With its brand-new kitchen, Mackie Lake House has been taken back in time, from the 21st century to its origins in 1910.
It all started in 2002, when the Mackie Lake House Foundation engaged Don Luxton and Associates to create a concept plan for Mackie Lake House, with this 67- page plan completed in 2004. In April 2011 Don visited the house and discussed a number of items from the concept plan, including the kitchen. He suggested that we return the kitchen to its original condition and create a functional kitchen in the anteroom. This was the genesis of our current kitchen renovation project.
Mackie Lake House was built in 1910 and it remains relatively unchanged from its original construction. The exception was the original kitchen, which was updated to make a more functional kitchen in the 1940s. Since then, the kitchen had been changed a number of times to accommodate a dishwasher and other “modern” improvements. Therefore the kitchen was out of character with the rest of the house. The desire of the Mackie Lake House Foundation was to return the existing kitchen to its original state to enhance the heritage value of the house and provide the opportunity to present a 1910 era kitchen to school children and tour participants.
Adjacent to the original kitchen is an anteroom which was not shown on the original architect’s drawings but was added shortly after the house was finished. This anteroom was being used as the back entrance and storage room. It was unheated, had no plumbing and only one electric light fixture in the ceiling. The project plan involved turning the anteroom into a functional kitchen which meets existing health requirements, and provides a kitchen which can be used for catering events and for use by the house. Creating a functional kitchen in the anteroom enabled us to restore the current kitchen to a 1910-era kitchen.
We were able to preserve the integrity of the house and there were no changes or alterations to the exterior of the building, preserving its heritage status.
On Oct. 5, the Mackie Lake House Foundation launched the kitchen with the help of heritage consultant Don Luxton, MLA Eric Foster, Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick, Vernon acting Mayor Mary-Jo O’Keefe, Darren Witt and Bruce Young of Bercum Builders and the very generous donors and supporters of this project.
Christine Kashuba is manager of Mackie Lake House in Coldstream.
