By Kristina Smith Sandusky Register April 01, 2004
kristinasmith@sariduskyregister.com

PORT CLINTON
After almost five months of electrical work, redecorating and remodeling, the owners of a his­toric Port Clinton inn are reopening their business. The Island House closed in November when a fire broke out in its first-floor laundry room and caused damage throughout the hotel.

Smoke and water from a pipe that melted and burst during the fire ruined carpets, damaged antique paintings and destroyed the hotel's kitchen.

Repairing the hotel cost $850,000-$1million, but insurance has covered much of the expense, owner Dave Waleri said. But Waleri and his wife, Pam, and Jim Zibert, who co-own the hotel, have turned the fire into an opportunity to change the hotel's decor and the set-up of its restaurant. "It's been very traumatic, but we're making it a very positive thing," Dave said. "We're making things as good as they can possibly be, w e've gone back to a true Victorian style."

The hotel opened in 1886 and has been a stop for three U.S. presidents, Ohio governors and famous actors, such as Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, he said. "Having had so many interesting and famous people, we're trying to bring the hotel to the look and feel of a boutique hotel," he said. Boutique hotels are usually smaller and more intimate than regular hotels and are often historic buildings with unique decor. The hotel also retained a lot of its original deco­rations, including at least 50 original paintings, he said. "We feel really good that none of the original antiques were damaged beyond repair,” Pam said.

The fire also closed the Island House's two restaurants, Anthony's at the Inn and Conrad's Porterhouse, and the owners will reopen one of them. They expanded Conrad's Porterhouse from 85 to 200 seats and added the most popular items from Anthony's to the Conrad's menu. They also converted a sitting room into a library where staff will serve an English tea every after- noon.

The Island House opened and took hotel guests for the annual New Year's Eve Walleye Madness at Midnight celebration, where a 600-pound fiber glass walleye drops from a crane at midnight out­ side the hotel. The rest of the five months it remained closed, but its owners took reservations for the spring and summer. The Island House is almost completely reserved for the weekend and they have also taken several reservations for the summer months, Dave said.

$340,0000 Fire Restoration Project Completed by:
Included: Pack-out, Cleaning and Deodorization of Contents, cleaning all rooms on all floors, soda-ash blasting for soot removal in the restaurants & kitchen area. Art restoration of 50 framed antique oil paintings, Structural Dry-down of the first floor and the crawl space.

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