Transforming the historic Knox United Church building into a community performing arts space.
Join Us!
We will need many volunteers for the new hall to thrive. Programming, facilities, fundraising, snow-shovelling—how can you help? Email: [email protected].
HISTORY OF KNOX
In the Great fire of 1908, much of Fernie was razed to the ground, including the 1898 wooden church that stood at the northwest corner of 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street. The Fernie Knox Presbyterian congregation immediately got to work on a new church as rebuilding efforts beganin early 1909 across the city. By 1910, the new church was completed.
The building is an homage to the original structure with an almost identical form, including the gable roof and corner bell tower, but with a longer footprint. Built using the distinctive cream-coloured bricks from the Fernie Brick Company, it is both a testament to the city’s first founders and a notable highlight of Fernie’s architectural legacy. The church features three original 1909 art-glass windows, the large centre window depicting Christ knocking on a door, based on Revelation 3:20.
From around 1919 until 2022, the building was one of Fernie's notable churches and utilised by the Methodist, Presbyterian, United Church of Canada and Anglican congregations. Following a transitional period, the building was purchased by the Fernie Heritage Trust in December 2022 with a mission to preserve and protect the built and cultural heritage of Fernie. Recognizing the need for a larger performing arts venue, the Trust saw a wonderful opportunity to maintain the building for the community. Future plans include renovations to make the venue fully accessible.
For physical events that happen at a specific time. For example a concert, or dance performance. If there are multiple shows, you can still duplicate your event to cover them all.
Knox on 2nd
