Nelson Star Friday, July 19, 2013
Feature
Continued from Page 4 rooms and an enlarged pub. The basement, once cluttered with coal bins, became a discotheque called Kips, after the brothers. Moisey, who did some relief bartending, recalls it was “packed almost all the time. If you didn’t get there by 7:30 when they opened, it was almost impossible to get a seat. It was very popular and done first class. They brought in an interior decorator to do the motifs and had a nice dance floor, lots of lights, really good sound system, and a fog machine.” In 1979, the Kilpatricks unveiled plans for a $1 million addition including 37 more rooms, a banquet hall, swimming pool, and racquetball courts. None of it happened, but a restaurant — known as McDammit’s and later Bogart’s — opened over the disco, taking the place of several rooms. By 1987, the brothers and several other shareholders turned their attention to the property just south of the hotel, acquired a decade earlier, and built a complex that included the Savoy Lanes bowling alley and a bingo hall and banquet facility to accommodate large functions. The Kilpatricks’ association with the Savoy Inn lasted until 1996. At one point, Moisey says they traded it for an island off Tofino, which they logged. However, the island’s former owner couldn’t make a go of the hotel, and ownership reverted back to them. Both brothers have since died — Gary only last month.
FIRE STRIKES AGAIN
N
elson lawyer Blair Suffredine’s family acquired the Savoy next. His son Kevin Dewar ran it for a while with Gary Kilpatrick’s son Greg, but afterward the restaurant, nightclub, pub and upstairs rooms were leased separately with Dewar overseeing the building. From the 1980s to the 2000s, several nightclubs came and went: The Twilight Zone, Club Utopia, the Avalon, Fluid Lounge, and Club 198. Two local institutions trace their origins to the Avalon: Kootenay Co-op Radio’s earliest broadcasts came from there and it was also the site of some of Shambhala’s first meetings.
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Things ended abruptly on November 10, 2007 when fire struck again. Crews arrived at about 5:30 a.m. to find heavy smoke billowing out of the Mazatlan restaurant and 15 guests evacuating the Backcountry Hostel upstairs. Nobody was hurt, but three businesses, including Club 198 downstairs, were finished. Although the building soon found a new owner, it has been empty ever since due to insurance problems and ongoing litigation (see related story). In 2011, Kootenay Christian Fellowship launched a $1 million fundraising campaign to buy the building. However, renovation costs proved prohibitive and the plan fell through. (The church instead bought the Savoy Lanes next door and recently moved in.) Today, from the front and side, the Savoy hardly resembles the building John Philbert erected a century ago, although the backside reveals its heritage. Kevin Dewar says he looked a few times at removing the stucco and taking the facade back to the original brick, but it would be a major job with no guarantee of success. He is hopeful, however, that Shambhala will resurrect the long dormant building. “We’re happy we could come to an agreement and wish them the best,” he says. “It’s been a long time since anything’s gone on there. I look forward to seeing some life back in the building.” For the full version of this story and more images, see nelsonstar.com
ABOVE: ca. 1940-44 business card Greg Nesteroff collection
Proprietors 1914-20 John Philbert 1921-25 Closed 1926-35 John A. Kerr 1936-40 W.K. Clark 1940-44 Thomas McGovern 1944 Mr. and Mrs. H.J. Hauck 1944-49 Glenroy G. and Constance E. Huxtable 1949?-51 Alex Wright (for Huxtable estate’s executor) 1951-55 Roderick A. and Constance E. McIndoe 1955-59 Constance E. McIndoe 1960-61 Rudolph E. and William F. Young 1962-64 Firmin J. Bousquet and Rudolph E. Young 1965-68 Rudolph E. Young 1969-73 William Turner 1974 Alan F. and Gary J. Kilpatrick, Kenneth Dewar 1975-88 Alan F. and Gary J. Kilpatrick 1989-95 Alan F. Kirkpatrick 1996-97 Kevin Dewar and Greg Kilpatrick 1998-2007 Kevin Dewar and various leaseholders 2007- Closed
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Gerald & Frances Townsend 60th Wedding Anniversary
Please join us for an open house to congratulate Gerry & Fran on their anniversary Saturday July 20th 1105 Ward Street 2 pm - 4 pm on the back lawn Special Entertainment @ 3 pm Light refreshments will be served
Source: Civic directories Drs Chart and Vierheilig wish to Welcome
Savoy subject of legal saga
I
n the more than five years since the Savoy Inn burned, reams of paperwork have been generated in still-unresolved litigation between its former owners. According to court documents, in 2008, Saskatchewan hotelier Phil Poiron agreed to pay $1.4 million to acquire Borrachos Enterprises — whose sole asset was the Savoy — from shareholders Blair Suffredine, his wife Judith Lee, and their son Kevin Dewar.
An adjuster estimated it would cost $600,000 to repair the fire damage, well within the $1.3 million insurance coverage. However, once the bill topped $800,000, the adjusters declared another $1.4 million was required and the repairs stopped. With Dewar’s help, Poiron sued the insurer, adjuster, and broker and reached an out-of-court settlement. Part of the money defrayed Poiron’s mortgage, some went to the former owners, and another chunk paid legal fees. In late 2011, with about $843,000 still owing on the Borrachos sale, foreclosure proceedings began on
grounds Poiron failed to pay property taxes on time and seek insurance for the hotel, which he denied. However, the foreclosure order was granted, and the company’s shares reverted to the family along with the hotel. Poiron is in turn suing Dewar, Suffredine, and Lee for misrepresentation and breach of contract. They deny the allegations, which have not been proven in court, and are trying to have the long-running case dismissed. Whatever the outcome, it has no bearing on the hotel’s sale to Shambhala. — Greg Nesteroff
Dr Julie Caldwell
who joins them in the practice of Veterinary Medicine at the Selkirk Veterinary Hospital in Nelson Dr Caldwell looks forward to meeting our existing clients and to welcoming new ones For appointments call 250- 352-2999
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