Pacific Rim Artisan Village - Chemainus, British Columbia, Canada - Freestanding Arches on Waymarking.com

When the Chemainus sawmill closed down in the early 1980s and the local economy was in jeopardy, visionary Karl Schutz convinced local leaders to reshape the town into a tourist destination. It was as part of this change of direction that the world-famous Chemainus murals were born, as well as many other tourist-oriented initiatives. After the great success of this transformation, Schutz began to work on his next idea. From researching and visiting places in Europe, Schutz formulated the idea of creating an artisan space. His vision was to make Chemainus a showpiece for the arts and crafts of all the countries surrounding the Pacific Ocean. Slated to house a museum, theatre, school, art shop, and theme park, the Artisan Village would feature people from Pacific Rim countries, demonstrating their crafts and selling their work. In the early 1990s, he acquired approximately 50 acres on the outskirts of Chemainus. This archway, which appears to be made of stucco over a hollow core, was erected at the proposed entrance and the plans were presented to North Cowichan council, but approval was never received. Over the last two decades, the site has changed hands several times and varying plans have been proposed, but the site remains undeveloped. The archway still stands today, guarding the entrance to the site and awaiting its final fate.

Type: Gateway Subtype: Other Location: Not listed

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Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   01/15/2019 madill visited it