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| Riverside Hotel - later the site of the Liverpool I.G.A. |
When I look at what we have along Main Street in Liverpool, I often wonder what was there before. The 1960s saw a lot of changes on Main Street, with so many of the older structures demolished to make way for new cement box type buildings. For those who are old enough to remember, the 1960s saw the building of the Stedmans building (now Packets Landing), The Peoples Store (now Home Hardware), The Liquor Store (now vacant but was Value Plus), The Metropolitan Store (now the Bargain Shop), Canadian Tire (now gone because of a 1996 fire) and of course the Liverpool IGA. The IGA and Bowling Center were built around 1960/61 and of all the buildings mentioned previously, it was the first to be constructed. Before it was built, there stood a beautiful old building known as the Riverside Hotel. Unfortunately I do not remember this building since it was gone years before I was born. I do know that it was owned and operated by Walter Cook and his wife Ella. The photo above was loaned to me by Barbara Cook Meredith, grand daughter of Walter and Ella. I'm hoping readers will offer some of their own personal memories of this building since I have none of my own memories.
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| Walter & Ella Cook - owners of the Riverside Hotel |
The hotel sat on the lot where the IGA building is now tim?? Wow...sure doesn't look like much of a hill there at all compared to today.
ReplyDeleteTim....this hotel was next door to the house were I lived as a small child on McLeod Street before they tore it down to build the IGA/Bowling Alley. I barely remember the Cooks and if my memory serves me well there was a family who lived/worked at the hotel by the name of Hopsteins and the woman's name was Johanna...a friend of my mothers. My mother told me a story of how she had taken a 'gift' to Johanna and said, "I have a 'gift' for you and Johanna got very upset saying 'nine' 'nine' nine' (no in German) as apparently the word 'gift' means poison in German. I may not have this story completely correct...it was a very long time ago when my mother told it to me. I was only 6 when we had to move because of the IGA. I often wish the house was still there. That area was so pretty by the river. Good memories.
ReplyDeleteIf you look over in the far right of the picture about 2/3s down, you can see the same little island with the large rock on it. These lots went right down to the waterline, or what was the waterline back in that timeframe.
ReplyDeleteI was once told that this house belonged originally to a Lady someone-or-other. It might be interesting to see what the deed actually says.
Something doesn't seem right with the dates, style of dress or the name and location of this hotel, as it's described. For one thing the style of dress is more like the late 1800's, no later than 1920's. My grandmother, born in late 1800's didn't even dress like this beyond 1910, yet Ella and Walter were still running a hotel in Liverpool in the early 1960's. They must have been quite old. I have no memory of a hotel by that name in that location...even though my family was in the hotel business from 1946 to 1981 on Main St.just a few blocks away(where Kevin Whynot's father worked briefly in the late 50's!) Though this doesn't mean it wasn't there. Everything was so busy then. As a child I was aware of the Tourist Home across the street, now a pharmacy,as well as Snow's,Lanes and Boscowan Manor...and I believe a place farther up. Will have to ask my mother. These are lovely photos. I do remember a German woman in town in the 50's, I think she was a mail order bride who married a man from Liverpool. People got out of Germany if they could because of the war damage and shortages. (She may have lived down that way Janice, near the Hemeon's).But in general Liverpool was not a friendly place for Germans during and following WW II. Too many veterans. I can't really imagine anyone staying in a hotel that had Germans working there. There was a lot of hostility.Perhaps your mother was aware of this Janice and tried to be kind. There were also Hungarian refugees who came to Liverpool in 1956-we had three in the Mersey Hotel.One stayed for two years.She had a number on her wrist and the mail order German bride used to visit the hotel and tell my mother to treat her like a peasant,that she wouldn't understand being treated with respect. Sometimes I think we saw too much, given the few blocks we lived on in Liverpool in the 50's and 60's. I love hotels and wish I remembered the Riverside Hotel...hope we can find out more from someone.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Cook died in 1930 and Mr Cook in 1947 not sure who lived there after they did or if it continued to be a hotel owned by someone else.
ReplyDeleteWalter and Ella Cook left Port Mouton Island in 1920 and bought the RIVERSIDE INN, that was the name they gave it. Walter also owned a drugstore with a soda fountain that became Seldon's and then Hemeons. After Walter and Ella died, son Walter (Bud) Cook and his wife, Betty - who did the nursing, took over the Inn. I don't personally remember it being a nursing home, but that is what Betty did and she also worked at the new Hospital. The photo is definitely the Riverside Inn. My grandfather had a string of boats at the back which he took out each morning to go out past the mill to set his nets. Would anyone know the year of the old truck parked on the left??
ReplyDeleteJOE SAYS THAT HOTEL WAS BIGGER ON THE RIGHT SIDE. HE SAID SOMETHING HAS BEEN TORN OFF. HE USE TO PLAY AROUND THERE WHEN HE WAS A KID
ReplyDeleteHe may be referring to the henhouse, it was on the right hand side and had all windows in the front of it. Does that ring a bell? Wonder when they outlawed chickens in town?
DeleteI thought I remembered Mom saying a nursing home or something was at the site of the IGA? That maybe she was born there?
ReplyDeleteJan....I lived beside the Riverside Inn until I was 6. I remember my mother talking about the Inn and the Cooks who owned it. I believe that was when Johanna Hopstein lived there and worked as a chambermaid to earn her room and board. She and the Cooks were friends with my parents. I will ask my older brothers and sisters the next time I speak to any of them (if I remember...lol) I am sure they would remember more about the Inn than I do. Something also tells me that it was a nursing home at one time too.
ReplyDeleteHi Tim .I went to school in the Liverpool Jr.High in the late 50's and early 60's with a Joanne Bruce ..Her dad was a school teacher in the Regional High ...They lived in the Riverside Inn. Also Heather Dorman whose father was mananger of the Stedman's Store ..They lived on Main Street in one of the 2 house that look alike on the right hand corner of Main and MacPherson Street.
ReplyDeleteSomeone has sent me the pictures of the men who worked at the mill till 1954 but I have to join FaceBook ..I was hopeing the pictures were on your site ..
Yup; that was me - Joanne Bruce. We lived at Riverside for several years. Heather was one of my closest friends.
DeleteTim, the Riverside Inn was run by Bud and Betty Cook for many years until the early 1960's when they retired to Port Alberni. During the war years, the inn was converted to a hospital where casualties were nursed by Betty and her sister, Helen Lane. My father, Ron Lane, writes about his early memories of the inn here (Apr 25):
ReplyDeletehttp://ramblingswithron.blogspot.ca/
There are many other interesting accounts of his early life in Liverpool. We hope he continues to write them down from his new home at Queens Manor.
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The Riverside Inn was made in to apartments in my day.Walter (Bud) Cook and his wife Betty lived there.Estelle Cook their daughter ,was a friend of mine.I remember Mr Bruce a teacher and family living there in an apartment .That would have been in the late 40's early 50's.
ReplyDeleteYes; Mr. Bruce was my dad. We lived there several years until Dad had to return to PEI for some time due to illness. I actually was a flower girl at Estelle's wedding.
DeleteRiverside was an apartment building when I lived there (1951- Dec 1957) When we returned to Liverpool in Sep 1959, it was gone. Mom was friends with Mrs. Hopstein and Bud/Betty Cook. Rev and Mrs. Ayling, retired, lived in the top apartment. It was a lovely old building.
ReplyDelete