Langham Cultural Centre - Kaslo, BC
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member ScroogieII
N 49° 54.706 W 116° 54.400
11U E 506701 N 5528824
Pioneer Hotel, Haunted Culture Centre, wartime internment centre, museum and more, this is a building with an interesting history.
Waymark Code: WM12YQT
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 08/08/2020
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Weathervane
Views: 2
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Constructed in 1896, the Langham is the only hotel built during Kaslo's boom years that has survived. In the interim it has been, among other things, a bank, a bottling works, and a lumber office, and presently serves as a museum and a cultural centre. During World War II the Langham Hotel provided housing for interned Japanese-Canadian citizens.

It was during this time that one of the little Japanese Canadian children, a 10-year-old girl, died while living in the Langham Hotel. It is believed that the little girl died after a fall down the stairs. She was chasing a ball, tripped and fell to her death. It is reported that her ghost is friendly in nature and no one seems to be frightened by her. She is, however, known to be a little trickster at times. People have heard footsteps, lights go on and off at odd times, and the sound of a ball bouncing down the stairs has also been heard.

By the mid 1970s the building was a derelict and in danger of demolition. Through the efforts of the citizens of Kaslo and the British Columbia Heritage Trust the Langham Hotel was restored to its present glory. Through the Heritage Conservation Act the Langham Hotel was designated a Provincial Heritage Site by the Province of British Columbia on June 30th, 1977. It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places on August 31st, 2012.

Presently known as the Langham Culture Centre, the Langham now is home to various businesses, several artists' studios, 2 art galleries and a theatre. It is now viewed as a "monument to the Japanese Canadian internment that occurred between 1942 and 1946 in Kaslo". Part of the second storey has been given over to a small museum recounting the story of the internment of Canadians of Japanese descent during the second world war. In the museum are many story-boards, photos and texts which relate the story, as well as a small amount of artefacts pertinent to the locale and the era.

There are some very interesting photographic displays upstairs. Also upstairs is one room that was reconstructed to show typical Japanese Canadian living quarters during WWII. The living quarters were constructed to commemorate the Japanese Canadians who were interned in Kaslo.
Langham Cultural Centre
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Langham Cultural Centre is a three-story Victorian style wooden building with ten dormer windows located on a corner lot on the major thoroughfare of downtown Kaslo, British Columbia.

HERITAGE VALUE
The value of this historic place lies in the continuous and integral role it has played in the cultural and social development of the community. The building has continuously evolved to meet the needs of the community, originally as a boarding house, then as a bank, a bottling works, and a lumber office, among other uses. Currently it is a cultural centre and museum.

This historic place is valued because it is the only hotel erected during the mining boom and bust era in Kaslo that still exists in its original form. It exemplifies the Victorian style of architecture at the time of its construction in 1896.

The Langham Cultural Centre stands as a monument to the Japanese Canadian internment that occurred between 1942 and 1946 in Kaslo. The Japanese Canadian Museum, located in the building, illustrates the significant social impact of the internment on the Village of Kaslo, the Kootenays and the Japanese Canadian (Nikkei) community during that time.

The Langham Cultural Centre also symbolizes the important historical and cultural values prevalent in Kaslo. In the early 1970s it was scheduled to be demolished, but a group of local citizens formed the Langham Cultural Society and restored the building. Today, the Langham Cultural Centre is also valued as a multimedia outlet for artists and performers.

CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Langham Cultural Centre include:
-all historic materials dating to the time of construction, such as the original stained glass windows on the front and rear of building, the original central staircase, and the original interior door and window trim throughout the building
-all elements of the Victorian style of architecture, such as the ten dormer windows, the parapet front, rooftop cornice and gable-end detail
-three-story scale and massing
-presence of the Japanese Canadian Museum focusing on the Nikkei internees, including the room dedicated to the Konno family, a sleeping room replicating its condition circa 1941 -continuing display of documentation about the redress agreement that was signed by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and National Association of Japanese Canadians president Art Miki on September 22, 1988
-use as a cultural centre
From Historic Places Canada
Photo goes Here
Official Heritage Registry: [Web Link]

Address:
447 A Avenue
Kaslo, BC
V0G 1M0

Heritage Registry Page Number: Not listed
Visit Instructions:
To log a visit to a Waymark in this category at least one photo of the property, taken by the visitor, must be included with the visit, as well any comments they have concerning either their visit or the site itself. Suggested inclusions are: what you like about the site, its history, any deviations from the description in the heritage listing noted by the visitor, and the overall state of repair of the site.
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T0SHEA visited Langham Cultural Centre - Kaslo, BC 12/29/2020 T0SHEA visited it