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BY CATITERINE M.
Written in 1964,

. 7 bedrooms.

The ‘Terrace. Holel has an.

: interesting history which dates

back 1o 1911.

It. was in this year that the an

“late J... Gordon constructed

“this headquarters’. for “the”

~ travelling public. on’ Kalum
: Street where now: ‘stands:.a,
modern 70 bedroom’ hotel,
complete wilh ‘dining: room,

cafe, cocklail lounge and beer - “
parlor... Today it ‘is’ a

profitable business owned and

. operated by Augie Geeraert |

with steady ‘staff of 24 and an

o ; annual payroll of $- ‘110,000,

~-The late Mr: Gordon operated
“the hotel along with his nephew, -
Frank Physcater, until after the

First. World War: .
> Barly in’1915 when Terrace |
was struck wilh a ‘flu epidemic

a. portion of the holel was used
< for hospitalization: as there was

no hospilal in Terrace in those

2 days.
After “iKer (as. “he was

‘affectionately: called),.. passed

away Mr. and Mrs. Herman
» Willie of Winnipeg operated the

_ hotel for a number of years.
Some of the grown-ups in.
Terrace: loday,. who - were -
youngsters during the Willie |
“regime, recall going to the:
: back-door of the holel for hand-

outs irom the cook.
The University of B.C.
Extension | Depariment

conducted : -classes from - -one of

“its rooms. :
. Memory brings. back. a . sad

“note to hese years when Mrs.’

., Willie lost her life when struck
“by a car on Lakelse Avenue.

‘“Mr.. Willie retired from the”:
business in 1945 and sold oul to :
_Peter Murie who ‘operated’ the

. business until £951 when Frank

“ Wauthier became owner. It was
: {hen a 26 room hotel with beer

: parlor and coffee shop. |
On June 1, 1955 Mr, Wauthier

” sold the hotel to Augie Geeraert,
"+ present owner. :

Mr. Geeraert immedialely

wen} to work to improve the
‘building. He did extensive ~
t.renovaling and re-decorating,

“but realized more expansion
Was needed in the growing town

of Terrace.

By the fall of 1956 the hotel

- was opetaling, at full capacity
with an addition of 28 rooms~

‘with bath. -
‘During the = expansion

-' program the beer parlor was-
_’ moved to Greig Avenue at
‘'which time there was angle
"parking on that street.
* ‘With the growing population it
soon becaine ‘evident that: the:
- gecommodation was nat enough
>" to-meet the needs and another
93 rooms with three addilional

sample rooms. were added by

. _the management.

Over the period between 1956-
60 the cocktail lounge . and

‘» dining room were constructed. -
"At this time Greig Avenue was
. changed to parallel parking and -
“in 1961 the beer parlor was~
*". moved back Lo Railway Avenue
and Kalum Street which -lell
‘ample parking for hotel guests.
-* By 1963 the whole main. floor -
“had been renovated to give (he ~

holel a new cafe, dining room,
rocklail . lounge and 70

1

‘Today’ Augie Geerdert and his

wife Lenora, . who, is his-

helpmate in the hotel, enjoy
‘operating a business they are

proud to have built toa point of * ,

being “big | business”’ ~ in
Terrace.

‘Terrace Hotel has served the
public well throughout the

FRASER

THE HERALD - TERRACS HOTEL SUPPLEMENT

TERRACE HOTEL ..

WEDNESDAY ee 2

taken from the railroad in approximately 1915,
showing Kalum Street running north. Opposite the hotel is the George Little
store in which the post office was housed, next door - going upstreet - Lazelle
“next to that the building which is now the location of Terrace DrugsLtd. .

(Photo courtesy the late Carl Pohle)

TERRACE HOTEL facing on Kalum Street (taken

approximately 1935).

* Store.

TERRACE HOTEL ‘ToDAay,

~ Avenue.

Next door R.W. Riley Drug

Photo from fi iles of Terrace Hotel)”

(Photo b Vo

facing on Greig

e Studios)

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