Then & Now: Downtown Coeur d’Alene

Then & Now: “Until the 1960s, the Coeur d’Alene waterfront was occupied by a steamboat landing, a lumber mill, a seaplane dock, a train yard, industrial warehouses and a log storage area. But then the transformation to a tourist destination began in earnest. Many credit Bob Templin, a World War II veteran and restaurateur from Ritzville, for the first waterfront resort, a 44-room inn called the North Shore Motor Hotel, built in 1964. A convention center was added in 1966. A seven-story tower, with a top-floor restaurant called Cloud 9, opened in 1974. Although the lake and hotel attracted visitors, it was Templin’s salesmanship that built the Lake City’s convention business”/Jesse Tinsley, SR. More here.

DFO: I'm a big admirer of “Mr. Hospitality” Bob Templin. But I'm sure that the Coeur d'Alene waterfront wouldn't be as nice as it is now, if Duane Hagadone hadn't gained control of Templin's hospitality business in the early 1980s.

Question: What do you think the Coeur d'Alene waterfront would be like today, if Duane Hagadone hadn't gotten involved in the hospitality business?