15 December 2005
Nelson Station to be Restored
Nelson - The City of Nelson is going to fund the restoration of the
CPR station in Nelson B.C.
The Nelson station is a large wooden building
at the foot of Baker Street (main street for
this town of 10,000 plus.)
Plans are for the building to become a museum
and archives for Nelson.
This building formerly housed the CP Kootenay
Division offices which included a train
dispatchers office, administration, and
engineering offices. It ceased to function as
an office about 15 years ago, and has been
vacant ever since.
Even when it was in use, there had been
significant settling of the building on its
foundations (or lack thereof). The cost of
stabilising and restoring the station was
beyond the financial capabilities of any
heritage group. The building just sat and
deteriorated.
Several well known railroaders and railfans
started their railway careers in the Nelson
station, and everyone has a great fondness
for this heritage structure.
The adjacent CPR superintendants house has
been already saved as a heritage structure.
The 1950's built diesel shop is derelict.
The local chamber of commerce has entered
into a memorandum of understanding with CPR for the old station to purchase
the building. CPR is donating the building and the chamber inherits the
contamination - about a $300,000 bill.
Still it's a good deal.
To renovate the building will take another couple of million and the business plan is
still being hatched to make it all happen. There is some due diligence yet
to be done by the chamber before the purchase is finalized sometime next
year.
The plan is to restore the station to it's former grandeur on the exterior
and make it functional on the inside for a variety of uses.
The CP station at Nelson is designated under the Heritage Railway Station Protection Act, so it will be a
while before any transfer can take place. CP has to post its intentions for 60 days and then there is the
issue of obtaining a federal Order in Council authorizing the transfer once the municipality has met all
the related protection conditions. After that, renovations plans will have to be approved by Parks Canada
and/or whoever will be the guardian of the heritage easement, etc.
It'll take a while...
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