alvay-by-the-Sea was built in 1896 by Alexander MacDonald, onetime president of Standard Oil Company, as a palatial summer home for his family. In 1937-38 it was sold to the government of Canada, and became part of the soon to be established P.E.I. National Park. It is currently operated as a hotel and fine-dining establishment by David Reymond Thompson under agreement with the Federal government.

With an increasing influx of summer visitors in the 1990s, it became clear that a new dining room was needed. The hotel operator came up with a design that was deemed suitable for this National Historic Site by Parks Canada and the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, and Rob Roy Builders was chosen to build it. The task involved the construction of a dramatic coffered ceiling, the creation new moldings that matched those of the interior of the main building, and a very tight schedule. Special challenges included cutting the trim to fit around the old stone, and creating the curved cornice moldings. Masonry work involved the creation of stone window sills and partial columns that were patterned after the Island-stone columns around the veranda. This was done with stone gathered from Island fields especially for this job. All the lumber for the project was specially milled on P.E.I., and to match the finish in the older parts of the hotel, the woodwork was shellacked rather than varnished. Every table in the new dining room has a view of Dalvay Lake, and the new construction blends seamlessly with the old. “It looks like it’s always been there” is a frequent comment.


Dave Thompson's Experience

I presented him with an initial design and he took over from there. He got all the estimates done, and made necessary changes to the architectural design. We liked his approach right from the start — his professionalism, and his suggestions. There was a different feeling about him. With most contractors we deal with it’s “we’re awful busy,” or “you can’t do this,” or “you shouldn’t do that.” I find it to be a very negative experience, whereas I found dealing with Rob just to be a pleasure.

Rob spent many hours with Parks Canada and the design team. He arranged all the different phases of the construction to come together. He brought in people who knew how to get the job done. Once the foundation, the floor, and the steel structure was up, they finished it in 30 days. There again, it was beyond our expectations. We were completely thrilled with the results. Everybody talks about the workmanship in the dining room. Everybody. People who haven’t been here for a few years. There has never been a negative, and some people have actually said it finishes the place off.

The National Historic Board was doing a tour last summer in P.E.I. They were speechless about the job. They said that Dalvay-by-the-Sea was the best example of a national historic site being applied to a commercial use.

I value their honesty, their integrity, and the friendship I’ve developed with both of them over this. I think what makes them successful is that they don’t try to meet people’s expectations, they try to exceed people’s expectations. For a contractor, you just don’t experience that. And I’ve been dealing with contractors for 28 years now.



"We’re 100% satisfied. We’d recommend them. It was a very, very positive experience."

David Reymond Thompson
Operator, Dalvay-by-the-Sea