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The famous Beach Hotel was started by A. E. Clayden in 1898. John S. Baker (and his wife) was also involved in the early days. It was promoted in newspapers all over over the country. It was a large, grand, high end establishment which featured a beautiful setting on the waterfront. They had golf, tennis, boating, bathing and fishing. Of course there was a dining room. There were many improvements over the years, starting in 1912. In those days the rate was $3-$5 per day.
In the 1910's, it was a seasonal resort operating from June 1 thru Oct 1. There were frequent mentions of the hotel in the society columns in major newspapers around the country so it was quite well-known. By this time there were 265 rooms. Entertainment came with many traveling orchestras which facilitated the dance hall. In August of 1938 there was a fire. These old, massive wooden structures were prone to ignite so this is a very common tale I have seen over and over again in my research.
Despite the fire in 1938, the hotel operated into the 1940's with E. L. Kramer managing. On into the 1950's, there were numerous conventions being held at the hotel. In 1958, the hotel took over the old Sunset Lodge, demolished it, and built a 20x40 heated pool in its place. However, by the 1960's, the old hotel was going downhill and starting to fall into disrepair.
An attempt was made to re-brand the hotel as "The Holiday Terrace Hotel" in 1963 by Mr. and Mrs. Scott L. Wilson. The point was to return the place to its former glory and I give them credit for trying. The sheer size of the place must have made the overhead and upkeep very daunting. In the end, the re-branding didn't work out and the hotel was closed. It was slated to be razed in 1967. There was an attempt to salvage some of the large beams of the building during the demolition process, but the entire place was destroyed by fire before that could happen.
Now you know the story of one of the many grand, lush hotels that sprang up in the late 1800's. Some of them are still with us and many of those are featured on this site. They are worth supporting as we will never see the likes of them again. Most of the new lodging built nowadays are the nondescript boxes that have no allure whatsoever. For more details, I have posted a 1/2 page article on the fire below, which contains some additional historical details. As of 2023, a sizable condo complex sits on the former site of the hotel.