Lincoln City, Oregon Motel Flourishes After Rare Beach Tornado

Published 09/19/2012

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – For a year and a half, The Sea Horse Oceanfront Lodging in Lincoln City was missing a large chunk of its clifftop complex, after a freak storm ripped the roof off in what was determined to be a very rare tornado touchdown on the Oregon coast. For much of that time, just a skeleton of a structure sat where the main oceanfront building stood; before that was one big mess of a building until it was finally razed.

Earlier this year, the Sea Horse finally reopened the building that lost its roof, featuring a shiny, brand new row of rooms and an extra floor up top – all with dazzling views.

Devastation at the Sea Horse after the tornado

It was a bit of a struggle, however, to get to this point. Manager April Christy said this meteorological rarity slammed into the building unseen and then caused quite the meandering path to recovery.

“Our early Christmas present arrived on Dec 14, 2010,” Christy said. “A water spout took the roof off of our northern building and deposited it one street over, hurdling a 40-foot power line in the process.”

It didn't take them long to realize it was likely the same tornado system that hit Aumsville later that day. It had apparently decided to make a brief stop on the Oregon coast in the wee hours of the morning on its way to tearing up that Willamette Valley town.

“Interestingly, although the Sea Horse has 12 separate buildings and 65 rooms, we lost nary a single shingle, except for the entire roof that was launched eastward,” Christy said. “One of the owners arrived early to see some debris in the parking lot and started to call Angel, one of our heavenly maintenance men, but then realized that it was much more than a broom and dustpan kind of a job.”

It took some time for the owners to decide whether to replace just the roof or the entire building, but eventually the structure was razed to make way for a new one.

“As part of the rebuilding process, we constructed an additional floor with a roof that is super-attached," Christy said. “Thanks to our Oregon rain, it was necessary to rebuild the lodging from the foundation up. Every part of the structure is new from top to bottom, including sheetrock, rugs, and fixtures.

“A year and a half later, and over six figures in cost, the magnificent Sea Horse is better than ever.”

New amenities include decks on the fourth floor and the Sea Horse's first elevator.

“All of the furniture and built-ins on the fourth floor were beautifully made by a Northwest company, Amcraft, Inc, out of McMinnville,” Christy said. “Our Sea Horse staff designed and crafted new draperies and carved cedar wood signage. The new décor included underwater seahorse and coral photographs taken by local amateur - but excellent - photographer Shannon Fitzsimmons, with frames constructed by Sea Horse staff. Lastly, the new design included enclosing the stairway.”

The Sea Horse in the middel of its rebuilding process

Christy said it's likely the new rooms are the highest in Lincoln City, though they haven't taken offical measurements yet.

More Lincoln City lodgings are listed below, as well as restaurants in Lincoln City.

The Sea Horse Oceanfront Lodging: 1301 NW 21st Street, Lincoln City, Oregon 97367. Toll Free 800-662-2101 or 541-994-2101. https://www.beachconnection.net/news/seahorse_oceanfront_lodging_lincoln_city.php

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