Redefining Heritage: The New Oak Bay Beach Hotel Set among the stately mansions of prestigious Oak Bay, this celebrated English country manor house is undergoing a transformation by jennifer bowles
I
f you have travelled down Beach Drive lately, you will have noticed there is a mighty big hole in the heart of Oak Bay. For a few in the community it represents a loss, but now, for the majority, it is the long anticipated rebirth of an Oak Bay institution … the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Kevin and Shawna Walker, owners of the hotel since 1995, are far more than that title holds; they are stewards of this community icon. What this property has meant and what it will mean are foremost in their minds as they journey through this tremendous process of preserving generations of memories. Built in 1927 and rebuilt in 1930 after being destroyed by fire, the old Tudor style building grew to become a nostalgic fixture in the collective memories of many, many Victorians. There are few people today that don’t have a fond recollection of the Snug Pub, the traditional grand lobby or the breathtaking ocean view from the property. The deep attachment many Oak Bay residents have for the old hotel has been a huge source of much of the controversy surrounding its demolition. “The building was never meant to be more than a 50-year building, built with two-by-fours to a residential standard in 1930,” says Kevin Walker. While pouring millions of dollars into maintaining the property his father purchased in 1972, the writing was clearly on the wall.
Artist’s rendering of the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel 32
SEASIDE TIMES
www.seasidetimes.ca