2 HOW FOON’S LAUNDRY
491 1st Avenue | Now in use as
Fernie Elks Lodge 4 THE IMPERIAL BANK 1909
401 2nd Ave | Now in use as
The Brickhouse Bar & Grill
The Chinese entrepreneur How Foon
established several businesses in this
building constructed in 1908. He ran a
café, laundry and shoemaking shop on
the main floor and rented apartments
upstairs. The Fernie Elks Club
purchased the building and removed
the dividing walls to open the interior
for use as a hall. The exterior surface,
though, retains its original outline and
the original advertising mural for ‘Royal
Crown Soap.’ Across 5th street at The
1909 Royal Hotel, note the tops of the
filled-in windows along the base of the
building indicating that the street was
once lower than it is today. On August 1, 1908, on the corner of
2nd Ave and 4th St, the members of
the Fernie Fire Department made
their last stand in the fight of the
catastrophic fire that would consume
Fernie in just 90 minutes. The Imperial
Bank of Canada built a new bank here
in 1909, using a standard small city
branch design. The company merged
with the Canadian Bank of Commerce
in 1961 and closed the branch in
1963. Although some features have
been altered, the brick and sandstone
exterior retains many of its striking
original features. Step inside for a
taste of today; the Brickhouse serves
up a large selection of Fernie Brewing
Company Beers, BC wines and a tasty
pub menu. The original bank vault is still
in use as the chef’s pantry.
3 THE HOME BANK
491 2nd Avenue | Now in use as
The Fernie Museum
5 THE COURT HOUSE
401 4th Ave | Now in use as
Fernie’s Government of BC Offices
This highly decorative building was
constructed in 1910 to house a branch
of the Home Bank on the main floor
and the Herchmer-Mitchel Law Office
on the second floor. Except for the
paint, the exterior is in its original
configuration making this a significant
heritage building. The failure of the
Home Bank in 1923 cost Fernie
depositors $800,000 and led to a re-
writing of Canada’s banking laws. These
new rules prevented the widespread
bank failures in the 1930s.
Built between 1909-1911 and lauded as
one of BC’s best buildings, the Court
House is a spectacular chateau-style
building rarely found in the area. The
majestic courtroom with stained glass
windows is still in use today. Enjoy the
grounds and beautiful views.
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