HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1972-07-06, Page 173z-�•-xn-rn-. .n. — o s
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Mrs. H. E. Knechtel is the mother of Mrs. Auleen Curry. -Mrs. • ,
Knechtelboughtthehotel in September of<.1935, when Wes, Litt
sold out hisere5tsto her. Atthistimeshe was Mrs. Gid Litt.
Owner of the Bedford Hotel since September of 1970, Bruno Lapaine 00:1 his wife Mary are kept busy
managing the thriving hotel.`.
The Bedford Hotel can be seen in among the decorations around The Square during this festive
4. celebration --in .Goder.i�ch,past._- '
The Bedford Hotel has, been a
welcome:- to townspeople and
visit"ors"`iitce'Tii
ctOse;ta _
§ttuated at the corner oL•South
Street,atid The Square, the hotel
has ton• been a tradition in
_ ._..,.._ � .u:T. s.:u'.�..R.^:fT....,r....0 •.G..41 .i., zR.25.......0..�r.3 .1L'a..ci/_f _..aEY. ^vr"6? .r.... *.Yi
Goderich,
Iheoriginalhotel at this same
Iodation was known as' the Albion
Hotel. A two storey.. building, it
burned to the ground in. 1.895..
Hotel was operated by Fred
Davis. It was then taken over by
Gordon SuteTffe `'atd Hatt%f
They operated it until ^1928,
when the Litt families moved to
Goderickr�i'he hotel was therl
''''.Carried
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carried on by Wes. Litt and Gid
Litt, cousins,
In September of 1935 Wes. Litt
sold out his interests to Mrs..Gid "
Litt, who continued to .operate the
It° wasitreplaced the-f011owing_--:Hotel with tier • 1a�glit r uteen.
year by the then new Bedford until March 1, 1938•- At this time it
Hotel, built by` the late . Mr. was taken over by Mr. °and Mrs.
Bedford Sr., father of J.S. , . F.J.' Curry. •
Bedford, The\ n,ew hotel was On September 1, 1970, Bruno
operated by Huron's Johnathan Lapaine bought the hotel from the
Miller, who was 'born• at Currys; parents of his wife,
Bentnillek , Mary. • '
•
,operated_ the hotel until After buying the hotel, Mr.
1904,•at'which time he bought ^Che Lapaine incorporated it into a
hotel at Carlow, *hich at that time campa�ny, known as 'the -Bedford
warys.knt wn<asSmi=th s-1441.1;-•It..was---rrHo,tei
here, in 1908, he died., The .Bedford Arms Motel is
Since that time the hotel has also part of the company. - .
.passed through many°fiands. * The I 'edford Hotel was in fairly
From 1909. to 1915, the Bedfbrd good condition, when I11I, Lapaine
ff."
bought it. He says heyis trying to
retain the old style of the hotel,
with. its antique furniture and
carved woodwork throughoutttthe
They have been refinishing the
old furniture throughout the•
not' quite •so busy. Americans
especially, says, the 'Bedford
x-- x,�-T-,�wNort.�,4:e�..,�-��or�2t�e�?Lcl�l����
look of the,,hotel.
Mr; Lapaine says he doesn't
want the image of the Bedford,
Hotel to he that of Just a place
wl re _augoto get a•drink, but as
that of a•hotel with all the Services
a hotel has to offer. •
The spacious dining room at the•Bedfo-r'd' 1btel is well-known for its fine. meals The staff reSponsible
forthis cuisine are: (standing, leftto right) Peggy Shaw, Helen Campbell, Hugh Galbraith, Margaret
Willis and PautCormier sittinggare Elsie Hulle (eft) and Mary Wedlock. (staff photo) s:
.u'sua11•y have ta reserve.ahead if
"1`they wa" tb;t5'e-assured of d z uom
says Mr. Lapaine. This applies , before, during or and°after'meals.
1 The Duchess Room,,, the
more so to the busy late spring,
,_.smaller` linin room which sits 24
n.rl �a�ll�seas _ �...__..__
summer, �at�el--e y ori ..
There are a lot of convention People, is were most people hold
groups which arrive in-T-675totttt;ir conf'ren�es��t`lso
stay
at the hotel. For instance, the lounge licence. e`
Pcts t t f Ontario. th But the D7uke of Bedford Room
ow. mos er s o ° e
_..-•Y r {. � . { . y.�.} m + /• �' { y,,, n . r�' off
_... -:.. .,. iJ�ILi`',.z."'m'.s"'tli'tl*=4'SFt�•3t�!$::..'...6'Y.'{'i1FR�r.-"'+7!ral:•:N+kA+sL
'annual board of directors meeting takes place. The pub, which seats
'forrielerichelevators, and the around 75 people, is styled in the
Chiropractic. Association ,of
old" English fashion. - '
O_ tarto.,�c�f which Dr. Ken,Wood.,pf Permission was needed from
the -Duke -in-,:. :l nd---before he°-.
'Clinton is president, all -`have t
name could also be applied
stayed -at -the °hotel during their to this
.
conventions. -swell-known Goderich pub.
There is a conference room on `} The coat of arms• in the Duke
the .second floor, and the 14igger , has a motto written `in Spanish on
dining room has also been used in it that when translated in English
the past for longer conferences, reads; -What will be will be. "
-The Bedford Hotel is famous Bruno Lapaine credits the staff
for Its smorgasbord, Which is of the Bedford Hotel with being
held every :Wednesday responsible for maktng. it such a
successful and
Sunday`. Mr. Lapaine started this
long -to -be-
ventur_ein March of1971,and.with _ rer�hembered place in Goderich.
two exce1Innt chefs to prepare it, Some Or thefthave been "with the
it has been a success from the staff of the hotel "since the year
beginning.. one," he says. °
The spacious dining room, Frank Clark started with the
which sits 100 people, serves"'°\ hotel in 1938 and retired after,30
three meals ,a da.v,.s°even days a years of loyal service. He still
week and also has a lounge licence comes, in once in -a -While to help
for those who enjoy a drink • - •
H says he was in trouble with
the firee marshal a little while ago
over the staircase. The openn
staircase was a fire hazard, Now
the floors are enclosed by walls
and metal doors to prevent
possible -°fire' - from spreading
from one floor, to another. •
.. _There..a..re.also heat detectors
in every om in the buflding.,aiui °
hallways 'If there is a rapid
temperature rise in any room , the
detector automatically triggers
the figs alarm system as .a
warning.
Although.jhere are 42 rentable
roams in the large hotel, people
°•M
the ileW owners out, since he
knows „, the hotel better than
anybody." Marg_ Willis. has been
wor C ung io`r-ttie hotel ori and off for
= 8•; e ad inecnt°ha.�-_r...-
Lm
been there since Taost the
„beginnigg, says T1r..Lapaine.
Pe ra 'z ou 1h/c� world
have staved at the Bedford Hotel., •
Government trade ' delegations
`from Turkey, Argeriina, and
Venezuela have all stayed there.
-Waft Disney mei tt� 1347 to ,,
visit the town and stayed at the,
Bedford Hotel.
• and ,even otlr own"government
' has honored the Bedford With its a
visit. Premier Frost came in
1950, to open, a new additfon to
Victoria public school and was at
the Bedfor'd'Hotel for the duration
of his stay.
The charm oi'the Bedford' must
rem Lan. It is as muck, at part ,,of
GodeY rrlfs special artmti-1 et -'
as the octagon 'Wit looks more
like a -circle and is c'alled "The
Square". It is unique, , .