The owners closed the Rogue River Lodge in November with plans to convert the main building into their home and to remove the parking lot. Anne and Lee Kimball are the eighth owners of the lodge, a 78-year landmark a half hour’s drive east of Medford, Ore.
The Medford Mail Tribune reported the lodge’s accompanying Riverside Event Center will continue to be available starting next spring for weddings and parties of up to 250 guests.
The Kimballs bought the property in September 2009, investing a million dollars in renovations before reopening a year later. Built in 1937 on the banks of the Upper Rogue in Trail, Ore., the lodge operated continuously until its closure.
The newspaper said the lodge was the largest employer in the Upper Rogue region, at its height employing 25 people. It quoted Kimball as saying the closing was a “business decision … the profitability of the (seasonal ) business is not sufficient to offset our fixed overhead expenses year-round.” The newspaper said, “Even the bread-and-butter (summer) tourist season was a challenge in recent years because of fires that closed roads or dissuaded visitors from making the trip …”
Source: Stiles, Greg. "Trail restaurant closes but keeps events." Mail Tribune 19 Nov. 2015 [Medford, Ore.] : A1+6. Print.
