Save Qualicum Beach's Historic St. Andrew's Lodge

Save the Lodge

Help Restore our Historic

St. Andrews Lodge

On November 6th, Town Council voted to stop the demolition of St. Andrews Lodge, an important piece of Qualicum Beach's History

But now begins the work to restore this treasure for our community! There are many ways to get involved...

“No one has maintained a place as authentically quaint and historically accurate as Elizabeth Little, proprietor of St. Andrews Lodge and ‘Glen Cottages’...Michael Kluckner, “Vanishing British Columbia”

April 20th, 2021 - Update on St. Andrews Lodge

Hi everyone. We are sending you an update regarding the preservation and restoration of St. Andrews Lodge. Many of you are no doubt wondering why nothing appears to be happening at the site and we feel we owe you an explanation.

Unfortunately our progress has been stalled by a number of factors, including a stalemate with Qualicum Beach Town Council. While Councillors Filmer and Westbroek have been very strong supporters of our efforts, Mayor Wiese and Councillor Harrison have not.

Because Town staff have been swamped with other issues, our board took the initiative to present a lease proposal based on other leases for Qualicum Beach groups that have been approved by Council in the past. A tie vote (in other words, defeated)regarding the lease for the Lodge means that we still do not have a key to the building. The lease will be addressed again following the by-election on May 15 when we will once again have a full Council with five members.

It’s not too big a stretch to say that the results of this by-election will determine the future of the Lodge and whether it survives the wrecker’s ball. Our president, Anne Skipsey, has stepped back from the Society’s board and is running for council. Obviously she will support our efforts if elected, but we are not so sure of the intent of the other four candidates. We will be making attempts to contact the other candidates to discover their stance on the Lodge and its future.

Although we have been held up with physical work on the Lodge we have made great strides in other areas. The St. Andrews Lodge Historical and Cultural Society has been formed, we have done some fund-raising, have many promises of donations in kind, appointed committees and created a Vision Statement, a Mission Statement and a Statement of Significance. If the Township puts St. Andrews on the Heritage Register it will enable us to access grants. We have created a Facebook page under the Society’s name, and the Board of Directors has been meeting every two weeks to get things up and running. If and when we get the co-operation of Town Council we expect things to move along much more quickly.

We hope that this will give you some idea of the challenges that we have been facing. It’s certainly not for lack of dedication, vision or talent that things have been held up. We appreciate your continued support and interest. And we urge you to vote in the by-election on May 15. The future of St. Andrews depends on it.

Sincerely,
The Board of Directors,
St. Andrews Lodge Historical and Cultural Society

We Saved St. Andrews...Now its time to restore it for our community!

We are so grateful for the outpouring of support that secured the fate of one of the most cherished heritage buildings in Qualicum Beach; citizens of all ages stood in solidarity to ensure this historic lodge will serve us as a long-term community asset at our new beachfront park. Thank you Qualicum Beach for making this possible!

Now we are entering our first phase of fundraising to be able to apply for a matching grant. With luck, every dollar you contribute to restore this historic lodge will be matched on our quest to restore the lodge to its former picture book perfection

While the possibilities for this lodge are endless, we intend to use these funds to ensure this lodge is beautiful, safe, accessible and useful for our growing community. Not only do we want to honour the legendary hospitality of our Town's first Freeman Elizabeth Little & her remarkable family, but we want St. Andrews continue to act as a gathering center for our community & visitors, touching lives and shaping memories for generations forth.

The lodge will be operated and administered by a new charitable society that will soon be established; donations are not yet tax-deductible. Please help us honour the memory of the beloved Little family & their endless contributions to our community by restoring St. Andrews Lodge.

A depiction by the reknown artist Edward Goodall, used with permission of Richard Goodall

Elizabeth Little's preservation has created a time capsule to 1938. Learn More

Public Consultation

St. Andrews Lodge and its inhabitants have played a significant role in our history and making Qualicum Beach what it is today. The importance of this is reflected in citizen responses to the Town’s initial consultation process for the site, when more than three-quarters of citizens “supported” or “strongly supported” preserving the Lodge. While we create a plan for this heritage building, we can refer to the RFP proposal from the Qualicum Community Education & Wellness Society (QCEWS) for inspiration.

Cultural Awareness and History

Preserving St. Andrews Lodge

Viewscapes and Small-town Character

Looking back at some of the past community initiatives, we recognize it was volunteers and community that were, and still are, behind the Qualicum & District Curling Rink, The Old School House, the Qualicum Beach Lawn Bowling Club, the Heritage Forest, the Community Gardens and the Qualicum Beach Museum. We can do this!