Description of Historic Place

The Shawnigan Lake Museum is a small one-storey wood-framed building with a hipped roof. This building is green with red and cream painted framing, and has a protruding entryway topped with a small hipped roof. This historic place is limited to the building footprint and is located on a small park in Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia.

Heritage Value

The Shawnigan Lake Museums heritage value can be found in its historic, aesthetic, and cultural qualities.

The Shawnigan Lake Museum was built as a fire hall in 1950 by the Shawnigan Lake Improvement District and the first firemen of the community. The fire hall provided important public services to the community from 1950-1983. As the first fire hall in the community, this building has historic value to the Shawnigan Lake community and to the present-day Shawnigan Lake firemen.

In 1983, the fire hall building became the Shawnigan Lake Museum. Filled with original artifacts from old houses, schools, and industrial areas, the Shawnigan Lake Museum provides a unique look into the early days of the Shawnigan Lake community. This museum has been in continuous use since its opening and greatly enhances the cultural and historical qualities of Shawnigan Lake. As Shawnigan Lake is a small community, the historical education the museum can contribute cannot be found elsewhere, making this a rare resource. The museum also houses an original E. J. Hughes Art collection who frequented the area during his lifetime and documented its scenic views in his iconic works.

Located in the core of the Shawnigan Lake village, the Shawnigan Lake Museum compliments the quaint character of the surrounding buildings. Easily visible, the museum is a well-known landmark. There is aesthetic value in the long-term contribution that the Shawnigan Lake Museum has made to the community's character.

Source: Cowichan Valley Regional District, Planning and Development Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Shawnigan Lake Museum include:
- Long-term use as a museum
- position on its original location
- clear visibility of the Shawnigan Lake Museum throughout the village of Shawnigan Lake
- Original exterior elements including cinder block construction, hipped roof and colour scheme
- Original fire hall elements