Lodge on Beaver Lake to be rebuilt after blaze

by Jeff Della Rosa ([email protected]) 1,556 views 

Tanglewood Lodge was heavily damaged in a Feb. 6 fire. Six fire departments responded to the scene. The lodge is expected to be restored and might reopen next year.

Tanglewood Lodge, a family-owned business on Beaver Lake in Benton County, closed after a Feb. 6 fire, but the significantly damaged building east of Rogers is expected to be restored.

Co-owner Holly Wood of Tanglewood Lodge Inc. was the only one at the lodge when the fire started. She suffered smoke inhalation and injured her knee while running out. She spent the night recovering in the hospital before being released the next day.

Wood hopes to restore the 13,500-square-foot lodge adjacent to Rocky Branch Marina but with some minor changes. She still expects to have 34 rooms, but they might be reconfigured and include larger refrigerators or ceiling fans. She’s also considering moving the office to the center of the building, expanding the event room and adding a snack bar.

“It’s considered a total loss, but we’re going to try to build it back the same way that it was,” Wood said. “For us, it will be nicer and newer, but other than that, we’re going to try to bring it back.”

She would like to have the lodge open again next year and begin taking reservations again this fall. She explained the lodge’s area significance, including during War Eagle Fair and Bikes, Blues, and BBQ, and that multiple gatherings, weddings and other reservations this year must be canceled.

Wood is awaiting the fire marshal’s report to determine the cause of the blaze, direction from the insurance company and restoration estimates. She’s also seeking an architect to help with the design.

Wood said the restoration will cost at least $2 million but doesn’t expect the insurance money to cover all the costs.

She and her family have owned and operated the lodge for about six years. Her 27-year-old twin children, John and Helen Wood of Twins LLC, are business partners and lodge managers. The lodge was built before Beaver Dam was completed on the White River in 1966 when Beaver Lake was established.