The Laff

The Chateau Lafayette, known locally as The Laff, is distinguished by the large neon sign clinging to its exterior, which has hung over York Street since nineteen thirty-six. This building on York Street opened as Grant’s Hotel in eighteen forty-nine, predating both the city of Ottawa and the Canadian Confederation. During the Stony Monday Riot of eighteen forty-nine, the hotel served as a refuge for people escaping the violence that broke out on the market square outside.