Salmon Arm Seniors' Drop in Centre - Salmon Arm, BC
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 50° 42.049 W 119° 17.085
11U E 338659 N 5619045
Salmon Arm's Municipal Hall, now the Salmon Arm Seniors' Drop in Centre, was the first of three government buildings to be erected on this corner, all built by local builder William Reader.
Waymark Code: WMQC64
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 02/02/2016
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member saopaulo1
Views: 1
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The corner is that of Hudson Avenue NE and Shuswap Street and the buildings represent the three major levels of government in the country, Civic, as represented by the Municipal Hall, Provincial, the Courthouse across the street, and the Post Office, next to the Courthouse, represents Federal Government presence.

Between the time of incorporation of Salmon Arm as a village in 1912 and the construction of the Municipal Hall in 1928, municipal council met at various site around the downtown area. The building then served as municipal hall until the consolidation of the Village of Salmon Arm with the District Municipality on September 1, 1970, when all civic offices were moved to the Salmon Arm Town Hall.

Almost immediately the building became home to the Public Library, then in 1974 it was leased to the Shuswap Lake Senior Citizens Society, to become home to the Salmon Arm Seniors' Drop in Centre.

Municipal Hall

The building is important aesthetically for its Arts and Crafts influence with a gable roof, dormers and front entry with decorative half-timbering. It is domestic in scale and style. It is the oldest surviving government building and the oldest of the three in the "Government Precinct" on Hudson Avenue in Salmon Arm.

While thought to be "the best they could [do] with the means available" (Salmon Ann Observer), the structure retains a small town charm and is unique as a municipal building. No longer used by local government after 1970, it was occupied by the Public Library and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District. In 1974, it was leased to the Shuswap Lake Senior Citizens Society.

Constructed of bricks thought to be from the Enderby Brickyard, Municipal Hall was built by local contractor William Reader in 1928 at a cost of $3,792.00.

The municipality purchased "Lots 1 and 2 on the corner of Shuswap and Hudson, for the purpose of erecting a suitable office and council chamber" (Salmon Arm Observer, 1927).

"...[Reeve Harbell] remarked that in looking back over the last quarter of a century he was impressed with the amount of progress that has been made in Salmon Arm" (Salmon Arm Observer, July 12, 1928)
From the Heritage Marker at the hall
Municipal Hall

DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Municipal Hall is a one-storey brick building with a gable roof located within a grouping of three institutional buildings - the Municipal Hall, Court House and Post Office - on Hudson Street NE in downtown Salmon Arm, British Columbia.

HERITAGE VALUE
The Municipal Hall is significant for its historical, aesthetic and social values.

Built in 1928, Salmon Arm's original Municipal Hall is valued as the first permanent home of the council of the District Municipality of Salmon Arm since the City's incorporation in 1912. Municipal Council had previously met in such diverse sites as the Exchange Building, the Agricultural Hall and the Bank of Hamilton. This building was no longer used for local government purposes after the consolidation of the Village of Salmon Arm with the District Municipality in 1970.

The Municipal Hall, together with the Court House and Post Office, have historical value through their connection as three institutions representing three levels of government located in close proximity to one another. As a group, the formal relationship of the buildings to each other, at the intersection of Hudson Avenue NE and Shuswap Street in the core of the downtown, is important for its representation of a civic precinct of buildings with related historical and current uses.

The location of the building is also important. It was the earliest government building to be constructed, situated in the southwest corner of the Agnes McGuire property in the downtown core of Salmon Arm, at the then-prominent intersection of Shuswap Street and Okanagan Avenue. Here, streets running parallel to or perpendicular with the lakeshore and railway tracks, and associated with the initial development of Salmon Arm, meet the later survey grid.

Constructed by local builder William Reader, the Municipal Hall is important aesthetically for its Arts and Crafts influenced design and its brick building material, thought to have been sourced from the Enderby brickyard. The complex floor plan indicates the spatial requirements for early municipal departments. Overall, the building is domestic in scale and style. While thought to be "the best they could [do] with the means available," the building retains a small-town charm and is unique as a municipal building.

The building also has social value through its ongoing community use, first as a municipal hall and later as the local Seniors' Drop-In Centre.

CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
Site:
- location in an enclave on Hudson Avenue NE in downtown Salmon Arm
- surrounding landscape features of trees, shrubs and lawn
- siting, facing onto Hudson Avenue NE
- relationship to the Court House and Post Office across Hudson Avenue NE<

Building
- L-shaped floor plan
- gable roof with gable dormers and brick chimney
- gable front entry with decorative half-timbering
- shingle roof material
- brick construction material
- wood-frame windows
From Historic Places Canada
Type of community center: Senior center

Address:
31 Hudson Avenue NE Salmon Arm, British Columbia V1E 4H8

Website: Not listed
Visit Instructions:
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