Multiple police vehicles were parked outside the permanently closed Baselines Pub building – situated under the old Langley Hotel – on the Fraser Highway yesterday (Wednesday, Feb. 13) at approximately 5:00 p.m.
According to Langley RCMP Cpl. Holly Largy, police were responding to a break and enter in progress.
After investigation, police found three males around the property who were detained and released.
One other person was found inside the building.
“It would appear people have been squatting in the premises. As it turns out, the property was not properly secured so charges would not be possible,” explained Largy.
Largy added the building is set for demolition.
According to Langley Centennial Museum archives, the original Langley Hotel was a block away from the Baselines Pub site, and was called the Half-Way Hotel, which was built in 1920. In 1926, it was renamed the Langley Hotel until a fire completely destroyed it in 1928.
Later on, John Donelly, who managed the original hotel, took over a boarding house at the current Baselines Pub site. In 1936, the boarding house was renovated into the Langley Hotel, and more renovations happened in 1949.
The iconic Langley Hotel neon sign came down in the mid-2000s for safety reasons after the hotel was condemned.
