Their new digs are in Nelson's old CPR station, built in 1900 and renovated over the past three years. The
visitor centre, with an adjoining coffee house, occupies about half of the newly renovated station; the other half will be occupied by various businesses when interior renovations are complete. Larger than their original premises, the centre houses all the information brochures, booklets and maps one would expect to encounter. The centre is staffed by the same helpful and friendly group we have come to know in the old centre.
In the middle of the
visitor centre is a model of the station and surrounding railroad facilities as they would have been in the 1950s. Beautifully restored with lots of wood and exposed posts and beams, the centre even retains the old wide board flooring style from the station, though probably only replicated, not original. Nelson now has a
visitor centre they can truly be proud of. Below is a bit of the story of the station.
Completed in 1900, in 1910 it was doubled in size to house the headquarters of the B.C. Lake and River Service, as well as railroad operations. The addition made this a large station, reflecting Nelson's status at that time as a major shipping and transportation hub for the Kootenay region.
The CPR tracks arrived in Nelson in 1891 and in that year the first station was built, at this location. When, in the late 1890s, Nelson was designated the Kootenay Region Headquarters for the CPR, this station was built to house increased office space and to provide better freight and passenger handling capabilities. Ostensibly, it was opened January 1st, 1900.
In the mid 1950s, the paddlewheelers having become obsolete, the B.C. Lake and River Service was dissolved by the CPR, leaving that half of the building empty. In 1987, with a restructuring of CPR divisional boundaries, the divisional headquarters were moved to Cranbrook, leaving the building empty, as passenger service had already been terminated by that time. Fortunately, it was not many years later that it was designated a
Historic Railway Station, this taking place in 1992.
Following are excerpts from the much anticipated newspaper article which informed us that the station was sufficiently complete as to allow the visitor centre to move in.
Visit Nelson via Waymarking.
Nelson visitor centre
moves into renovated CPR station
posted Nov 24, 2015 at 12:00 PM
After five years of fundraising and construction and several years of planning before that, Nelson’s old CPR station is the new home of the tourism visitor centre, open now but waiting until spring for a grand opening. In January, the Nelson Star will move into office space on the second floor, just down the hall from a new boardroom that will be used for public meetings and gatherings.
It’s the boardroom that project contractor Joern Wingender seems proudest of
“In this room we are showcasing the last remaining historic interior trim and original windows,” he said. An expert in building restoration and green building, Wingender has led the effort to create a building whose construction methods and materials are a unique combination of traditional and progressive.
“We have gone from a building that a lot of people thought was a liability to a great community asset, and we are happy to be part of this. This is a comfortable space — the offices on the second floor are quiet and the visitor centre down on the main floor has a really nice feel with the wood and the fireplace.
The CPR station, built in 1901, was vacant and derelict for many years before the Chamber of Commerce acquired it.
From The Nelson Star
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