Upon touring the town of Fernie one will find that each and every church of any age in the town was built between 1908 and 1910. This was not a coincidence. On August 1, 1908 Fernie suffered a
devastating fire which burned the entire town, save for the present town hall, the Western Canada Wholesale warehouse and the Catholic priest’s residence (all concrete structures which managed to withstand the blaze). 100 businesses, 700 residences and all the churches and public buildings burned to the ground. Beginning almost immediately the Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Salvation Army and Lutheran congregations began to rebuild. All their buildings were of brick and/or stone, at least in part because immediately following the fire the town passed an ordinance requiring all buildings in a ten block area to be built of fireproof material.
This little mission style church was completed in 1909, the smallest of the six built at that time. Like several of Fernie's post fire churches, this one was build of yellow/pink brick manufactured here in Fernie. It served the Salvation Army until 2001, when the Salvation Army moved to new premises on Second Avenue. Prior to that, in the 1980s the building had substantial restoration work done as part of the Heritage Area Revitalization Project. Today the building is home to
Eye of the Needle Gallery and Studio.
See the story of the church below.
SAVING GRACE: THE RE-USE OF THE HISTORIC
SALVATION ARMY HALL
July 2015 | Ron Ulrich
In many towns across Canada, churches are often the tallest buildings. Their spires peaking above stores, banks and residences help define the character of the community. Built with substance to serve the needs of once vibrant and growing congregations, a great number of historic churches are rich in architectural detail. In Fernie, the United, Lutheran, Anglican and Catholic churches are all wonderful architectural gems.
Historic church buildings are today increasingly vulnerable to deterioration and loss. Shrinking congregations struggle to address the ongoing maintenance of these heritage buildings, yet alone fund any restoration.
For those congregations for which their heritage building no longer suits their purposes, opportunities exist to creatively re-purpose these properties in a manner that promotes economic development while continuing to maintain and celebrate the historic fabric of the community.
The 1909 Salvation Army church, located at 260 5th Street in Fernie, is a shining local example of adaptive re-use of a historic building. The Salvation Army began serving the Fernie community in 1900. They built the church with a high quality yellow/pink brick following the 1908 Great Fire. The smallest of Fernie’s historic church buildings, it is an excellent example of Mission-style architecture. During the mid-1980s, as part of the Heritage Area Revitalization Project, the building had significant restoration work done. Painted stucco was removed to reveal the original brick and the front porch reconstructed in a style close to the original.
Today, the former church continues to inspire as the home of the Eye of the Needle Gallery and Studio, operated by the dynamic and talented mother-daughter duo of Sandra and Florence Barrett. Sandra is a fibre artist and an award-winning blacksmith, and many of her creations blend the two mediums. Florence is a seamstress and costume designer who recently received a Canadian Leo award for best costume design in a feature film. In addition to fabric art, the Gallery also features forge work, jewelry and glass art by local and regional artists.
From Fernie Fix Magazine