Former Reopel Hotel - Oliver, British Columbia - Photos Then and Now on Waymarking.com

”BEER VOTE FOR OLIVER

OLIVER, Feb. 2, 1935 A beer-by-the glass plebiscite will be taken here toward the end of this month. If the plebiscite is carried a new hotel will be constructed by Anthony Reopel. The contract has already been awarded for excavation of the basement. The hotel was designed by Thomas L. Kerr, Vancouver architect and is designed to have 16 rooms, and will cost about $20,000. It is to be the most modern in the valley. Every bathroom will be equipped with hot and cold water. Heating will be of the hot air type, and an air conditioning system will be installed.

Reopel Hotel is a two-storey Tudor style building, relatively rare in the architecture of Oliver. Clad in white stucco and accented with false half timbering, the Desert Arms Hotel (formerly the Reopel Hotel) is a remnant of the early formative years of Oliver. In 1932, when Anthony Reopel brought forward the idea of a new and modern hotel to the residents of Oliver.

Mr. Thomas L. Kerr, Architect describes the building to include a beer parlour, rotunda, office and sample room, and sleeping quarters above. In addition, there was to be electric lighting, hot air heating and, believe it or not, air conditioning. Mr. Harvey Boone, a local contractor, was awarded the contract and within three months, the building was complete, and held its grand opening May 24, 1935.

In 1964, the neon sign was raised, echoing a Streamline Moderne accent, which was consistent with the time the hotel was built.

The original wood accents evoke a memory of the grandeur of the hotel. Seventy-two years after it was constructed, the building is still impressive, and shows little sign of wear, other than a healthy patina of age. Over the years, the hotel has had a few owners, but the building itself remains a monument, and a landmark within Oliver."
Source: University of BC
(Some information was edited for content)



The Desert Arms Hotel (formerly Reopel Hotel) was renamed in 2007. It currently has 10 rooms arranged over 2 floors, The rooms are considered modest rooms, some with exposed-beam ceilings, the Desert Arms Hotel offers Wi-Fi access, flat-screens and mini fridges, plus tea and coffee making facilities. Family rooms sleep up to 4 guests.

The Howling Coyote Pub And Grill is located in the Desert Arms Hotel and offers a wide range of pub food in a casual setting that features a billiard table and regular entertainment. There's also a liquor store.

Year photo was taken: 1935

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