Historic Salmon Arm City Hall restoration set to begin with demolition

Historic Salmon Arm City Hall restoration set to begin with demolition

Published 11:16 pm Monday, September 21, 2026

The Shuswap Community Foundation anticipates demolition work to begin next month for the restoration of its future home on Hudson.

Shuswap company McDiarmid Construction is the construction manager, overseeing the project at the site of Salmon Arm’s original municipal hall at 31 Hudson Ave. NE.

It was announced in June that the Shuswap Community Foundation (SCF) was buying the historic building from the city for $1, with the goal of raising $1.45 million to transform the structure into its future downtown offices.

The plan is to maintain the front section of the building, constructed in 1928 by William Reader, and demolishing the rear section that consists of additions made in the 1970s and ’80s.

Construction is expected to begin in October with the demolition of the additions.

“Preserving Salmon Arm’s history while supporting its future is a true privilege,” said McDiarmid Construction owner Ross McDiarmid in an SCF news release. “Our team is excited to partner with Shuswap Community Foundation to create a renewed community and office space at the original site of the City’s Municipal Hall, contributing to the project through subsidized labour and administrative costs to help preserve this landmark for generations to come.

McDiarmid was chosen “because of their more than 50 years of experience in commercial and residential construction in the Shuswap,” explained the SCF, noting the firm was involved in the restoration of neighbouring downtown historic landmark, The Old Courthouse. McDiarmid has also been involved in other non-profit construction projects in the community.

“We are pleased to be working with an experienced and connected local company on this significant project for our community,” said SCF board president John White. “The revitalization of 31 Hudson Ave NE reflects our commitment to causes that matter, preserving an important part of Salmon Arm’s story while creating a functional, accessible space to continue SCF’s work supporting local initiatives across the Shuswap.”

The project will also involve stabilizing the original building’s foundation and repairing the exterior brick, said the SCF. The original building’s interior will be restored to “create a functional and accessible office space for SCF while preserving historic features such as the vault door.”

The new addition will include a pitched roof that reflects style of the original building. Landscaping will include an accessible community space.

“Our team is very excited to take this next step in partnership with McDiarmid Construction, to save a much-loved local
landmark,” said SCF executive director Monica Sigurdson. “We encourage the community to support the restoration project by donating to our Preserving Heritage, Building Community campaign, including through in-kind services from subtrades.

“We are so grateful to have received over $300,000 in pledges, in-kind services and donations to date. Thank you to everyone who has already contributed.”

For more information about donating to the Preserving Heritage, Building Community campaign, visit shuswapfoundation.ca or contact Sigurdson at 250-832-5428 ext. 2.