John Oswell Lewis must have had considerable confidence in the future of the hotel business in Wynyard when he built a three-storey brick hotel on the southwest corner of Bosworth Street and Pacific Avenue - now Avenue B East - in 1925 at a cost of $40,000. Prohibition had just ended in Saskatchewan the year before, so perhaps Lewis hoped to open a drinking establishment in the new Hotel Wynyard. (The Town of Wynyard was also optimistic, contributing cash plus tax concessions for the construction of the hotel on the express understanding, the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix reported on March 3, 1932, that a provincial courthouse would be built in the community. The distinctive Weyburn courthouse was completed in 1928.)
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| Ad in the Star-Phoenix, January 25, 1930 |
Lewis, who also owned a hotel in Wadena, opened the 30-room hotel in 1926, but quickly put the business up for sale or lease. No buyers stepped forward, so from 1931 to 1935, Lewis rented the Hotel Wynyard to a Mrs. Allingham.
Beer Parlour Meets Resistance
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| Star-Phoenix, April 20, 1935 |
Controversy arose in 1935 when the Government of Saskatchewan allowed hotels to sell beer by the glass. The new legislation, passed on January 22, 1935, allowed communities to vote on whether they wanted a beer parlour in their local hotel. Temperance supporters in Wynyard circulated a petition in early April opposing the issue.
Lewis promptly closed his hotel. His action so aroused the
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| Star-Phoenix, May 8, 1935 |
businessmen of Wynyard that, on May 7, 1935, over 30 of them met to pass a resolution calling upon Mr. Lewis to reopen the hotel. “It was pointed out,” the Star-Phoenix reported on May 8th, “that Mr. Lewis had erected a hotel here which was an asset to the community in every respect and that he merited the support of the people.” The businessmen called for an early plebiscite in connection with the beer parlour. They also met with Lewis who agreed that “if the businessmen would circulate a petition among the citizens pledging their support and cooperation,” the hotel would be reopened for business.
Encouraged by the support of Wynyard business community, Lewis enlarged the hotel, adding seven more rooms and a beer parlor at a cost of $10,000. “Many thirsts were allayed Friday when the new beer parlor in the Hotel Wynyard was formally opened,” the Star-Phoenix announced on September 10, 1935. “From Bosworth Street a double door and inlaid tile entrance greets the eye, while inside there is a spacious room with lofty ceiling and beautiful inlaid linoleum.”
Labour Dispute
In 1940, the Hotel Wynyard passed under Mr. Lewis’ estate to his daughter, Mrs. M. B. Grieve and from that time until 1953, the Grieves owned and operated the hotel as Hotel Lewis. A heated labour dispute arose that same year between employers and employees in the hotel and restaurant business in Wynyard. A negotiating meeting was held in March at which it was revealed that some employees were required to work as long as 70 hours per week, while the lowest rate of pay was less than $3 per week and the highest less than $6. “Employees of the Wynyard Hotel objected to living conditions,” the Star-Phoenix reported on April 18, “claiming that the staff quarters in the hotel, located in the basement, were not suitable.”
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| Star-Phoenix, March 13, 1940 |
A tentative agreement was reached in March, setting a minimum rate of pay of $10.50 per week and a maximum working week of 54 hours under the provincial Industrial Standards Act. However, when it came time to ratify this schedule, the employers refused to sign. They claimed that they were intimidated by threats at the negotiating meeting in March, and that the negotiating meeting had been improperly called. On September 4, 1940, the Regina Leader-Post reported that provisions of Saskatchewan’s Minimum Wage Act would be applied to several towns, including Wynyard.
Post-1950 Changes
In 1953, Artwal Hotel Ltd. purchased the property. It was managed by Walter Thorfinnson under the name Artwal Hotel until 1960. The hotel was purchased about 1970 by Benito Falasca and Victor and
Helen Bodnarchuck. They sold it to Lorrie Roslinski about 1975. The hotel was owned by Jack and Sybil Demaere from 1982 to 1986. Other owners included John Hawryluk, who changed the name back to the Hotel Wynyard; Mrs. Adeline Ryhorchuk; and the Szydlowski family, including parents Mike and Marie, and sons Theo, Richard, David and Greg.
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| Exterior renovations to the Hotel Wynyard, 2005. Source: Facebook |
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| Interior renovations to the Hotel Wynyard, 2005. Source: Facebook |
In 2010, Richard Szydlowski advertised that the Wynyard Hotel was for sale for $899,000. The hotel featured an updated licensed beverage room with a 157-person capacity; major additions and renovations to main floor completed in 2005; 12 guest rooms on the second floor, with a common full bath; and a two-bedroom living quarters with suite on 3rd floor, plus more guest rooms. The hotel was for sale again in 2013 on Kijiji, listed for $925,000. Today, the bar is called The Wrecking Bar & Grill.
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| The Wynyard Hotel, May 23, 2019. Joan Champ photo |
©Joan Champ, 2019
