Heritage Week (February 19 to 25, 2024) is a National event helping us to focus on that which has been passed down from generations, has cultural or historical value and is worthy of conservation. This year’s theme is: “Layer by Layer” inviting us to dig deeper into our community’s past & explore the many layers and stories that, together, helped to build the place we call home.
A significant event during Heritage Week is the presentation of the Annual Heritage Awards by the Central Okanagan Heritage Society.
Eight Awards were given in six categories:
Pamela & Grouse Barnes are both Indigenous Educators, Knowledge Keepers and members of the Westbank First Nation. They are dedicated to teaching and preserving the Sylix culture and knowledge with the community and the Sylix people. Pamela and Grouse proudly share their traditions, their language, their art & way of life through their teachings.
Our community is so very fortunate to have two caring passionate Knowledge Keepers willing to share their heritage with us.
This heritage house was built around 1908 by John & Margaret Collins. They and their three children emigrated from Ireland in 1905. This home is a fine example of a largely unaltered Foursquare House. It is 2 ½ stories high, square in plan with a hipped roof, dormer windows, and a wrap around porch.
The current owner, Astrid Kneipp, bought the house in the early 2000s. She has spent the last 20+ years restoring her house- both the exterior and the interior. As part of the exterior work, the stucco was removed, the wood siding underneath was repaired and repainted, and the windows repaired on the front facade. Astrid also rebuilt the porch & side addition re-using the existing materials.
This beautifully maintained 1 ½ story wood frame Craftsman style bungalow was built in 1908. The character defining elements on the house include bellcast eaves, hipped dormer window in front, wood double-hung windows with a six-over-one sash.
John E. Reekie purchased the property in 1920. He owned an Insurance and real estate business, and was a bee keeper. His daughter Jeanette became one of the first business women in Kelowna when she stepped in for her father to run the Reekie Agency. Reekie owned the property until 1994 when it was purchased by Valerie Hallford who received an award in 1998 for Residential Restoration. In 2011, Ian and Susan Crichton purchased Reekie House and have looked after it very well since.
This iconic Kelowna landmark has been owned by two prominent Kelowna families. The Tudor Revival style home was built between 1912 and 1914 by F.R.E. DeHart, who named the house ‘Brookside Manor’. DeHart was a key figure in the development of early Kelowna. He was instrumental in the fruit growing industry, was a land developer, and served on city council in 1907-08 and as mayor in 1909.
In 1936 the house was sold to William Andrew Cecil Bennett. W.A.C. Bennett, a hardware businessman, became an investor and promoter of other local Kelowna enterprises. Bennett served as the local MLA from 1941 until he retired from politics in 1973. He served as premier of the province from 1952-1972, and remains the longest serving premier. His son Bill Bennett also served as premier from 1975 to 1986. The estate served as the backdrop for numerous gatherings including the annual garden party on July 1.
Many original and early exterior and interior details and elements remain in excellent condition- from intricate cherry-finished woodwork along the walls, various portions of original wallpaper, chandeliers, a beautiful marble entry, a grand staircase, and double hung wood windows.
Built in 1913 using local red & buff brick, this building is representative of downtown commercial buildings in the era preceding World War 1. Other character defining elements are straight second-floor window heads with vertical bricks and prominent projecting keystones, projecting pilaster-like strips at the corners of the front elevation & corbelled brick below the parapet.
First used as a warehouse, the building was later leased by S.T. Elliot for use as an implement store. The building continued as an agricultural machinery store until the 1950’s For four decades 1560 Water Street housed significant agricultural services, the principal industry of the area during Kelowna’s formative years. In recent years the building has served as office space and an upscale restaurant. The building is owned by Bill Scutt, who has received a number of heritage awards for his heritage buildings in the downtown core.
The committee has chosen Ben Lee Park as a significant cultural landscape. This is due to its association with Ben Lee and his many contributions to the Rutland and Kelowna community, as well as his fundraising efforts towards the development of the park, and as a well-used and loved community resource.
Ben Lee may have been affectionately known as the ‘Mayor of Rutland’ but the work he did, both in his professional and private life, benefitted residents across the entire city, as well as the region. Ben, the well-liked former city councillor, was a driving force behind efforts to help the multicultural make-up of Kelowna. After a long career on city council, it was decided that there would be a city park named after him. Later, Ben Lee was rewarded with the city's highest honour- “Freedom of the City". As Ben was a tireless champion of parks, it made sense when the city announced an eight-hectare plot of land in Rutland would become Ben Lee Park.
Today, the park that bears his name is one of the most popular in the city and stands as a testament to Ben's desire to see open-air recreation space available for all Kelowna residents to enjoy.
The Casorsos documentary is about the arrival of the first Italian family in the Okanagan Valley in 1883 and how their arrival shaped the future of the valley. Gord Hotchkiss, almost singlehandedly, interviewed, filmed, edited and sound mixed a 2+ hour documentary about the Casorso family, the first Italian family that moved to the Okanagan Valley in 1883. The arrival of the Casorso family, along with their subsequent development of land, lead to the immigration of families from Italy and all over the world. This was the beginning of the growth and prosperity of the Central Okanagan.
The project was developed through the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club.
The Cemetery project was initiated in 2008 to document and preserve the grave markers in 14 small cemeteries and many isolated burials in the Central Okanagan from Peachland to Oyama. This work resulted in the publication of 16 books now located in many libraries and archives. The books are also available online through the FamilySearch catalog and as part of the British Columbia Regional Digitized History (BCRDH) collection. Susan Campbell, through the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society, spearheaded this work. She was assisted by Bob Hayes, Carolin Robertson, Marlene Crane, Gwen Neil, and Beverley Brooks.
This project has raised awareness and serves as a resource to the community, genealogists, researchers, and any interested in the Okanagan now and for future generations.