Saskatchewan historic hotel with history of murder and mystery now being restored

The Grand Hotel in Shaunavon, Sask. first opened to the public in 1929 and experienced a fire, dynamite explosion, and three murders throughout the years. (Angela Stewart / CTV News)

When you walk throughout the Town of Shaunavon, many will notice a handful of historic buildings. Many date back to the early 1900’s. Of them all, there’s one that stands out. Not just for its age but for its notorious history of murders and tragic string of events.

The Grand Hotel, located on 37 Third Avenue East.

‘Neglected building, not an abused building’

The Grand Hotel once served as a stop over spot for travellers coming to the town. It has sat vacant and untouched for over 40-years.

Though it has stood silent for years, one man from B.C. is aiming not only preserve a piece of the past, but to bring more purpose to his own life.

Kent Karemaker, originally from Vancouver, said he had been struggling with mental health issues and depression, which intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In a capital city during the pandemic, working remotely from home, I really struggled with depression. A lot of it was finding purpose in life, like reasons to get up every morning and something to light a fire under me,” he explained.

Karemaker said he has always had a passion for restoring furniture. He even restored two homes in the town.

“I was kind of hooked once I did two houses in front here and then I wanted to set my sights bigger,” he said.

He reached out to people in the town to see if they knew of old, abandoned or worn-out heritage homes he could tackle as his next project.

“Through a post on Facebook, a friend of mine contacted me and she said, ‘Hey, what about a hotel?’”

Karemaker got in touched with the hotel’s previous owner, Brad Bakken, and took over ownership a little over two years ago.

“I paid $20,000 for this building, which is probably around 15,000 square feet, so it’s a big one,” Karemaker said.

‘Last hurrah of the 20’s’

The Grand Hotel was built and opened to the public on November 28, 1929, with Fred Mah and Mah Hop as the owners. The opening would have been during the end of the Roaring 20’s and the beginning of the Great Depression in Canada.

The total cost to build the hotel was $35,000.

“It opened, I believe one month before the stock market crash in 1929, which is probably about the worst time to open a hotel because that’s basically when Saskatchewan started shrinking,” Karemaker explained.

When it opened, hot and cold water was available in all 38 rooms, with steam heat and all new furnishings.

Rooms would have been available for guests to rent for $1.25 a day. Bathrooms were shared among guests with only one bathtub on each floor and two toilets, one for ladies and one for men.

Kathleen East, Shaunavon’s local historian, explained that many bizarre events took place in the hotel over the years, including a fire in 1932, dynamite explosion in 1933, and three murders in the hotel in 1940.

“It was run as a hotel by the Chinese family until 1940 when two of them were actually murdered in the front of the hotel,” she said.

Just two months prior, RCMP Sgt. Arthur Julian Barker was shot and killed in the same spot.

“That particular person got off on insanity, but they were connected within two months of each other,” East said.

Barker’s photo hangs in the front of the hotel where the murder happened.

Apartment block

Eventually, the hotel was converted into an apartment block by George A. Baird of Moose Jaw. The building would later be known as the Beverly Court in 1943.

A furnished single room would run for $35 a month with the resident paying the electricity.

East said there would be many young women who would come to town for work and would stay at the apartment building.

“There were usually a lot of single people living there. Then the other one that was quite common was elderly people that needed a place to live,” East explained.

One of the last two residents who rented a suite before the building closed down was Jamie Mercer. Mercer had come to Shaunavon for work and was 17-years-old at the time.

“Looking back at it, I think how did I ever stay here by myself? Seventeen-year-olds are kind of fearless, I guess,” Mercer said. “You come in, you close the door, this is your spot. It didn’t bother me that it was empty.”

Mercer rented a room for about four months and despite the building’s history, she managed to make the small space her own.

“I believe I had a small table right there. Bed. Pretty much that was it. A bed. There was a closet,” she said, standing in her old room.

The boiler system in the basement of the building had stopped working at the time and was not going to be replaced, forcing Mercer and the other tenant to vacate.

The Beverly Court was listed for sale in January of 1997, with the Bakkens taking over ownership then.

‘Revitalize every element’

Karemaker has already begun work on the restoration process of the hotel. He’s poured $60,000 into just replacing the roof alone.

“The roof has been replaced. The bulk of the electrical, including all the switches and boxes and everything. All of the main lines coming through have been done. I have replaced over 40 broken panes of glass. Resealed and repainted all of the lower-level exterior windows.”

When the apartment building shut down, the building sat empty for years, giving Karemaker much of the original finishings and most of the existing furniture to work with.

“I have some of the original bed frames and that sort of thing. I have restored a lot of furniture. The basement houses a lot of the original sort of back-end things. So, all the original laundry equipment is down there. The 1920’s boiler system is still intact,” he said.

“I have everything original to work with. The plan is to revitalize every element of the building and put it back into use.”

Karemaker has been documenting his work on the hotel through social media, under the Facebook page, Grand Hotel Shaunavon.

With a clear vision for the restoration, Karemaker plans to bring back the hotel’s original 1929 charm for those wishing to stay the night.

“I want this place again to be a bit of a retreat,” he explained. “Bathrooms will be shared with a couple exceptions; suites have private baths and then there will be modern bathrooms. That’s the only modern concession I’ll make, other than Wi-Fi.”

• Download the CTV News app for local breaking news alerts on your mobile device

He said there will be no TVs in any of the rooms.

“I also want it to feel authentically 1920’s and I think nothing would kill that vibe more than walking into your room and seeing a flat screen. I don’t want there to be any sign of electronics that didn’t exist in the 1920’s,” he said.

Those who work at the hotel will also play the part, including Karemaker himself.

“Black and white maid outfits. I’ll be in a three-piece suit with a pocket watch.”

With the original boiler system out of commission, there is no running heat in the building, so work on the restoration is limited to the warmer months.

Karemaker expects the renovations to be wrapped up in about four years time, with an opening date to fall on the hotel’s 100th anniversary.

Those who are interested in checking out Karemaker’s progress so far can attend an open house on July 20 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.