Not so long ago, it was rumored that the United Church of Fernie would soon be on the market for sale. Built in 1909, the Knox United Church board voted unanimously to sell the building due to dwindling resources and a shrinking congregation.
With a deep love for history and heritage buildings, Gordon Sombrowski began to consider what the future could hold for this beautiful historic structure. Together with his partner, Kevin Allen, he gathered a small group to discuss possibilities for its next chapter. After several meetings, the group formed a nonprofit society and agreed there was a strong community need for a performing arts centre in Fernie.
Members of the newly formed Fernie Heritage Trust Society (FHTS) include Courtney Baker, Jill Langmaid-Palamarek, Mary Giuliano, Patti Vadnais, Kevin Allen, and Gordon Sombrowski.
“It’s a great day for Fernie,” said Gordon Sombrowski, President of the Fernie Heritage Trust Society. “We are saving an important heritage building and ensuring it will remain a public cultural space for the community. Our vision is to make the building available as a performance art venue and community hub. The Fernie Heritage Trust Society has been fortunate to work with wonderful individuals at Knox who understood how important the building is to Fernie. Their foresight and hard work helped make this possible.”
Ev Cutts, representative of the Knox United Church congregation, added, “Many generations of Fernie and South Country families have used the Knox Building for worship, weddings, baptisms, and funerals. Knox has been an anchor on 2nd Avenue since 1909. Although we are saddened not to own the building going forward, we are pleased to leave such a meaningful legacy to the citizens of the Elk Valley. We look forward to watching the space grow as a performing arts venue. It has been a pleasure to work with the FHTS.”
Gordon Sombrowski, President of the Fernie Heritage Trust Society said, “It’s a great day for Fernie. We are saving an important heritage building and ensuring it will be a public cultural space for the community. Our vision is to make the building available to the community as a performance art space and a community hub. The Fernie Heritage Trust Society has been working with some wonderful key individuals at Knox who understood how important the building was for the community. Their foresight and hard work helped to make this happen.”
Ev Cutts, representative of the Knox United Church Congregation said, many generations of Fernie and South Country families have used the Knox Building for worship, weddings, baptisms, and funerals. Knox has been an anchor on 2nd Avenue since 1909 and although the current members of Knox are sad to not own the building going forward, we are pleased to be able to leave such a great legacy to the Citizens of the Elk Valley – we look forward to watching the space grow as a performing arts space. It has been a pleasure to work with the FHTS.
A Community Open House and Consultation will be held on December 6, 2022, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Knox United Church, 201 2nd Avenue, where members of the Fernie Heritage Trust Society will meet with the public, answer questions, provide tours, and engage the community as they further develop the vision for the building. Light refreshments will be served, and all are invited to attend.
The Fernie Heritage Trust Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving Fernie’s built and landscape heritage for future generations by promoting restoration and repurposing that honour both the community and its needs.
The Knox United Church Congregation, part of the United Church of Canada, will continue to use the space for worship and spiritual gatherings under the new arrangement.
Possession of the building will transfer to the Fernie Heritage Trust Society on December 1, 2022, pursuant to an agreement of sale between the Society and the Knox United Church Congregation.
“The Knox United Church was built in 1909 and served as the home of the Presbyterian and later the United Church. In 2019, the congregation recognized that it needed to find a long-term stewardship solution for the building and announced it was for sale. Working with the Fernie Heritage Trust Society, an arrangement was established that allows the congregation to continue using the building while also making it available to the community for performances, concerts, meetings, and events. The building is widely known for its exceptional acoustics and is a ready-made concert hall.
The purchase of the building by the Fernie Heritage Trust was made possible through the generous underwriting of financing by the Sombrowski Family, allowing for a long-term, interest-free loan. The Fernie Heritage Trust will now undertake a capital campaign to raise funds for retiring the debt, restoring and renovating the building, purchasing professional performance equipment, and establishing a capital fund for future programming.”
By Mary Giuliano
Mary arrived in Fernie in May of 1953 and has lived here ever since, by choice, because she loves the Elk Valley and everything it stands for. Read more from Mary here.
