What is a Heritage Conservation Area?
A Heritage Conservation Area (HCA) is a distinctive area with special heritage character / value worth long-term heritage protection. It must be identified in the Official Community Plan as an area to be managed for heritage conservation purposes.

Heritage value is the worth or usefulness of a property or area. This can be historical, cultural, aesthetic, scientific or educational. Heritage character is the traits or features that make the property or area special (i.e. distinctive or unique).

Design guidelines are used to identify the heritage character of the area and provide guidance on how to manage change in a way that does not take away from the heritage character. Overall, the HCA is used as a tool to provide long-term protection to specified properties, as identified in the Official Community Plan, and manage heritage resources on a larger scale (i.e. for a neighbourhood).

If you are interested in seeing other examples of Heritage Conservation Areas, the following communities have one or more HCAs established: Kelowna, Victoria, Vancouver, Nanaimo, Abbotsford, Port Moody, and New Westminster.
 

Heritage Conservation Area - Proposed Area Boundary

Why is an HCA proposed for ‘Revelstoke Station’?
A Heritage Conservation Area is an effective planning tool for heritage. Policies and other heritage endeavors in the past have helped the City be in a position to develop a HCA. The current Official Community Plan states that “it is Council’s policy to utilize a variety of tools to encourage the protection and enhancement of heritage features. These tools may include Heritage Conservation Areas” (OCP Section 7.6). This policy was put in place, through public process, in 1996. In 1995, a Heritage Strategy was completed. The Heritage Strategy included recommendations that the Heritage Commission identify areas for potential Heritage Conservation Areas.

The Heritage Commission and City Staff have developed various heritage programs in the last 10 years. An important factor in identifying potential HCAs is to document Revelstoke’s Heritage Resources. Between 2002 and 2004, a Heritage Inventory was developed to identify Heritage buildings in Revelstoke and provide basic information about those buildings. These heritage initiatives have led to the recommendation to move forward with Revelstoke’s first Heritage Conservation Area.

In fall 2006, the Heritage Commission recommended to Council that a HCA be established and that the City apply for a grant for this purpose. Council directed staff to apply for the grant in April 2007. In July 2007, the City received a grant from the B.C. Heritage Branch. As a result, the City was able to hire Eileen Fletcher as a consultant to complete the work. The Revelstoke Station area was chosen for this project due to the high concentration of heritage buildings and area’s uniformity.
 

What makes ‘Revelstoke Station’ a unique historical neighbourhood?
‘Revelstoke Station’ is an established residential neighbourhood that developed rapidly between 1897 and 1915 to provide housing for the families of workers employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway and associated businesses. Many of the historic homes are still intact today. The ‘Revelstoke Station’ area remains the largest concentration of heritage houses in Revelstoke, which are made distinct with similar building styles and roof lines, and a uniformity of the streetscape. These features will be identified in the design guidelines and in the objective of the HCA.
 

More History…
The ‘Revelstoke Station’ Residential Heritage Conservation Area has many significant connections with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the early development of Revelstoke. In 1883, A.S. Farwell established a townsite at the place where he had heard the transcontinental railway would make its Second Crossing of the Columbia River. William Van Horne, in charge of the construction of the railway, would have nothing to do with Farwell.

The last spike in the new transcontinental railway was driven November 7th, 1885 and the mainline was complete. In 1886, CPR secured its own townsite in upper Revelstoke and obtained approval for the name ‘Revelstoke Station’. By 1891, rail spurs had been built to the Columbia River to serve the Kootenay B.C. Smelting and Trading Company and the CPR Landing Stage.

In 1897, the twelve-year dispute with Farwell was settled and the first deeds were issued for properties in Revelstoke. In 1898, Mackenzie Avenue was opened from Third Street to Ninth Street. By February 1st, 1899, CPR had formally transferred its division point from Donald to Revelstoke, including employees and all their possessions. Between 1897 and 1914, more than 125 homes still standing today had been built in the ‘Revelstoke Station’ Residential Heritage Conservation Area to house the workforce of the railway and associated businesses. By 1932 the Farwell townsite was virtually empty as Revelstoke consolidated around the CPR railway yards.
 

Historical Photos

REVELSTOKE, B.C. 1911
Photo by H. O. Dodge

Revelstoke, 1912
Courtesy Revelstoke Museum and Archives

Historic Development

Historic Development: Early Townsites
1885-1911

Historic Development: Influences on Settlement
1883-1932

Historic Development: Neighbourhood Growth Pattern
1897-1900

Historic Development: Neighbourhood Growth Pattern
1897-1905

Historic Development: Neighbourhood Growth Pattern
1897-1915

Historic Development: Neighbourhood Growth Pattern
1897-2007

Draft Heritage Conservation Area Bylaw & Design Guidelines

Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the contributions made by the following businesses, organizations and agencies for this process: B. C. Heritage Branch, Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, Minto Manor, The Photo House, The Photo Lab at Pharmasave, Revelstoke Museum and Archives.