Nipigon in Thunder Bay District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Ovilio Hotel
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 9, 2022
1. The Ovilio Hotel Marker
Here is the site of the Ovilio Hotel. For 59 years, descendants of the Gentile Family kept the establishment going originally began by Dominic and Maria Gentile in the early 1920s. The establishment first started with the construction of living quarters and later on adding a beverage room, pool hall and ice cream parlour. Descendants Orient, Jessie, Mary, Frank and Jobey can remember when rooms were rented for $1 to $1.50 a night and beer was 10 cents a glass and 21 cents a bottle. Typically the rooms were rented out to bush workers by the week or month and travelling salesmen who were stopping to get a fair night's sleep before rising to catch the train in the early a.m. hours. In August of 1980, one of the longest running family enterprises in Northwestern Ontario, The Ovilio Hotel closed its doors. Now stands on this site the newly built Public Library. The building is designed to reflect the style of the CP train station in 1940.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1980.
Location. 49° 0.741′ N, 88° 15.787′ W. Marker is in Nipigon, Ontario, in Thunder Bay District. Marker is on Front Street just south of 3rd Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is mounted at eye-level on the front facade of
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Revillon Brothers (within shouting distance of this marker); Hudson's Bay Company (within shouting distance of this marker); McKirdy / Vivone House (within shouting distance of this marker); Nipigon Historical Museum / The Railway (within shouting distance of this marker); First School (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Early Post Office (about 120 meters away); Fraser House (about 120 meters away); Hydro Building / United Church (about 120 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nipigon.
Also see . . . Hotels in Nipigon. A photograph of downtown Nipigon in the 1930s showing the "Ovilio" and the "International" hotels. (Submitted on May 8, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Courtesy Glena Clearwater
2. Marker detail: Orient, Jessie, Jobey & Mary Gentile
Here, four of the Gentile siblings who carried on the family business, gathered for a photo just prior to the closing of the Hotel. Missing that day was Frank Gentile. Orient, Jessie, Jobey and Mary were proficient in all aspects of running the hotel, from when it was first a store, to a bar to renting out rooms. It was a popular spot to stop after dances, bowling, hockey or curling.
Courtesy Glena Clearwater
3. Marker detail: Ovilio Hotel
This is a wonderful photo of the first stage of the Ovilio Hotel, built on the corner of Front and Third Streets. Over the years the front and side facades of the building were updated, as were the insides to include more of a barroom to accommodate the social times, from the 1960s to the 1980s, as the bush workers and salesmen dwindled.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 9, 2022
4. The Ovilio Hotel Marker
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 9, 2022
5. Nipigon Public Library & Municipal Building
Credits. This page was last revised on May 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 6, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 52 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 8, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
