Fernie & Elk Valley Culture Guide Issue 2 Fall 2016 | Page 16

BEFORE AND AFTER

THE ARTS STATION

From 1898 to 1964, the Canadian Pacific Railway train station was a hub of
activity, receiving supplies and newcomers to Fernie alike. Today, it is home to
the Fernie & District Arts Council, operating as the the Fernie Arts Station and
celebrating 25 years as a thriving hub of the arts in the Elk Valley.
At least two station buildings existed on
this site to serve the C.P.R. line prior
to the great fire of 1908. The current
building, larger than its predecessors,
was built after the 1908 fire and follows
one of the standard designs developed
by the C.P.R. for its station buildings.
The Fernie station was completed in the
spring of 1909, a time when the railway
station was the centre of the economic
and social life of the community, for
here one received mail and freight and
carried on business. Railway officials
also decided that the station agent’s
family should live apart from the daily
railroad operation so private housing
was provided instead of the second
floor accommodations standard across
the prairies. The station remained a
hub of business and transportation
for more than half a century until
passenger service through Fernie was
discontinued in January, 1964. 

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The C.P.R. donated the building to the
City of Fernie in 1979, and in 1987
the Fernie Arts Council began the
painstaking process of restoring the
old station. The revitalization program
included moving the building back from
the tracks and renovating, painting,
and landscaping; in 1990 the building
re-opened.  The facility now houses
a restaurant, art gallery, theatre/
performance space, and various rooms
and outdoor space used by community
arts groups.