COMMERCIAL HERITAGE
THE TRITES-WOOD BUILDING
The fifth and final store featured a simple frontage and has stood on this spot since 1909
At 441 2nd Avenue is one of Fernie’ s most notable commercial buildings. Not for its unassuming appearance, but for the history of the businesses at that site and the significance to Fernie’ s commercial heritage. For over 120 years, the property has housed some form of general store.
In 1899, Mr Amos Bliss Trites purchased a large portion of land along the west side of Victoria Avenue in order to establish his business in Fernie’ s smart new downtown. The‘ London & Liverpool’ was established in 1898 as the first general mercantile in Fernie’ s Old Town( situated around Coal Creek, in what is now the Montane subdivision) but Mr Trites was a modern man and clearly saw a bright future for his business at the new location. The new 3-storey wooden store was finished in 1902. In 1903, Trites addressed his concerns over the community’ s company stores to the Crow’ s Nest Pass Coal Company in Toronto. Along with his partner, Mr Roland William Wood, he purchased the merchant division of the company – including stores in Michel, Coal Creek and Morrissey – for approx. $ 125,000 and renamed the business the Trites- Wood Company Limited. The Fernie Free Press of 1902 reported that the new establishment had 10 departments of‘ Eatonian’ splendour and magnificence spread over two buildings, and the growth
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The Trites-Wood Company built a 3-story mercantile on Victoria Avenue when they moved their business from Old Fernie.
of the great department store from its humble pioneer roots baffled description.
The stores thrived and were regarded as‘ the pride and boast of Fernie’ s citizens’ but on April 29, 1904, the building succumbed to fire with the loss of $ 120,000 in property and contents. A new store, this time with an‘ impressive sandstone façade’ was opened on November 5th, 1905. Sadly, that building, too, was lost in the fire of August 1, 1908, this time at a cost of $ 200,000. The owners quickly set about installing‘ fireproof cellars’ to store new stock, and a temporary wooden structure was built on the corner of Victoria Avenue,( where the Fernie Museum is now located) to allow for a new store in the former site. The new, simple storefront held Fernie’ s largest