Hotel Waverly
Encyclopedia
Spadina Avenue
Spadina Avenue is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods....
and College Street
College Street
College Street may refer to:*College Street *College Street *College Street *College Street -- A road in Dublin City Centre....
in downtown Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. It opened in 1900 making it one of the oldest Toronto hotels in continuous operation. The white four-storey hotel is located next to Toronto's Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
and to landmarks The Silver Dollar Room and The Scott Mission
The Scott Mission
The Scott Mission is a Christian non-denominational organization responding to the needs of the poor, homeless, abandoned and vulnerable of all ages. The Mission is based in downtown Toronto, Canada and offers practical, emotional, and spiritual support for thousands of people each year.Morris and...
. Its proximity to the mission has kept rental rates low, attracting customers who are looking for a deal in downtown. The Waverly's interior rooms are modest but comfortable. This accommodation does provide low-cost housing benefiting Toronto's transient community as well as monthly residents. The hotel offers 24-hour laundry facilities, free parking and snack counter.
The hotel's central location is close to major attractions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
, Queen's Park, The Royal Ontario Museum
Royal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...
and Kensington Market
Kensington Market
Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Robert Fulford wrote in 1999 that "Kensington...
, making it a prime target for redevelopment. It enjoys proximity to major transit routes via the 506 Carlton Streetcar and 510 Spadina Streetcar.
Though he denied it, there is some evidence that James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray was an American criminal convicted of the assassination of civil rights and anti-war activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....
may have stayed at the Waverly while hiding out in Toronto after shooting Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
. It was also the longtime home of poet Milton Acorn
Milton Acorn
Milton James Rhode Acorn , nicknamed The People's Poet by his peers, was a Canadian poet, writer, and playwright. He was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island....
, several of whose works depicts life in the neighbourhood. In popular culture the hotel was the opening scene of the Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...
novel Killshot
Killshot
Killshot, the 1989 novel by author Elmore Leonard, tells the story of a married couple who find themselves in Cape Girardeau, Missouri while on the run from a pair of hitmen.-Plot summary:...
and was also featured in the film version
Killshot (film)
Killshot is a 2009 thriller film based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard. The film is directed by John Madden and stars Diane Lane and Thomas Jane as a couple who, despite being in a witness protection program, are confronted by the criminal they outed, portrayed by Mickey...
. The hotel is also briefly pictured in the music video for "Games for Days" by Julian Plenti (a.k.a Paul Banks
Paul Banks
Paul Julian Banks is an English American musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and guitarist of the rock band Interpol. He is also a solo artist under the name Julian Plenti. As a singer, Banks' voice lies in the baritone range.-Early life:Banks was born in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
).