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Toronto is a treasure trove of places with interesting history and architecture. Many of them have been torn down, but fortunately there are still a few of these fascinating gems left that connect us with Toronto’s interesting past. Yesterday I went to do an interview with Christina Zeidler, the driving force behind the revitalization of the Gladstone Hotel. It’s a place with a long and fascinating history. The longest continuously running hotel in Toronto was built in 1889, by a female entrepreneur named Susanna Robinson, who ran the hotel together with her 13 children. At one point the Gladstone, a railroad hotel, was the last place to obtain liquor before reaching Hamilton. It was also one of the first 10 hotels in Ontario that received a permission to allow patrons to drink alcohol and play shuffleboard in a specially designated area. But it all went downhill for the Gladstone from the glory days. Although continuously operating, the hotel was in disrepair for about 40 years and didn’t have a great reputation. In 2002 Toronto’s prominent Zeidler family decided to rescue this historic jewel. Eberhard Zeidler is one of Canada’s most famous architects and designed the Eaton Centre and Ontario Place. His daughter Christina Zeidler, an artist and filmmaker, was put in charge of the restoration and of managing the hotel. The entire infrastructure (plumbing, electrical, heating) was brought up-to-date. The hotel rooms, which used to be serviced by communal bathrooms, were …