A Swiss-themed village for sale in B.C. might be "saved" by a group of Swiss folks who are looking to preserve its heritage.
The $2,300,000 Edelweiss Village property consists of 50 acres with seven buildings. Six are heritage homes built between 1910 and 1912, and one was built in 1978.
The older homes were constructed for families of Canadian Pacific Railway employees who worked touring wealthy tourists into the mountain areas of Rogers Pass, Banff and Lake Louise. Their legacy is on display at the local museum, but the homes have been uninhabited for years.
Swiss-Canadians Dr. Johann Roduit and Dr. Ilona Spaar are worried that should the property be sold, its history may disappear. So they're heading up an effort to first raise awareness around the importance of the village and second to crowdfund the purchase of it.
The pair's stated mission is "to preserve and promote Edelweiss Village for present and future generations to enjoy, making it a gift for all communities to enjoy."
In an email to Vancouver Is Awesome, Dr. Roduit explains that the two came together when they learned the property was up for sale.
"We knew they had to do something about it." he says "So, we have explored digital preservation, did a webinar on it, did a documentary, and applied for a digital preservation grant with the local museum."
With that groundwork being laid, the doctor tells us "we also knew we had to preserve the actual site because while digital preservation is great, those building and what they represent deserve better."
They've laid out a detailed six-phase plan on their website, with the third stage being the launch of a crowdfunding campaign to purchase the village. They're currently in phase two, which is forming a foundation to preserve the village.
