Beacon Lodge

Last updated
Beacon Lodge
Beacon Lodge Apartments.jpg
Beacon Lodge Apartments
Beacon Lodge
Former namesBeacon Cottage (1883-1945) Tourist Lodge (1946-1949) Beacon Lodge Motel (1949-1973) Beacon Lodge (1973-present)
General information
Architectural style Streamline Modern
Location Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates 48°24′36″N123°22′10″W / 48.4099°N 123.3694°W / 48.4099; -123.3694
OpeningSeptember 15, 1949; 74 years ago
OwnerBernie Côté and family
ManagementCote Enterprises Ltd
Technical details
Floor count4
Design and construction
Architect(s)Henri and Joseph Côté
Other information
Number of suites59
ParkingStreet
Website
http://www.beaconlodgeapartments.com

The Beacon Lodge is an apartment building in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Located at 30 Douglas Street, the building is directly across from the start of the Trans-Canada Highway, and just down the street from the Beacon Drive-In.

Contents

The building has 59 rental suites located on 4 separate floors, with the majority of them being small bachelors and a few one bedrooms. Many suites have views of the Olympic Mountains across the Juan de Fuca Strait in the Pacific Ocean and Beacon Hill Park.

History

In 1945 Henri Côté and his wife Anne Marie, along with his parents, Joseph and Ida Côté, moved to Victoria from Edmonton, Alberta. Joseph Côté purchased the Beacon Cottage, an old historic building built in 1883. Being contractors by profession, both father and son renovated the building, converting it into a motel and renaming it the Tourist Lodge. They opened for business in 1946.

The Beacon Cottage, built in 1883 by Mr. And Mrs. Brown. Beacon Cottage.jpg
The Beacon Cottage, built in 1883 by Mr. And Mrs. Brown.
The newly renovated Tourist Lodge opened for business in 1946. Tourist Lodge.jpg
The newly renovated Tourist Lodge opened for business in 1946.

The Tourist Lodge was a haven for many traveler's looking for a peaceful retreat, especially those from the Canadian Prairies who were looking to get away from the harsh long winters. As the Côté's began to take root in the city, Henri Côté felt it was time to expand the business. Over the course of a year, the Beacon Lodge Motel was built. The building was built in front and attached to the existing Tourist Lodge and on September 15, 1949 was officially open for business. Two years later Joseph Côté died suddenly, and in his honour Cote Enterprises Ltd was formed in 1952. For the next several decades the Beacon Lodge operated as a successful motel, housing hundreds of guests each year. Its Art Deco and Streamline Moderne architecture, both inside and out, made it very trendy for guests during that time. The building included octagonal windows, a signature of Henri Côté, which he used on other projects he helped build in Victoria during that time.

The Beacon Lodge Motel, circa 1949. Old Beacon Lodge.JPG
The Beacon Lodge Motel, circa 1949.

In 1962, an additional renovation was conducted under Henri Côté's supervision. A fourth floor was added and an additional wing was constructed and attached to the southern back part of the Beacon Lodge. This final renovation brought the building up to its current specifications. A miniature lighthouse was erected on the northern part of the property by Henri Côté. [1] Over the years, the lighthouse became a symbol to the many residents, giving them a sense of home and warmth offered by the Côté family. The Beacon Lodge continued to operate as a motel until in the early 1970s when Henri Côté's youngest son, Bernie, joined the family business. Bernie persuaded to have the Lodge operate as an apartment rental instead. Since then the Beacon Lodge has continued to operate successfully as an apartment building. In 2008 Bernie’s two children Tristan and Hilary started working at the Beacon Lodge, becoming the fourth generation to have a hand in the business. 2023 marks 77 years the Côté family have run the property.

Charitable Foundation

In 1977 Henri and Marie Côté started a non-profit foundation called the Ray Côté Memorial Foundation in memory of their son Raymond who died of cancer in 1967 at the young age of 28. Their daughter Thérèse was sponsoring a boy in India and gave Henri the idea of a foundation to honour Ray who was so aware of the needs of others.

As a result, on August 15, 1977 the Ray Côté Memorial Foundation was started as a registered charity. In order to raise money to invest for the charity a large puzzle was purchased showing two men (who bore an uncanny resemblance to Ray and brother Robert). Each puzzle piece purchased added $13.33 towards the goal of $10,000, which once achieved be invested and the proceeds distributed to "help alleviate the suffering of the poor". Henri and Marie, along with other immediate family members invested a significant amount and eventually this goal was met. Registered charities were chosen for distribution of the interest earned each year.

In 1987 another son (Robert) died and Henri conceived the idea of changing the name of the foundation to the Côté Family Memorial Foundation. In the years since, Henri as well as Marie and a third son (Richard) have died.

The Côté Family Memorial Foundation strives primarily to help charities that do not have large budgets to solicit funds. In the 40 years since its inception, the Côté Family Memorial Foundation has successfully donated over $152,000 to the needs of individuals around the world, however most of the charities receiving help operate in the Victoria area. The directors discuss the needs of those asking for assistance and try to focus on groups who help individuals to help themselves.

Over the years the Foundation has grown thanks to the dedication of the family members/directors who have been proud to carry on with Henri and Marie's generous philosophy that "when much is received much should be given". In that spirit the Foundation currently has two of the family's third generation working to ensure its continuation of helping others. August 15, 2022 marked their 45th anniversary.

Honours

In March 2011 the Government of British Columbia recognized the Côté family for their contributions to the Francophone community in Victoria over the course of many decades. Henri Côté's youngest daughter, Thérèse (Côté) Gerein received the honour on behalf of the family. A plaque was issued and placed in front of the Beacon Lodge.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motel</span> Hotel catering to motorists

A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries after World War II, the word motel, coined as a portmanteau of "motor hotel", originates from the Milestone Mo-Tel of San Luis Obispo, California, which was built in 1925. The term referred to a type of hotel consisting of a single building of connected rooms whose doors faced a parking lot and in some circumstances, a common area or a series of small cabins with common parking. Motels are often individually owned, though motel chains do exist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Johnson's</span> American chain of hotels and motels

Howard Johnson's, or Howard Johnson by Wyndham, is an American hotel chain with locations worldwide, as well as a former restaurant chain. The chain began as a restaurant founded by Howard Deering Johnson in 1925; in the 1950s, the company expanded operations by opening hotels, then known as Howard Johnson's Motor Lodges, which were often located next to restaurants. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, it was the largest restaurant chain in the U.S., with more than 1,000 combined company-owned and franchised outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Agricultural College</span> Agricultural school associated with the University of Guelph

The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affiliated with the University of Guelph, which operates campuses in Guelph and Ridgetown and formerly in Alfred and Kemptville, all in Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kensington Palace</span> Residence of the British royal family in London

Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank and their two sons.

<i>Round the Twist</i> Australian childrens comedy television series

Round the Twist is an Australian children's comedy drama television series which follows the supernatural adventures of the Twist family, who leave their conventional residence to live in a lighthouse, in the fictional coastal town of Port Naranda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motel 6</span> North American motel chain

Motel 6 is a privately owned hospitality company with a chain of budget motels in the United States and Canada. Motel 6 also operates Studio 6, a chain of extended-stay hotels. The hotel brand is owned by The Blackstone Group's real estate business. Blackstone purchased the business in 2012 from Accor Hotels, and established G6 Hospitality as the management company for Motel 6 and Studio 6.

Drury Hotels Company, LLC is an American hospitality company that operates a chain of mid-scale limited service hotels under the brands Drury Inn and Suites, Drury Inn, Drury Suites, Drury Plaza Hotel, and Pear Tree Inn. As of 2022, the chain operates more than 150 locations in 26 states. It is wholly owned by the Drury family and is headquartered in metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Civil Rights Museum</span> Motel that was the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., now a museum

The National Civil Rights Museum is a complex of museums and historic buildings in Memphis, Tennessee; its exhibits trace the history of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present. The museum is built around the former Lorraine Motel, which was the site of the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Two other buildings and their adjacent property, also connected with the King assassination, have been acquired as part of the museum complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isadore Sharp</span> Canadian businessman (born 1931)

Isadore Sharp, is a Canadian hotelier and writer. He is founder and chairman of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce</span> Borough of Montreal in Quebec, Canada

Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is a borough (arrondissement) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The borough was created following the 2002 municipal reorganization of Montreal. It comprises two main neighbourhoods, Côte-des-Neiges and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, both former towns that were annexed by the city of Montreal in 1910.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Le Sud-Ouest</span> Borough of Montreal in Quebec, Canada

Le Sud-Ouest is a borough (arrondissement) of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Lodge</span> Country house in Southern England

Cumberland Lodge is a 17th-century Grade II listed country house in Windsor Great Park 3.5 miles south of Windsor Castle. Since 1947 it has been occupied by the charitable foundation known as Cumberland Lodge, which holds residential conferences, lectures and discussions about social and ethical issues. The gardens of Cumberland Lodge are Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Vardy (businessman)</span> British businessman

Sir Peter Vardy DL is an English businessman. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2009 ranking of the wealthiest people in the United Kingdom, he placed 388th with an estimated fortune of £140 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie Lacoste Gérin-Lajoie</span>

Marie Lacoste Gérin-Lajoie was a Canadian feminist. She was a professor at the Université de Montréal, and a self-taught legal expert. She was a pioneer of the feminist movement in Québec who co-founded the Fédération nationale Saint-Jean-Baptiste with Caroline Dessaulles-Béique, an organization which campaigned for social and political rights for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Anza Motor Lodge</span> United States historic place

The De Anza Motor Lodge was a historic motel located on former U.S. Route 66 in the Upper Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was built in 1939 by Charles G. Wallace, a local trader of Zuni art and pottery, who remained the owner until 1983. Wallace decorated the motel with a variety of Native American art, including a series of murals by Zuni artist Tony Edaakie in a basement room.

"That You Fear the Most" is the twenty-eighth episode of the American television drama series The Killing, which aired on June 2, 2013, after the season opener. The episode is written by Dan Nowak and is directed by Lodge Kerrigan. In the episode, Detective Holder and Detective Reddick continue the investigation and enter the world of the runaways, one of which is now missing. Meanwhile, death row inmate Ray Seward continues to impose his will on the prison and the detectives who arrested him, James Skinner and Sarah Linden.

Mordechai Benshemesh was a noted architect who practiced in Melbourne, Australia from the 1950s to the 1970s. Born in Palestine, he was one of a number of often Jewish émigré architects who migrated to Australia both before and after World War II who brought a different approach to architecture, as well as an appreciation of apartment living. He is best known as the architect for one of the city's first high rise modernist apartment blocks, Edgewater Towers in St Kilda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dude Rancher Lodge</span> Motel in Billings, Montana

The Dude Rancher Lodge is a motel in Billings, Montana, on the National Register of Historic Places. Known as "Billings' most unique motel", it was built in 1950 with a Hollywood-western style theme inside and out with many custom features, most original to the building. Owned for over 40 years by the family corporation of its original owners, with a single change of ownership in 1992, the motel and its attached restaurant is still in operation today and looks much as it did when originally constructed.

Aztec Inn is a motel and casino located on 0.89 acres (0.36 ha) of land at 2200 South Las Vegas Boulevard, north of the Las Vegas Strip, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The property is located south of the Stratosphere hotel-casino, and includes a nearby apartment complex connected to the Aztec Inn.

Shawanga Lodge was a Catskills mountain hotel operated from 1923 to 1972, part of the Borscht Belt hotels located in Highview NY.

References

  1. "Francophone Day highlights community legacy". March 17, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-03-19. Retrieved 2015-05-25.