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Description
Inn on the River

Part two of the video is out, check out the link below!!
And if you haven't subscribed yet, what are you waiting for!!?

youtu.be/YzRYVQ7re3k

Last post from this abandoned hotel!!

In the previous video, we looked at the main building which housed what would have been the motel lobby, the dining room and the gift shop. Today we will see what the rooms looked like. Full of retro decor and and an unbelievable amount of natural decay, this was one of those locations that was extremely photogenic!!

Update: There have been a rash of fires in the same area of this motel over the last few days, I have heard of three others nearby at other abandoned properties. This sheds some light on to who likely started the fire that destroyed this motel's main building. A lot of people suspect it is the owners/developers that do this sort of thing, sometimes to lessen the cost of demolition, for insurance purposes or to get rid of a heritage building but this is often not the case. Usually it is kids who get into these places and are playing with fire, sometimes it could be a homeless person trying to keep warm but in the case of this particular building, I have no doubt that it is a serial arsonist in the area given that it is not an isolated incident.

This motel which opened in June of 1959 and sits on four acres of land. It was considered a resort at the time that offered many amenities such as a restaurant with (dine-in and take out service), dairy bar (which as far as I can tell has been gone for some time), souvenir shop, outdoor swimming pool, mini golf and a games area.

In 1989 the owner applied for a zoning amendment to permit not one but two 14-storey towers to be built on the 1.6-hectare property, the city denied the zoning change and blocked any future development for one year. Two years later after the owner appealed the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board, the ruling fell in his favour, unfortunately by that time tourism in the area was slowing and the development proposal was put on hold.

Abandoned for over a decade, I searched and searched to find out when this motel closed but the best clue I could find was that someone had stayed there as recently as 2006.

On April 10th of 2019 at approximately 7pm the main building of the inn caught fire and firefighters were able to salvage most of the building. After the fire there was a gaping hole on the tallest part of the structure allowing for the elements to enter and further degrade the building. Despite this the building was still structurally sound and had suffered relatively minor damage considering the circumstances. Fast forward to May 1st, 2021 at about 730pm, another fire broke out in the same building, this fire was substantially worse than the first one and although firefighters tried to battle the blaze it proved to be too much and by the following day the building was nothing more than a pile of rubble!!

©James Hackland

Description
Inn on the River

Part two of the video is out, check out the link below!!
And if you haven't subscribed yet, what are you waiting for!!?

youtu.be/YzRYVQ7re3k

Last post from this abandoned hotel!!

In the previous video, we looked at the main building which housed what would have been the motel lobby, the dining room and the gift shop. Today we will see what the rooms looked like. Full of retro decor and and an unbelievable amount of natural decay, this was one of those locations that was extremely photogenic!!

Update: There have been a rash of fires in the same area of this motel over the last few days, I have heard of three others nearby at other abandoned properties. This sheds some light on to who likely started the fire that destroyed this motel's main building. A lot of people suspect it is the owners/developers that do this sort of thing, sometimes to lessen the cost of demolition, for insurance purposes or to get rid of a heritage building but this is often not the case. Usually it is kids who get into these places and are playing with fire, sometimes it could be a homeless person trying to keep warm but in the case of this particular building, I have no doubt that it is a serial arsonist in the area given that it is not an isolated incident.

This motel which opened in June of 1959 and sits on four acres of land. It was considered a resort at the time that offered many amenities such as a restaurant with (dine-in and take out service), dairy bar (which as far as I can tell has been gone for some time), souvenir shop, outdoor swimming pool, mini golf and a games area.

In 1989 the owner applied for a zoning amendment to permit not one but two 14-storey towers to be built on the 1.6-hectare property, the city denied the zoning change and blocked any future development for one year. Two years later after the owner appealed the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board, the ruling fell in his favour, unfortunately by that time tourism in the area was slowing and the development proposal was put on hold.

Abandoned for over a decade, I searched and searched to find out when this motel closed but the best clue I could find was that someone had stayed there as recently as 2006.

On April 10th of 2019 at approximately 7pm the main building of the inn caught fire and firefighters were able to salvage most of the building. After the fire there was a gaping hole on the tallest part of the structure allowing for the elements to enter and further degrade the building. Despite this the building was still structurally sound and had suffered relatively minor damage considering the circumstances. Fast forward to May 1st, 2021 at about 730pm, another fire broke out in the same building, this fire was substantially worse than the first one and although firefighters tried to battle the blaze it proved to be too much and by the following day the building was nothing more than a pile of rubble!!

©James Hackland