them: "In the early thirties the Incola Hotel management decided that telephones should be installed in each room to replace the old wooden push button buzzers used to summon a busboy. When called, the busboy had to climb from one to four floors to ascertain the guest's needs and repeat the trip with the necessary supplies. It did not make for fast service. When the order was given to the Okanagan Telephone Company to go ahead, Cliff Greyell, manager of the Penticton office ordered...one switchboard, 80 telephones, wire and fuse protectors for the incoming trunk lines. My job was to install the telephones in the rooms and different parts of the hotel. The job proved quite an experience for me, especially wiring some of the rooms while the guests were still in the rooms and didn't mind a bit about being interrupted." Events Receptions, concerts, and dances were often held in the hotel. Passengers from the train and boats provided business and by 1928, there was lawn bowling on the grounds. During the 1930s, bands and orchestras often performed. The hotel also held events such as Board of Trade and Canadian Club dinners, Gyro, Kiwanis and Rotary luncheons, parties, and weddings, making the hotel the center of community life for decades. Decline Decline began in 1948 with the opening of highways that increased Penticton's role as a resort and convention center. Rail business decreased and newer hotels were built. Between 1966 and 1975, the Incola underwent four ownership changes and new extensions and modifications erased the hotel's original appearance. Neglect led to safety hazards, resulting in the fire marshal's order to close the top floor in 1963. Two fires broke out in 1978, leaving a hole in the roof that was not repaired. Broken windows were boarded up and outside walls began to rot due to the absence of drain pipes. By the late 1970s, the premises had become a gathering place for bikers, minors, and regular performances by strippers that destroyed the hotel's reputation. It closed on August 27, 1979, and was demolished in March 1981. See also Canadian Pacific Railway Penticton References Demolished buildings and structures in British Columbia Buildings and structures in Penticton Hotels in British Columbia Canadian Pacific Railway hotels Demolished hotels Buildings and structures demolished in 1981