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Calgary Herald

Model of Banff Springs Hotel finds new home at Calgary business

A replica of the iconic Banff Springs Hotel has found a new home — although it won't be accepting reservations. Article content Article content After being owned by the Calgary International Airport for several years, Calgarian Frank Kaufmann's model of the hotel has been relocated to another Calgary-based business. Article content Gary Hinton, with Falkbuilt, a manufacturer specializing in interior construction, noticed the model separated into pieces at a warehouse near their facility in southeast Calgary. Article content Article content Falkbuilt found it, 'rescued it and displayed it for their own purpose,' said Kaufmann, 88, who was greeted by staff at Falkbuilt, including CEO Mogens Smed on Wednesday afternoon. Article content Hinton said, 'It's just great that that it didn't get destroyed . . . all the hard work and the effort that went in that Frank put into it.' Article content Article content Kaufmann built the replica — which is around the size of a small car — beginning in the late 1970s, and finished it over three years. Article content Falkbuilt currently has it on display at one of its showrooms, and may move it to a more permanent location in the future. Article content Before the airport bought it in 2019, the model sat in Kaufmann's southwest Calgary garage for decades. Article content Article content 'I feel quite happy, because originally I wanted to dump it . . . I had nobody who was interested,' said Kaufmann, noting he had approached the Banff Springs Hotel and they were not interested in purchasing it. Article content His model-building journey has included replicas of buildings such as Calgary's historic City Hall, churches and his homes over the years — but his largest and most spectacular is the Banff Springs Hotel. Article content Article content Kaufmann had difficulty mimicking the rock that lines the sides of the iconic hotel. He wound up using sand from a beach in Scheveningen, Holland. Article content 'That beach, the beach sand, had exactly the color that I was looking for. I came across it accidentally,' said Kaufmann, adding he brought some on the plane ride home.