A century-old village situated within the Rocky Mountains is presently listed on the market – one thing that worries a gaggle attempting to protect its historical past.
Edelweiss Village, situated in Golden, B.C., is house to 6 homes constructed greater than 100 years in the past.
A list for the 50-acre property says the houses have been constructed between 1910 and 1912 by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Swiss-style chalets have been erected on the land on what’s now Ottoson Highway to accommodate Swiss mountain guides and their households.
In response to the Re/Max realtors behind the itemizing, these guides have been employed by CPR to deliver rich vacationers via the mountain passes, together with well-liked stretches at Banff, Lake Louise and Rogers Go.
“These extremely distinctive buildings characteristic superb woodwork, wood staircases and views which can be arduous to beat from each window,” the itemizing boasts.
The houses have been upgraded to incorporate fashionable heating, plumbing and electrical energy, and whereas carpet has been put in, realtors say the “authentic fir planking” is simply ready for restoration.
The primary house on the property was constructed later, within the late Nineteen Seventies. The property itself is filled with “mature timber, gently slopes and benches.”
Indicators proclaim the land as “Dwelling of the Well-known Swiss Guides,” and the itemizing consists of archival images of the houses perched on a hilltop, in addition to pictures of how they give the impression of being now.
Realtors name the land a once-in-a-lifetime alternative. They’re asking $2.3 million.
The potential sale of the property has some fearful. A marketing campaign to guard the historic website claims there’s “vital danger” of the village disappearing.
These behind it hope to collect assist from these in Canada and Switzerland, and to create a basis to protect the positioning. The initiators of the marketing campaign are Swiss-Canadian writer Ilona Spaar and Johann Roduit, a board member of the Swiss-Canadian Chamber of Commerce. A number of advisors are additionally engaged on the marketing campaign, together with these related to tourism in Golden.
They hope to make it a chosen heritage website and a “world-class vacationer vacation spot,” with academic excursions and even the chance to remain in one of many houses.
The positioning was the topic of a brief documentary, and a Swiss staff met with the mayor of Golden final month to debate the way forward for the village. A section aired on Swiss TV in January as properly.
They’re fearful if the property sells, the client might need plans that do not embody preserving the village’s historical past.
Nevertheless, it would not appear sale of the land is imminent. As of Wednesday, the itemizing has been up for 482 days, in keeping with Realtor.ca.
All images from the itemizing on Realtor.ca.