As some of the old houses in the downtown core were being deconstructed to make way for City Gardens, Kelson Group and the Kamloops Woodworkers Guild contacted family members who used to reside in some of the homes to give them the opportunity to salvage wood.
One of the houses, located at 438 Nicola Street, was Liz Vigna’s childhood home where her family lived since 1947. Liz and her family were contacted to do a walk-through to seek and salvage wood and other potential items with the intention of re-purposing them for special projects.
“We so appreciate being able to go in and get these items and preserve some memories,” remarked Vigna. “Kelson Group took the time to make this possible for us. We went back a couple of times and were invited to be part of the deconstruction.”
The family salvaged windows, trim, and doors, plus bricks from the fireplace, a gathering place for the Vigna’s family and a place of many memories.
“The fireplace was very special to me,” said Vigna. “The salvaged bricks will now be repurposed for a patio project in my garden!”
In addition to working with local researchers and restorers like retired Thompson Rivers University professor Andrew Yarmie to document these homes, the salvage project is another way Kelson Group is helping to preserve the history of these downtown house for generations.
