Standing at the corner of Sixth Street and First Avenue, the Fernie CPR station has been in the general vicinity since 1908. It is the last surviving first-class CPR station of this design.
In 1990 it was moved a few metres to the northwest across First Avenue and placed onto a new foundation, restored and reopened as
The Arts Station. The story of The Arts Station can be read below.
Fernie was born a coal mining town and in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was served by two railways, James Jerome (aka JJ) Hill's Great Northern and William Cornelius Van Horne's Canadian Pacific. Strangely, Hill, Canadian born, built American railways, while Van Horne, American born, built Canadian railways. The two entered into a war over control of the transportation of coal from the coal fields in the Kootenays, which resulted in both of their railways being built into the area. Read the story of
The Kootenay Railway Wars.
The Arts Station
The Arts Station became more than a dream for a handful of art enthusiasts when Canadian Pacific Railway donated land and the old CPR building to the City of Fernie for use as a community arts centre
The CPR Station was built in 1908 after Fernie’s second fire. It is known to be the last surviving first-class CPR station of this design, as this construction was built especially for the Crowsnest Branch Line.
In 1986, the Fernie & District Arts Council began the renovation and restoration of this remarkable piece of history.
A new foundation was laid and the building moved to its new location a few metres from its original home. Most fixtures in The Arts Station are restored originals, while some are replicas.
In October 1990, after four years of hard work by many volunteers, The Station held its grand opening. The Fernie & District Arts Council now operates with more than 20 volunteers who put in hundreds of hours each month to provide many of the services available to members and visitors.
The original lobby is a gallery for the display of works by local artists; the ticket office is a restaurant; the baggage room is a 100-seat theatre used by visiting and local performers. Quilters, painters, stitchers and weavers use the upper floor while musicians and pottery enthusiasts practice their crafts in the basement studios.
The Arts Station is open 9am to 3pm weekdays, for events, private rentals and when the
Blue Toque restaurant is open.
From The Arts Station