm with nostalgia. See pictures Pickup Pickup in Langford Cross posted