When planning a road trip, one of the first things we like to do is search for interesting places to stop along the way - to stretch our legs, perhaps even mingle with locals. So, when planning a recent trip from Calgary to Kelowna, we did just that.

Most people would just drive right straight through; after all it is just an 8-hour drive. Not us! We thought it would make sense to stop somewhere along the way - and Revelstoke was the logical spot as it is at the half-way point. So, we booked a room, spent the afternoon exploring, had dinner and then enjoyed a leisurely drive to Kelowna the next day.

I hope these postcards (aka photos) capture a sense of Revelstoke’s bohemian charm.

Revelstoke has a unique public art program.

History

Revelstoke is one of hundreds of small towns and cities that were created in the late 1800s when the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was built to link Canada from east to west. Fun fact: It is named after Lord Revelstoke, head of Baring Brothers & Co., the UK investment bank that in partnership with Glyn, Mills & Co. saved the CPR from bankruptcy in 1885. In 1962, the Trans-Canada Highway, also designed to linked Canada from east to west, resulted in Revelstoke becoming a fun stop for many road trips like ours.

Today, the town is home to 8,000+ people, a Railway Museum and is a popular skiing destination (as it gets LOTS of snow). It is also home to the LUNA festival, a city contemporary arts festival celebrated at the end of September each year.

This sculpture created by James Karthein and Kevin Kratz depicts two species of “The Big Eddy,” White sturgeon and Kokanee salmon found in the Columbia River at Revelstoke. “The Bid Eddy” refers to the large water swirl in the river near the town site. There is a second sculpture on the other corner of the street.

Downtown Fun

Unlike many towns, Revelstoke has done a good job preserving its historic main street - most of the old buildings now home to modern shops and a bohemian culture. We were surprised at the number of upscale cafés/bakeries and patio scene for its size.

Downtown is also home to a unique Art Alleries program with several artworks have been installed in an art gallery-like fashion, complete with lighting for that evening art stroll.

“The Mona Skisa by Leonardo da Vinski” by local artist Rob Buchanan, is an 8-foot tall by 4-foot wide artwork constructed out of 126 pieces of old skis and snowboards which otherwise would have been destined for the landfill. It is a fun interpretation of Leonardo’s famous painting, likewise, for Buchanan’s “The Girl with the P-tex Earring by Snohannes Vermeer.”

FYI: The original Mona Lisa painting is only 30 x 21 inches in size. Many people are surprised at how small it is when they first see it.

One of first fun flaneur finds in downtown Revelstoke was The Washateria, an upscale laundromat. Inside were not only washers and dryers but fun laundry artifacts. Is was a small museum.

La Baguette’s sunny patio was a popular spot all day long. Next door is Ray’s Butcher Shop and Le Marche Gourmet, creating a little bit of Paris in downtown Revelstoke.

The Modern Bakeshop Cafe also had a good street vibe.

While the Visual Arts Centre was closed, there were several sandwich board artworks outside that created a fun pedestrian experience. Later we noticed several more sandwich board artworks on front lawns. Never seen this before….

Painted Ladies

Our exploring of small towns often includes is wandering the residential streets looking for heritage homes. In Revelstoke we were aptly rewarded with several “painted ladies” i.e., Victorian and Edwardian style houses painted in three or more colours that embellish and enhance their architectural details. The term was first used by authors Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen in their book Painted Ladies: San Francisco’s Resplendent Victorians (1978).

Architecture

The Revelstoke Courthouse is a four-storey Neoclassical courthouse located at 1123 Second Street West in Revelstoke. The site comprises the city block bounded by Second Street, Kootenay Street, Third Street, and Wales Street. it opened in 1913 and is still in use today. The Revelstoke Courthouse is an outstanding example of the Neoclassical Revival style. Buildings of this type are an attempt to emulate Greek and Roman architecture. They generally have a monumental appearance, usually in 'temple' form and feature a pedimented portico, stone finish, columns, pilasters, keystones, and dentils along the elaborate cornice. Finishes both inside and out are highly detailed and of the highest quality. Interiors usually feature tiles or mosaics often set with coats of arms or heraldic symbols, as well as leaded glass. White marble is a commonly used building material. It is registered as one of Canada’s Historic Places.

The Revelstoke City Hall is a two-storey flat-roofed International Style building situated at 216 Mackenzie Avenue, at the corner of Mackenzie Avenue and Second Street in Revelstoke. The roof is punctuated by the tall hose-drying tower built for the original occupant of the eastern section, the Fire Department.
There is also heritage value in the International Style design. The style began in Europe at the Bauhaus and spread through North America when European architects fled the war-ravaged continent for new lives in the United States and Canada, bringing their new ideas with them. International Style architects gave new emphasis to the expressions of structure, the lightening of mass, and the enclosure of dynamic spaces. Buildings were characterized chiefly by regular, unadorned geometric forms, open interiors, and the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete. Architects used modern materials and employed modern technology to create dynamic new forms. Unlike other twentieth century architectural forms, there were no historical precedents.

The Mountain View School opened in 1912 and vacated in 2012 due to a consolidation of schools in School District 19. Today it is home to Old School Eatery (upscale Restaurant) and Jones Distilling as well as other commercial uses.

Revelstoke Travel Tip

While we stayed at a chain hotel, we would stay at a bed and breakfast next time. There are several available but the ones that looked most interesting are Courthouse Inn, situated directly across from the stately Revelstoke Courthouse Inn and an easy walk into downtown for dinner. Or the Holten Heritage House, an 1897 home built by miner Charles Holten would be perfect for those who love history and the elegance of the late 19th century.