A street party in Ladysmith welcomed the opening of a Canadian Heritage building which the new owners say will help draw tourism to the area.
According to the Ladysmith Historical Society, the hotel was originally built in 1900 and was primarily used as supportive, affordable housing, to support transient men at the turn of the century. The society adds the hotel was also the focal point of frustrations of strikers during the 1913 riots and had one of two bombs ignited in 1913.
Co-owner Stephan Queitsch says the building itself is a great piece of history in the community and restoring it took time, and had multiple challenges, but he adds it’s a decision he doesn’t regret.
“When we looked at it, we fell in love,” he says. “We didn’t know the extent of what it would turn into by a long shot. We just kept moving forward and every challenge we took on, calling it self-induced induced pain.”
Queitsch says the project took a lot of time and effort, and cost over $1 million, but the value put in was to address any issues with the old structure to make prevent future problems.
“The whole building is reframed from the inside out, and everything has been signed off,” he says. “We know what the building is, and now we don’t have any maintenance for many years. It’s like a brand-new building.”
Fellow co-owner Denise Bergquist says buying an older building offered them a unique experience to bring the past into the present and offer a little piece of history to people who plan on staying at the hotel.
“The full structure is still here, we didn’t move any walls but it’s basically a brand-new structure,” she says. “All the wood that is on the floors, and some of the accent walls were all taken from the walls of the building.”
The hotel will maintain the previous five apartment style suites. Bergquist says they’ve already had a soft launch which has shown positive reviews and that has allowed them to gear their marketing accordingly.
“We’ve had 20 bookings so far, and a lot of positive feedback,” she adds. “We’re just trying to get the word out slow.”
To see more of the Temperance Hotel visit their website.
