Three years after the community campaigned to save it from demolition, the Hope Station House is finally getting prepped for the big move to its new location.
Since last week (Feb. 5 to Feb. 11), all eyes have been on Nickel Bros, an industrial moving company, as they dismantle and prepare the building for it’s Thursday (Feb. 15) move to 919 Water Ave. Originally scheduled for Feb. 6, bad weather along with delays in disconnecting the building’s hydro and electricity, resulted in the the move being pushed.
At the moment, the move (whose new date was confirmed by both Nickel Bros and the District of Hope) will take place at 9 a.m. — though, again, this is dependent on the weather and everything going smoothly during the prep and move. During this time, Highway 1 to Wallace Street will be closed and drivers are being asked to take detours when trying to get into town.
“Thank you all for your continued support and encouraging comments,” said Ryan Ellan, the president of Tashme Historical Society (THS), via Facebook. “Our amazing Nickel Brothers team are methodically working through the lifting process. It is a slow process due to the complexity of the project and the team’s attention to detail.
“The project is still very fluid, navigating through the necessary steps as it progresses. What I can tell you at this time is that the building has been successfully raised approximately 5 feet, with absolutely no issues.
“The Tashme Historical Society along with the District of Hope will provide an accurate, up to date community announcement shorty. The information provided will cover most of your questions regarding the move date, route and necessary road closures.”
This is the Station House’s second move. The first move took place in 1985, thanks to a fundraising campaign (from 1984 to 1985), headed by the Village Arts and Crafts Society, to save the building from demolition. After raising $17,000 the arts community was able to purchase the building from CN Rail and have it moved from the train tracks to its current resting place.
Originally built in 1916, at a cost of $7,250 by the Great Northern Railway, it was used as a station by CN, the Vancouver-Victoria Eastern and Great Northern Railroads. The Station House was used until the 1950s and then sat empty until the 1980s. After it was moved, the Station House was re-opened as the Rainbow Junction Arts Centre and was used as a space to house a wide variety of art. It also had a teahouse within it’s space.
Sadly, due to the cost of heating and money owed to the government, the arts centre was forced to close down in 1996. Two decades later, despite attempts to revive it and utilize the space, the building — which was now the property of the district — was again slated for demolition in early 2021.
This was not the end for the Station House, however; following the district’s announcement to demolish the building, a dedicated group of Hope’s citizens protested the decision and began to spearhead the movement to “save” the Station House.
Due to the Station House’s history with the Japanese-Canadian community , THS saw the significance of the Station House, and offered to work with the District to buy and relocate it. On Nov. 4, 2022, THS became the owners of the Station House.
Now in charge of the Station House’s new future, THS intends to repurpose the building into a “vibrant heritage tourism and community hub,” one that will be shared with all of Hope’s communities and history. This includes Hope’s logging, Chinese-Canadian, Japanese-Canadian, Indo-Canadian, and First Nation communities.
Be sure to check the Hope Standard and the Hope Live Facebook page on Thursday for coverage and updates of the move.
With files from Emelie Peacock.
READ MORE: Digging begins at new location for the Hope Station House
@KemoneMoodley
kemone.moodley@hopestandard.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.