Woman reacts to Lemberg hotel fire: ‘That was our home’

For one woman, the Lemberg Hotel was more than just a place to stay the night. It also housed her family memories.

Joyce Robertson’s father Ted Brockmeyer built the hotel in 1963 where a rink once stood. The hotel featured 15 rooms upstairs and included living quarters.

She was dismayed to find out the hotel was destroyed in a fire on Monday night.

“It does have lots of our memories,” she said. “I notified all of my family about the fire and they’re all sad about it.”

For six years, Robertson was one of eight children who lived there, along with her parents. She recalled holding down jobs, cleaning the floors, the beds and the bathrooms, and managing the restaurant.

The hotel was busy. The rooms were full. It hosted dances, weddings and various other functions.

“It was a centre of evening activities, daytime activities,” Robertson said. “(Mom’s) friends would come in the kitchen and help her make all of the hamburger patties or do different large meal preparation. That was one of the most fun things.”

She also believes that the building was haunted.

“I got woken up by a ghost one day and it appeared the second night as well. It had all of us children scared,” she said.

“It wasn’t just a hotel to us. That was our home. That’s all of our family memories.”

Robertson said her parents eventually sold the hotel and bought the Churchill Hotel in Moose Jaw.