An extensive exterior refurbishment project is now underway in the Canada Pavilion at EPCOT as the Hotel du Canada receives a fresh coat of paint and even a bit of a thematic change when it comes to the traditional color of the structure. While visiting EPCOT day, we noticed construction walls have been installed, blocking access to the upper tiers of the Canada Pavilion as crews work on an exterior refresh of Hotel du Canada. The Hotel du Canada building is modeled off of the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa, Canada. Here’s how Disney describes the theming of the Canada Pavilion:
Your journey “north” to the Canada pavilion includes a spectacular tribute to the nation’s natural wonders, such as the majestic Rocky Mountains, a 30-foot waterfall, and beautifully landscaped grounds that are inspired by Victoria’s Butchart Gardens. But you simply can’t miss one of the more striking man-made landmarks in the pavilion: the Hotel du Canada, inspired by the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. The hotel was commissioned by railroad magnate Charles Melville Hays, who was extending his Grand Trunk Pacific Railway west, and envisioned several deluxe hotels along the route. The hotel was impeccably furnished within and boasted a façade that featured Italian marble, Indiana limestone, and a copper roof. One hundred and five years after its grand opening, the Chateau Laurier is still welcoming guests to this day.
As you can see in our photos below, there are construction walls blocking access to the area around Hotel du Canada and scaffolding installed on the southern side of the structure. Canada Far and Wide, the 360-degree show, remains open during the work, with access to the attraction only allowed from ground level in the pavilion. Here’s a look at the work from inside the Canada Pavilion and areas around World Showcase!
Northwest Mercantile and Trading Post gift shops remain open during the work.
Here, you can see that a large construction wall blocks access to the upper level of the Canada Pavilion.
Here are some more zoomed out photos of the area before we take a closer look.
Near the entrance to Canada Far and Wide, stairs to the upper level of the pavilion are blocked off.
Ok, let’s take a closer look at the work, and why we think that a full retheme of the paint scheme might be on the way.
As you can see in the photo above and the closer photo below, the entrance to Le Cellier Steakhouse already has a different color scheme. This was repainted some time ago, but this area has not had a separate paint scheme from the rest of Hotel du Canada, historically.
Recently, Disney has been testing a darker paint scheme like the one at Le Cellier Steakhouse in other parts of the pavilion, but they have not announced any changes. Instead, we’ll keep an eye on the Hotel du Canada project over the coming weeks and months as work progresses.
Here’s a look at the roof, which is faded and paint is falling off in places. It was certainly time for a repair.
On the south side of Hotel du Canada, scaffolding almost reaches the top floors of the structure.
Here’s a look at the Canada Pavilion from other countries in World Showcase.
Again, Disney hasn’t formally announced the project, and it doesn’t impact any shops, attractions, or shows in the pavilion, but we’ll keep an eye on it!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!