Kootenay School of the Arts - Nelson, BC
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member ScroogieII
N 49° 29.492 W 117° 17.500
11U E 478877 N 5482140
The City of Nelson's first jail was also Nelson’s first stone building.
Waymark Code: WM132XV
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 09/04/2020
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Weathervane
Views: 2
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Located at 606 Victoria Street, this stone jail and city office building was first built in 1897, with additions made in 1902 and 1929. The section furthest from Josephine Street, in the rear, was the original jail and city offices. The use of stone in the construction arose from the need of a non-combustible and secure construction material.

Over the years the original building was used as office, warehouse, then an electrical substation. The substation took over the corner of the building nearest the Josephine-Victoria Street intersection in 1923 and remains the city substation today. Originally known as the Nelson Electric Light Company, Nelson Hydro was incorporated in April of 1892 and began the construction of a hydro dam on Cottonwood Falls on the edge of the city, to be completed four years later. Commencing operation producing power for the City of Nelson on February 1, 1896, it was the first hydro electric plant in British Columbia. It wasn't long before this power plant proved too small and after a few upgrades at Cottonwood Falls a new hydro plant was built on the Kootenay River at Bonnington Falls, several miles downstream on the Kootenay River from Nelson, first coming online January 27, 1907.

The building was awarded the City of Nelson's "Heritage Building of the Year" award in 1996. See number 25 of the Walking Tour of Nelson’s Heritage Buildings.
Kootenay School of the Arts
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Kootenay School of the Arts complex is comprised of the stone portions and wood frame second floor additions on the southeast corner of Victoria and Josephine Streets in the Uphill neighbourhood of Nelson, B.C.

HERITAGE VALUE
The earliest stone portion of the Kootenay School of the Arts complex (the section farthest from Josephine Street on Victoria Street) is important culturally and aesthetically for being one of the earliest stone buildings in the city, and for its original use as the city offices and jail. Other important buildings in Nelson used stone for its impressive aesthetic qualities, but the use of stone in the original 1897 jail building and its 1902 addition stemmed from the practical need for a non-combustible and secure construction material in the growing and sometimes unruly frontier town full of single men.

The building is important for having been designed by local architect Arthur Edward Hodgins, who also designed the Nelson Daily News Building at 266 Baker Street.

The site is important for its history as a group of residential lots used for public institutions of varying nature. After its use as a jail, the site was used to house city offices and a fire station in 1899 (building now replaced), while by 1923 the present stone buildings were all constructed and were being used as city offices (in the original part), warehouse space, and the City of Nelson substation. The historical institutional use of the lots continues with the incorporation of the original buildings into the complex that now forms the Kootenay School of the Arts, while the City Substation continues to operate from one portion of the building.

The building complex is important for the adaptive re-use of its historical building fabric. The accommodation of the electrical substation made good use of the non-combustible secure building; the lock-up served as a store room, and the central office of the original gaol was used for electrical distribution to the streetcar system, businesses and residences.

The majority of the buildings were adapted for re-use as the Kootenay School of the Arts, with second level wood frame additions in 1996 and 2007.
From the City of Nelson Heritage Register, Page XX
Photo goes Here
Official Heritage Registry: [Web Link]

Address:
606 Victoria Street
Nelson, BC
V1L 4J4

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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