A $10 million renewal of the Inn at Laurel Point’s main entranceway is scheduled to complete this fall as a $25 million soil remediation project along the hotel’s Inner Harbour waterfront winds down.

 

Constructed in the late 1970’s as the Delta Laurel Point Inn in Victoria's James Bay neighbourhood, the 127-room complex was purchased by Paul and Artie Arsens (of Paul’s Motor Inn fame) in the early 1980’s and underwent an expansion to 200-rooms by the end of that decade at the hands of famed B.C. architect Arthur Erickson and John Graham, who is now a principal of architectural firm Graham Sherwin Studio retained for the current renovation.

 

Thirty years on Graham's entranceway design will architecturally bridge the two hotel wings, completing a long-held goal for the property by the late Arsens.

 

“This significant lobby renovation will see the vision of renowned architect Arthur Erickson fully realized at Inn at Laurel Point,” reads a statement issued by the hotel. “The renewal will join our Erickson and Laurel wings together in a completely new arrival experience, including a brand-new driveway, entryway, lobby, and ground floor meeting and event spaces. We have also taken this opportunity to refresh [and] renew our garden.”

 

Construction began last fall in-tandem with a Transport Canada harbour soil remediation project undertaken to remove contaminants deposited by a paint company that operated on the Laurel Point site between 1906 and 1975.

 

Upon completion of the soil work, the City of Victoria is expected to invest several million dollars into a Park Improvement Plan along the waterfront surrounding the hotel. The project will incorporate a segment of the David Foster Harbour Pathway. C

 

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