Surprise Corner Viewpoint

About this audio guide

This guide to Surprise Corner in Banff centers on the eighteen eighty-six construction of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel below, and a paperwork mix-up during its build that decided who first got to enjoy the view you are standing in. You will hear about architect Bruce Price, the Canadian Pacific Railway's ambitions for this spot, and just whose table ended up facing away from that view when the hotel opened. It is a story about a hotel, a kitchen, and one very expensive view.