The Olde Stove Works

Description:

This is an industrial building, single storey, set back from the road, just south of the CPR tracks. Over the years, it has been used by various companies for fruit and berry processing. Currently the building is mainly white with a green roof and a large sign on top that reads “WOODSTOVES”.

History:

The building was constructed by Hori Windebank and the oldest records indicate that this occurred in 1923 although there have been indications that the building may be older. The first known occupant was the Pacific Berry Growers.

The building originally only consisted of the current western portion, with the eastern portion and roof height extension being added in 1931. This change may have been made for the Pacific Co-op, who occupied the premises from 1931 to the early 1960s.

Over the years, the building has been owned by various people as it was transferred from Hori Windebank to Norm Thompson in the 1940s, who was the mayor at the time. Owning the building and much of the surrounding properties, he redrew many of the property lines in the flats and changed the path that the building was built on into Thompson Avenue.

The next owner was Ross Douglas, who then sold the property to Hans Rummel. Rummel eventually lost the property to the bank in 1986. After this occurred the current owners purchased the building and have operated The Olde Stove Works out of it ever since.

In addition to the change in owners, many different businesses have cycled through the building, with many of them leasing rather than owning the space. Some of the former businesses include: Snow Plant, Pacific Berry Growers and Pacific Co-op (the 1960’s).

It is believed that berries were stored under the building during years with large bumper crops. There is also some indication that a camp of homeless people during the Depression may have existed in the area as clothes and other goods have been found stored under the building. The building also has a scale on its porch that was used to weigh cars for the soapbox derby.

There are tales in Mission of women and customers who spotted a ghost in the building, believed to be the spirit of Hori Windebank himself.

People Associated with the Site:

Hori Windebank came to Mission from England in 1889 with his wife, Jenny. He was an extraordinary entrepreneur and, by 1910, owned a large portion of the city’s real estate and businesses. Hori also developed many of Mission’s early utilities, including power and water. The land where the Olde Stove Works stands was originally owned by Hori and he was responsible for putting up the building.

Some of the other owners include Ross Douglas, Norm Thompson (who also served as the Mayor of Mission), and Hans Rummel. The current owners of the site are Ray and Marilyn Walsh, with Marilyn being very active in various community activities, including the Mission chapter of the Valley Women’s Network.

Architectural Features:

The Olde Stove Works building is wide and narrow with a large porch on the front which is undercover. There is an entrance on either side of the porch and the roof of the cover is held up by four wooden pillars at the front which have decorative metal latticing at the top. The building sits on a foundation with six steps leading onto the porch from the parking lot.

A portion of the building is built in balloon-style architecture with the majority built from fir and some cedar. The floor shows evidence of some areas being built with higher grade fir with no knots while other parts of the floor have many knots and are made of a lower grade fir. The building was constructed with very thick walls and doors due to the need for refrigeration to house berries and vegetables for the agricultural industry.

The entire building is built higher than both the 1898 and 1948 floods which may indicate that it was built with the 1898 flood height in mind. The building sits on the foundation with a crawlspace underneath that ranges from four feet high to eleven feet high in some parts. Above the ground floor, there is an attic that was added in 1931 with the addition. The deck was built after these additions (date unknown) and sits on pilings that are spaced out every eight feet in all directions. Some pilings are original and some have had to be re-poured.

The current owners are restoring the building, with work on the east, west and north sides estimated for completion by the end of summer, 2009.

Where to get further information:

Check out these other profiles (insert links)

Windebank Block

The Mission Community Archives

Fonds related to persons and businesses mentioned

Walsh, Ray and Marilyn. Oral History. Documented by… April 24, 2009.

Mission Museum

Mission Farms & Farmers

Virtual Museum of Canada

Community Memories: Mission Farms & Farmers