Boarding houses provided affordable housing in Penticton
Rooming or boarding houses played a significant role in the lives of residents of most early communities by offering affordable housing, mainly for the single men and women of the working class.
The term “boarding house” referred to a residence where, in addition to renting a room, the tenants would all be given regular meals in a common dining area and be included with the rent. This was “room and board.” The houses where renters were not given meals, were instead called “rooming houses.”
Boarding houses were not just places for those wanting longer stays, but were also used by families on vacation, as boarding was an inexpensive alternative to hotels.
A 1907 article in the Penticton Press explained that what the community needed was a hotel or boarding house that would cater to the tourist and summer boarder. This would hopefully mean an increase in visitors and Penticton could become a famous resort.
One of Penticton’s earliest boarding houses was run by proprietress, Irene Palmer. She along with Mrs. Spencer, ran St Anthony’s at the corner of Nanaimo Avenue and Ellis Street, former location of the Grey
Imperial Rooms, 12 Front Street, now home of the Dragon’s Den.
hound Bus Depot. In 1912, she advertised that her establishment was a superior residence, meals were $1.00 a day or $6.50 for the week and afternoon teas were served in the garden.
A 1912 brochure of hotels and boarding houses with number of rooms and rates, in each community on the CPR line, from coast to coast, only listed three hotels, the BC Hotel, the Penticton Hotel and the Palace Hotel. Daily rate given were $1.50 or $7.00 per week at the Palace or $2.50 per day or $12.00 per week at the Penticton Hotel.
Some boarding houses were used primarily for workers. Henry Murk built the concrete building at the corner of Front, Main Streets and then Westminster Avenue as the Balmoral rooming house (later Imperial Rooms), with or without board, for single men.
In 1916 L.A. Pelton built a two story restaurant and rooming house on Hastings Street, next to the rail yards, to accommodate railway employees and millmen.
During the 1930s, many homeowners kept guest houses and rented out rooms in an effort to survive the economic downturn. By 1933, with the increasing number of rooming/ boarding houses in Penticton, city council enacted a Bylaw charging fifty cents per room per year on hotels and rooming/boarding houses.
During the early 1940s rooming houses were popular, to make sure there was accommodation for returning soldiers, but declined after the Second World War as governments increasingly focused on home ownership.
Penticton had a number of rooming/boarding houses near the city centre. Popular areas were Winnipeg Street, Wade and Eckhardt Avenues. Seven boarding houses were listed the 1954 City Directory.
A few remain, but most are gone, with some purchased and demolished to make way for the Retirement Centre (now PDSCL).
Karen Collins is a member of the Penticton Branch, Okanagan
Historical Society.