BEFORE AND AFTER | The Arts Station

with Krista Turcasso

THE CPR STATION, now known as the Fernie Arts Station, was built in 1908 to replace the previous station that burned down in Fernie’s second devastating fire. This particular design is the last surviving of CPR stations. The City of Fernie had declared the CPR station a Heritage Building but could find no use for it. When the Fernie & District Arts Council, an active organization led by Beth Gregg that had been looking for a building for some time, discovered that CPR had intentions of demolishing the building in 1986 they took the bull by the horns. Instantly the group began working with the City of Fernie to inspire CPR to donate the property and building to the City. The transaction cost the City a dollar, and the renovation process was left up to the Arts Council.

The project was a huge one to undertake, but with the steam of the eager Arts Council, the intense process began. The first stage was moving the station, which at the time lay dormant along the train tracks of 1st avenue. Fortunately the structure just had to move across the street to its new foundation, where it currently stands.

The Arts Council approached all arts groups interested in getting involved to become members of the Arts Council. This only strengthened their momentum and it was the coming together of these groups that helped to make the Arts Station the multi-use facility it is today.

The building was quite literally taken down to its shell, and those involved worked out the layout, figuring out who would be here and there within the building. Including a restaurant was always intended to encourage traffic to the space, which has definitely been a positive choice to this day. Beth Gregg was inspired by The Whistle Stop Cafe in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, which led to Fernie’s very own Whistle Stop. The restaurant quickly became a local favourite upon its opening. Gallery space, a theatre room for performances, open space for groups to work and come together on the second floor, space downstairs for entertainers to prepare for their show, and much more were all incorporated into the layout.

While the heritage of the building was always at the forefront of the renovation process, those at the Arts Council wanted the building to reflect arts and culture. They took this to the community and asked them their thoughts on colour, which is how the blue and grey colour combination was chosen. Just this past summer the Arts Station was painted in colours traditional to the original CPR station.

We can all appreciate this magnificent building today in the Historic Downtown of Fernie, but what needs to be acknowledged is the hard work and dedication a project like this entails. The renovation only moved forward when funding was in place. Fortunately the Federal Government was dedicating funding to heritage at the time, but it was never enough resulting in a variety of creative fundraising projects, such as Tiny Shatosky’s mohawk haircut, benefit performances, art auctions, and direct appeals to the community. While the Arts Council believed they would encompass the space by the end of a year, the Arts Station opened its doors nearly five years later on October 5, 1990.

“This place has primed the cultural pump for Fernie for 20 years!” says Oz Parsons, Administrator of the Fernie and District Arts Council. Oz actually visited the Arts Station during a visit years ago and it is what made him come back. “Concerts, art, bands, shows, networking between artists, encouraging new artists…this is such an open and supportive community. A huge number of artists that have come through Fernie for different reasons come to the Arts Station, recognize the supportive arts community and stay,” he adds.

Dave O’Haire admits that he came here as a ski bum, and stayed because of community projects such as the Arts Station. He currently is involved in the Fernie Museum project, another extensive renovation at the BC Hydro building on Victoria Avenue.

When was the inception of this project?

The project began in 1986, Beth Gregg had the rose coloured glasses that allowed the vision to unfold.

What was your ultimate goal, renovation wise?

Fundamentally it’s an arts centre, not a railway station. We definitely renovated it in the same style, maintaining the integrity of the building while allowing a working space for all involved. This building was entirely, thoroughly and dynamically gutted. Every single thing in this building was taken off. In the end this project provided jobs for 20-30 people, and gave those involved skills in working with restoration.

What was the renovation process like, and what was the time frame?

The process was what you called “as is” drawings. It went along as long as money lasted. With construction you have to have destruction, so it looked a lot worse before it got better. During the winter with the stripping of the exterior and windows and doors being refurbished or manufactured, the exterior was frightening - closed in with plywood to allow us to work during the cold, snowy months. The renovation was well architected and engineered but running out of money was a reality, waiting each time to move forward. The time frame became funding dependent.

How would you describe the design style used?

Maintaining the original design, while designing it to be functional for the users. The public decided upon the colours because it was going to be a public building.

Is there anything the group would have done differently?

Probably the only thing that would have been done differently would have been having an elevator, which we couldn’t afford. We had it all measured out but it never happened. Also, a massive air conditioning system.

Ultimately were you pleased with the final result?

Are you kidding? Anybody that ever comes here wants one of these. I did presentations for arts councils and community groups from Ontario to Salt Spring Island, and they have Arts Station envy.

What value do you think this renovation has added to Fernie?

Where do you start? I guess it could be divided it into two categories: physical and emotional. Up until the pool, the Art Station was one of the City’s highest valued assets. But more importantly, the Arts Station reflects the values held within our community. Prior to the Arts Station, the general public had never seen these people’s art. Once it was up and running, many artists came out of the closet – sewers, photographers, painters, you name it. These people had never shared their work with the community. It represents the cultural capacity of the town.

What, if any, plans do you have for the building?

Oz Parsons - We are getting to capacity here. There is something going on almost all the time, whether it be classes or concerts or gallery openings or films, and now what we are looking at is making sure that the people here or wanting to use the space are being properly represented. There is a little room to do a little more, but we are extremely well used here. We plan to continue using it to maximum capacity, which is very close at this point, and then look for larger venues.

Visit www.theartsstation.com for further information.