Former Flame Has New Name

Old Park Inn sign on Business 53. Photo Copyright 2021, the Author

The hotel at 1009 West Park Avenue on the South Side of Chippewa Falls has had many names and the name on its sign changed again with the start of 2021. According to Assessor Data, the current structure was built in 1978 and was the Flame Hotel and Supper Club, owned by Don Frenette. The previous Flame restaurant burned. Roads adjacent to the compound, Frenette Drive and Flame Drive reflect this history.

The Flame, likely between 1978 & 1995. Unknown source.

Assessor Data states that the banquet center was added in 1995 which coincides with a change in ownership to the Heyde family and a name change to Park Inn International and Arizona’s restaurant. The addition added 5,236 square feet to the existing 40,048 sq ft hotel and 6,969 sq ft restaurant. A recently revealed old sign along Business Highway 53 appears to be from this time period.

Ownership changed from AMAC Chippewa Falls LLC to R & D Hunt LLC in 2005. The name changed again to Avalon and Bridgewater Restaurant & Pub sometime between 2005 and 2009. Ownership changed in 2019 to Badger State Hospitality LLC. Early in 2021, a cloth sign appeared to designate the hotel’s name has changed once again to America’s Best Value Inn, which is part of a larger chain. There was a dramatic decrease between 2019 and 2020 in the assessment and taxes on the property, possibly corresponding to a decline in the hospitality industry in 2020.

Technical difficulties hanging new hotel sign. Photo Copyright 2021, the Author

The first attempt to place the new sign over the old one was defeated by high winds, but it was later secured. It doesn’t look like a permanent solution and, when lit up, reveals the ghost image of Avalon below. The restaurant still bears the name Bridgewater, despite it not being that close to water, a bridge or even Bridgewater Avenue on the North side of town. The menu explains it is a reference to the town of Bridgwater (spelled with no ‘e’) in Somerset, England.