Description of Historic Place

The CNR Station is a large, two-storey train station, with a symmetrical front entry, hipped roof, red-brick cladding and Classical Revival detailing. It is situated at the end of Fifth Avenue, on the north side of Lorne Street, adjacent to the Canadian National Railway (CNR) tracks, just outside downtown Kamloops. In 1992, it was designated by the federal government as a heritage railway station under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act.

Heritage Value

The CNR Station, built in 1926-27, is significant for its connection with the establishment and growth of the Canadian National Railway (CNR) and with a period of great economic growth in Kamloops. The Canadian National Railway was formed in 1919 through the amalgamation of two existing companies, and began to compete aggressively with the Canadian Pacific Railway, which had established its transcontinental line through Kamloops in 1885. Between 1918 and 1926, improvements to the CNR's routes, bridges and services confirmed Kamloops’s importance as a regional centre. One such improvement was the construction of the current CNR station, which functioned as both the passenger depot and the CNR office building. Its unusually large size indicates the station's regional importance.

With its symmetrical façades and well-proportioned features, the CNR Station is also valued as a superior example of the restrained classicism typical of post-World War One architecture. The design was prepared in Winnipeg by the CNR's Architectural Division and the building was constructed of sandstone, cast stone and local pressed red brick.

The CNR Station is also a testament to the abilities of its local contractors, Johnston & Company, led by William Henry Johnston (1864-1931) and James Adam Gill (1856-1940). This prominent Kamloops firm, which also owned the Kamloops brickyards, constructed several other landmark structures in the city, including the Old Bank of Commerce.

Source: City of Kamloops Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the CNR Station include its:
- location, at the north end of downtown Kamloops, adjacent to the CNR tracks
- form, scale and massing, as expressed by its two-storey height, hipped roof, symmetrical rectangular plan, prominent central front entry with cantilevered canopy and projecting gable above, two projecting gables on the north elevation, and wraparound cantilevered canopy at the rear
- construction materials, such as pressed red-brick cladding, random-coursed sandstone base; cast stone detailing; galvanized metal modillions, and heavy timber brackets
- Classical Revival detailing, such as projecting block modillion cornices, pediments, and brick and cast stone voussoirs (wedge-shaped blocks)
- fenestration: nine-over-one, double-hung, wooden-sash windows in multiple assembly; lunette windows in the gables; and glazed wooden doors
- associated railway platform and tracks at the north side