This three story brick building is accented with stone lintels and sills on all the windows, stone cornerstones, and stone pillars at the entry. For a village the size of Kaslo it is quite an impressive Government Building.
From Historical Walking Tour of Kaslo:
Formerly referred to as the Queen, the Courthouse or the Provincial Government Building, Kemball Memorial Centre was purchased and renamed by the Village of Kaslo in 2008. The cornerstone for this building was laid on Coronation Day, June 22, 1911. It is named for Lt. Col. A.H.G. Kemball who led the 54th Kootenay Battalion at the battle for Vimy Ridge in World War I. His commemoration plaque is to the left of the front door. The accents on the building originated from a local marble quarry. The Kootenay Lake Archives are located in the basement of this building.
A History obtained at the Court House
Kaslo Court House History The first Government Agent office in Kaslo was located at 413 "B" Avenue followed by the present office at the Kaslo Court House, which was erected during 1911-1912 at 416 A Avenue at a cost of $42,000. The Court House originally had two entrances, one on Fourth Street and on "A" Avenue. The original mail floor tenants included the Mining Recorder and assessor, Registrar, Constable (probably Provincial Police), Timber Inspector and Fire Warden, and of course the Government Agent, The Provincial and County Court offices and the Superintendent of Roads occupied the second floor.
The first Government Agent was Mr. E.E. Chipman, followed by R.J. Stenson and Ronald Hewat, who transferred in as Government Agent from Fernie to Kaslo in April 1920. Among the many standard appointments he held, one interesting one was that of Recording Officer, Kaslo Cattle District. A personal letter from the Deputy Provincial Secretary indicates that Mr. Hewat was taking early retirement in 1937. At that time Mr. Hewat was 68 years of age!
The years went by and the Government Agents that came and went were William Dunn, Claude MacDonald, Basil Palmer, William McLean, Thomas McKinnon, JoAnne James and Ken Starchuck. Robert Handley worked in the office from July 1, 1964 until his early retirement in March 2000. In 1995 the office was downsized and has been co-managed by the Nelson Government Agents office since. Currently Mary Linn is the Senior Customer Service Representative and Barb Henry (Nelson) is the co-managing Government Agent.
This lovely building was originally heated with coal and converted to oil in the late 1960's. At that time, the coal bin, a very large room, was still full of coal. The Kaslo Kinsmen took on the contract to remove the coal, which was taken up to the old Victorian Hospital of Kaslo. Also during the 1960's, due to the perceived threat of nuclear war, one of the rooms in the basement was converted to a fallout shelter. It is believed that this was intended for use by law enforcement and administrative agencies. The prisoner lock ups were also located in the basement and were in use until the mid 1960's. The Kootenay Lake Archives presently occupy this space with the old cells now being used for records. Regular sessions of the Provincial Court ceased to be held in Kaslo in the early 1980's.
The people who have worked on and in this building are as interesting as the building itself. For many years Mr. George Baker was the caretaker of the building and grounds. He is remembered for the lovely flower beds, particularly the dahlias. Andrew Jardine did some intriguing work on the building itself. In the original construction there were no electric light fixtures in the large vaults. Andy hand steeled through these vault walls in order to allow for the wiring, and he declined to give a contract price instead insisting on working for "miner's wages".
The building is currently occupied by Service BC (Government Agents) office, as well as Back on Track Productions, Kaslo and District Community Forest Society and the office of Kootenay Lake Archives.