On the morning of August 10, 2009, the 97-year-old Prelate Hotel burned to the ground. The owner, Sherri Farrer, and her son were out of town at the time of the fire, and no one else was in the hotel. The Prelate volunteer fire department we unable to save the hotel, even with the help of fire crews from surrounding towns. “The wood was so dry and old it was like a can of gas,” said Prelate volunteer fire chief, Brad Goldade.
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| Prelate Hotel, June 2007. Joan Champ photo |
The three-storey Prelate Hotel was built in 1912. Its first owners were Guy and Mary Linderman. At least two of their children was born in the hotel. The 1916 Canada Census shows that the Lindermans were still running the hotel at Prelate. They had three children listed as living in the hotel, ages 9 to 16. Their fourth child, Marion, was born in the Prelate Hotel in 1915, but died a year later in 1916. A fifth daughter, Lillian was born in the hotel on September 1, 1916, a few weeks before Marion died. Four people lodging at the hotel in 1916, but no hotel staff is listed. Perhaps the business was slowing down due to Prohibition.
By 1918, the hotel was owned and operated by Charles Cohen. The Cohen family observed the traditional Jewish Sabbath, so Saturday was their day of rest. This must have been a bit of a challenge for Charles' son, Edward (Eddie) Cohen, who by 1935 was managing the hotel - complete with licensed bar.
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| Prelate, SK, c. 1955. Prelate Hotel in foreground. H. D. McPhail, photographer. Source |
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| Detail of above photo. The third-floor windows were not yet blocked off. |
In 1961, Ed Paul, the owner of the Prelate Hotel, requested a vote be taken by the town to allow mixed drinking. The vote carried, and for the first time women were permitted to drink in the beverage room of the Prelate Hotel. The hotel was then sold to Peter J. Kosolofski, who ran it for many years. Lloyd and Sandra Hassman owned the Prelate
Hotel for about a year and a half in the mid-1970s. As can be seen in the comments below, the hotel - and the town of Prelate - did not hold happy memories for the Hassman children. Sheri was 7 and her brother 2 or 3 when they lived in the hotel. "I am not sorry to see this hotel burn down!" Sheri writes. "This hotel should
have been torn down a long time ago. It was cold and dangerous.
Especially with the cisterns in the basement. The third floor was
closed off when we lived there." The Hassman's sold the business in 1975 or 1976 to Larry and Linda Steier who raised their sons in the hotel.
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| Bar of the Prelate Hotel, c. 1995. |
The bar at the Prelate Hotel was a popular spot. O’Neil Zuck recalls staying as a guest in the hotel one hot summer night in 1999. “It was an interesting experience," Zuck posted on Facebook. "My pregnant wife was not used to such accommodations and my 4-year-old daughter did not know what to think. The first thing we noticed was there was one common bathroom to share with everyone staying overnight in the hotel. The second thing was we had a room over the bar. We had to keep the window open as it was too hot in the room. It was a breezy Friday evening; the sign swung and squeaked until about 1:00 AM. When the bar closed about 1:00 AM the patrons moved their socializing outside underneath the once squeaky sign. So we listened to boisterous conversations. I think it was after sunrise that we finally fell into a nice restful sleep.”
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| Prelate Hotel, June 2007. Joan Champ photo |
The Prelate Hotel was listed for sale in July 2005 by the owner, Sherri Farrer. The 1,800 square-foot living quarters and seven guest rooms were on the second floor. The 87-seat bar – which was the primary business source for the hotel – was on the main floor alongside a restaurant that was no longer in use. The third floor had been blocked off – its windows covered over by the stucco exterior.
By the time the members of the Prelate volunteer fire department got to the hotel on that August morning in 2009, all they could do was watch. There was so much smoke, they had a hard time even locating the blaze. The owner and her son lost all of their possessions.
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