Move Dirt to
Make Hospitality more Hospitable
Small medium and large construction projects underway
This month we profile construction issues at three different hospitality properties. One is going up from the ground as a means of getting an even better ocean view, the second is being "rebuilt" as a first hospitality venture by re-development pros, and the third is being built from the ground up by "first time" hospitality pros. The properties are The Waves Ocean-front Motel in Cannon Beach, The Elliott Hotel in Astoria and the Inn at Cannon Beach.
The Waves
The original Waves was built in 1938 by a couple named Waverly.
The current owners, number four in the life of the property, took
over in 1971. At that time The Waves consisted of 14 cottages
located at 2nd Avenue and Larch Street in Cannon Beach. Through
acquisition and development, the property now boasts 39 units
and has a wide variety of accommodations. Guests may choose from
studios, or one and two bedroom suites, some rooms with fireplaces,
kitchens, and in-room spas. All rooms are non-smoking and pets
cannot be accommodated. There is an oceanfront spa for the enjoyment
of all guests, wheelchair accommodations, and even private homes
available for larger groups.
Who is responsible for most of these changes? Gavin Young and
his family took over the motel in 1971. Today, Mr. Young still
lives on the property but the day-to-day operations are generally
handled by his daughter and her husband, Valerie and Frank Swedenborg,
and their staff of 12..
Frank Swedenborg is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, and
that is where he met Val. He and Val joined her father in the
motel business in 1976 and they have clearly been busy building
ever since.
The latest in improvements to the property is a small one, on
the development scale of things, but indicates the type of care
taken by the owners of the property for their guests. One smaller
1,800 square foot building on the property is being raised and
enlarged to accommodate larger groups. The property already faces
the ocean with an ocean view, but the downstairs unit was more
of a daylight basement. "When you sat on the sofa you couldn't
see the water," said Frank, adding "I try to downplay
our property on the telephone so that guests are pleasantly surprised
when they arrive." In addition, he states he could have simply
leveled the building and re-built smaller, studio units on the
footprint to accommodate mostly couples, but "I really want
to keep this a place where you can bring Grandma. We have always
been a family destination, and we like it that way."
The look of this family destination has been designed by local
architect Tom Ayres and he is responsible for the construction
crew as well.
The Waves
Owners: Frank and Valerie Swedenborg and Gavin Young
Address: 188 W. 2nd at Larch
P. O. Box 3, Cannon Beach OR 97110
Telephone: 503/436-2205
Toll Free: 800/822-2468
Fax 503/436-1490
E-mail: waves@seasurf.com
Website: www.thewavesmotel.com
Rates: $89.00 - $335.00
Minimum stays and deposits do apply.
The Elliott Hotel
Another lodging property, the Elliott Hotel in Astoria, is preparing
for a lift of another sort. This property was originally built
in 1924 by John Elliott and John Elliott Jr. It is slated to get
a complete makeover, if the property changes hands from current
owner Bill Baumann as planned on February 15, 2000, to those who
already own No. 10 & No. 1 Sixth Street in Astoria.
The owners of No. 10 and No. 1 are not new to old properties.
The partnership, called No.10 Sixth Street Limited, began refurbishment
of the former Bumblebee cannery and headquarters at the foot of
Sixth Street in Astoria starting in 1994. After more than three
years of hard work and redevelopment efforts, both No.10 and No.1
properties are operating at capacity, and are bright spots on
the waterfront of Astoria.
The team taking over those two examples of the miraculous transformation
of dilapidated structures have rolled up their sleeves once again.
Cheered on by Seattle's Chester Trabucco, Astoria partners Sue
Davies Collins, Steve Allen, Randy Bowe, Debbie Bowe, Steve Ferber
and Susan Trabucco will take the first step toward launching another
proposal to a group of interested contractors at a meeting on
January 15th. The partners will be joined by Cannon Beach architect,
Jay Raskin and representatives of Wadsworth Electric, Robert Ross
Construction, JP Plumbing, Beeline Roofing, Easom Property Management,
P&L Johnson Mechanical and Luanne Lowe Interior Design of
Seattle. The difference between this venture and some others will
be the structure. In an arrangement yet to be finalized, the Partners
are seeking even more participants who want to jump on the Elliott
renovation bandwagon with a twist. The Elliott renovation will
be accomplished by equity-sharing or buying into a percentage
of the finished prize, rather than by bid or contract up front.
"This will be a project of passion," said Chester Trabucco,
president of No. 10 Sixth St. Ltd., "Those coming on board
will do so because we believe in the development of downtown Astoria."
The five story Elliott Hotel sits on a footprint of 5,000 square
feet, which is, according to Trabucco, one of the few properties
built following the Astoria fire that sunk pilings down to bedrock.
It is also in an historic district and the future owners plan
to explore historic designations and tax incentives to help with
the estimated $2.5 million renovation of the property.
Properties with a similar flavor, "small but elegant,"
such as the Hotel Oregon renovation in McMinneville by McMenamins
will be researched and the many original hardwoods, moldings and
glass tiles that still remain in the structure will be preserved
as much as possible. The Elliott Hotel has 68 guest rooms, yet
project architect Jay Raskin estimates the number will be closer
to 40 after the renovation. The plans call for removal of interior
walls and the addition of safety features such as an additional
staircase for fire precautions, a wine bar to become a gathering
place for locals and a small restaurant to serve hotel guests.
Nearby restoration of the Liberty Theater will go hand-in-hand
with this project and some "visioning" discussions have
started about shared conference space and perhaps even a tunnel
between the two structures so theater guests needn't even venture
out in the rain to enjoy an evening event.
The targeted completion date for the project is the Spring of
2001.
The Elliott Hotel
Renovation Team: No. 10 Sixth St. Ltd.
Contact: Chester Trabucco
Telephone: 503/325-5534
E-mail: cltnw@foxinternet.net
Hours: By appointment
The Inn at Cannon Beach
The Inn at Cannon Beach, on the other hand, is a brand - new property
being designed and built from the ground up by a newly-formed
team of hospitality professionals. Both Patrick Nofield and Tom
Drumheller work within the highly successful hospitality business
of Steve Martin Management Company. Tom is president of SMMCo
and has worked with that company since 1987. Patrick Nofield,
executive vice president of SMMCo, has been with the business
since 1986. Under the watchful eye of Steve Martin, their employer
and mentor, they are starting their own first venture in the development
of the Inn at Cannon Beach. When asked how their independent venture
would fit into the overall corporate structure of SMMCo which
owns and operates
hospitality properties such as The Stephanie Inn, The Surfsand
Resort and The Wayfarer Restaurant, Drumheller replied, "It
will give Steve Martin Management Company one more property to
manage, bringing the total to 8 hotels and three restaurants statewide."
While the City of Cannon Beach has imposed restrictions on development
of new hospitality properties, the Drumheller/Nofield partnership
has circumvented those by siting their new project on "one
of the last remaining buildable vacant spaces in Cannon Beach,"
said Patrick, that just happens to be contiguous to the property
occupied by the 11-unit Cannon Village Motel. The partners purchased
the motel from Demetrios Meletis in October, 1999 and burned the
motel to the ground in November - thus clearing the way for their
proposed 39 unit Inn at Cannon Beach.
The Inn at Cannon Beach will be breaking ground the first week
in January and is projected to be ready for occupancy July, 2000.
The Inn will have multiple buildings with a landscaped courtyard.
Balconies will be stairstepped to allow maximum privacy and the
rooms will have "all the comforts of home." Rooms will
offer queen or king beds, natural gas fireplaces, wet bars, and
be decorated with work from local artists. LCB
Inn at Cannon Beach
Owners: Tom Drumheller & Patrick Nofield
Address: 3215 South Hemlock,
P. O. Box 219 Cannon Beach, Oregon 97110
Telephone: 503/436-9085
Rates: $89.00 - $159.00
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