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 City of Vernon recognizes Vernon Community Music School Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 50° 15.927 W 119° 15.298
11U E 339292 N 5570577
Completed in 1908 for S.C. Smith, prominent local businessman and sawmill owner, in 1956, 23 years after his death, the building became a convent for the Sisters of St. Ann. It has been home to the Vernon Community Music School since 1982.
Waymark Code: WMN701
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 01/07/2015
Views: 2
The S.C. Smith House, a City of Vernon heritage property, is 107 years old as of 2015. It was built by a prominent businessman and civic leader who lived in the house until his death in 1933. In 1956 the Catholic Church bought the building for use as a convent, which use continued until its sale to the city in 1981.
The house then became the property of the Vernon Community Music School in 1982 and they remain there to this day. In October of 2012 the music school was recognized by the city for its commitment to heritage preservation in maintaining their premises. As part of this recognition the school was presented with a heritage plaque by the city, which is now mounted in front of the building.
The event was reported by the Vernon Morning Star on July 5, 2013, the article being reproduced in part below.
City of Vernon recognizes
Vernon Community Music School
by Staff Writer - Vernon Morning Star
posted Jul 5, 2013 at 10:00 AM
The City of Vernon has recognized the Vernon Community Music School for its commitment to heritage preservation.
In October 2012, the city presented music school officials with a heritage plaque in recognition of the heritage significance of the building.
The plaque is located at the front of the music school along 32nd Avenue where it can be easily viewed by the public.
“The Vernon Community Music School is in the process of completing building repairs and updating their foundation so they can provide a safe and viable musical home for generations to come, said Vernon Mayor Rob Sawatzky.
The school is located in the Smith house, a two-storey Dutch Colonial gambrel house found at 1705-32nd Avenue.
This historic place is valued for its association with a succession of owners and their contributions to the social and cultural life of Vernon.
S. C. Smith (1849-1933) was a prominent businessman and civic leader in the 1890s and early 1900s...
..In 1956, the Catholic Church bought it as a convent for the Sisters of St. Anne, who taught at St. James Catholic School. In 1981, the house was sold to the City of Vernon. The city designated the building as a municipal heritage site that same year.
The city and the B.C. Heritage Trust contributed funds for its restoration, after which it was used as the headquarters for the 1982 B.C. Summer Games. The city then sold the building to the Vernon Community Music School in 1982.
The music school created studios in the house and also renovated the carriage house.
The Smith house is also valued for its high quality of architectural design.
Commissioned in 1905 and completed in 1908, at a cost of $13,000, a significant sum at the time, it is Vernon’s most significant Colonial Revival villa.
A large frame structure, the house is side-gabled with a gambrel roof with wide over-hanging eaves decorated with modillions. A two-storey portico with Tuscan pillars and matching semi-circular porches on either side dominates the front façade.
Other fine design details include bay windows, an attached one-storey conservatory, balustrades above the porches, cedar siding, fieldstone foundation. Interior features include large rooms finished with plaster, fir and hardwoods. There is a ballroom with a sprung floor in the attic. In the rear is a fine carriage house with a gambrel roof. The house was a significant project that spurred growth in the new Lakeview subdivision.
From the Vernon Morning Star
Type of publication: Newspaper
When was the article reported?: 07/05/2013
Publication: The Vernon Morning Star
Article Url: [Web Link]
Is Registration Required?: no
How widespread was the article reported?: local
News Category: Arts/Culture
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