Hotel Iroquois' Foundation Restored
By Ryan Schlehuber

The 104-year-old Iroquois Hotel on the Beach will complete the reconstruction of its beachside foundation and facade this spring. The hotel opened Friday, May 5. The Carriage House dining room may be open by Sunday, May 21.

What was suppose to be a nice, quiet winter break for the McIntire family unexpectedly turned into one of the busiest off-season projects the Hotel Iroquois on the Beach has gone through, reinforcing the building's foundation and facade on the beachside.

Having discovered that the beachside foundation of the 104year-old family-owned hotel was shifting last October, the McIntires had to move quickly to plan for a major reconstruction project for the first floor on the dining room side, hurrying to draw up plans and get building material over before the ferry service ended for the winter.

The entire Carriage House dining room was gutted, including the floor and bar. The windows on each floor were removed, and the outdoor patio, its concrete flooring, and the white fence that outlined it were taken out.

"I'd say there were four to eight dump trucks hauling away broken concrete from the patio alone," said Becki Barnwell, who helps run the family business with her sister, Marti, and their mother, Margaret.

Steel vertical beams were put in place to reinforce the hotel's foundation and the outside columns on the side of the hotel were driven deeper into the ground and placed on stronger concrete footings.

The original structure of the building, which was built in 1902, was built on a three-footthick stone foundation and is still stable after all these years, said Ms. Barnwell.

Though the restoration project was unexpected, Ms. Barnwell said the family is happy with the changes and new features in the dining areas. Hotel Iroquois opened for the summer Friday, May 5. The McIntires hope to open the Carriage House Dining Room by Sunday, May 21.

A new, expanded patio with brick paver flooring will greet hotel guests and dining room customers, the bar will be completely new, and two new cozy banquettes will be added to the dining area, which will still serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

More importantly, the dining room's foundation is securely set and the reconstructed area meets modern fire safety codes with an enlarged egress stairwell into the dining room from the hotel and a new fire-rated ceiling and electrical system.

"We are looking forward to a busy summer and getting settled in our new surroundings," said Ms. Barnwell.

Hotel Iroquois was built as a home in 1902 by Island blacksmith Robert Benjamin. When he sold it to the Poole family the next year, the home was converted into a hotel and a small dining room for guests was added. The McIntires purchased the hotel in 1954. They enlarged the dining room and named it the Carriage House in 1958. The patio was constructed in 2000.