On Tuesday, Dec. 20, Salmon Arm’s Heritage Commission held a special meeting in the council chamber at city hall to discuss the future of a 102-year-old, India-style, colonial bungalow built by Lt. Colonel Bernard Scott, circa 1914.
The house sits on a small acreage recently purchased by the city, and is slated to be demolished.
Several years ago, the city and its residents watched as the home of Mrs. Agnes McGuire, who created the first town-site subdivision on 12 acres in 1906, was demolished.
The home, on Harris Street, had been allowed to fall into neglect, and had deteriorated to the point where it had to be condemned. This event awakened residents to the need to establish a Heritage Commission, and to begin to preserve physical examples of Salmon Arm’s history for future generations.
Today we have the opportunity to save and preserve the home Lt. Colonel Bernard Scott built.
Many of us remember when the home was refurbished and renovated to become the Orchard House Restaurant, where many special occasions were celebrated by many, many local residents, including my parents, Hank and Klaasje van Geuns, and their family. The Orchard House became Mino’s Greek Restaurant, and continued to host celebrations for many years. For the past two years there has not been a tenant in the house.
But it isn’t derelict. In order to house a restaurant, it had to meet a number of modern criteria to ensure a safe environment for customers and staff, and qualify for insurance.
If you think the house should be saved from destruction, please send a letter, or an email, to Mayor Nancy Cooper and the other council members to show your support for retaining and repurposing this heritage home.
Ineke Hughes