Point Ellice House will reopen to the public by the end of May with an interim operator while the province works on finding a long-term manager for the historic attraction in the Rock Bay area.
The previous operator — the non-profit Vancouver Island Local History Society — announced this spring that it was closing the site, citing lack of sustainable funding from the province.
The new operator is Gibsons-based Forager Foundation, which also recently won a controversial five-year contract to run the Yale Historic Site.
The former managing group at that site, the Yale and District Historical Society, issued a news release raising questions about Forager’s ability to do the job.
It said the province is aware that the foundation has no background in the management of heritage sites.
“The heritage branch commented that one of the strengths of Forager Foundation is their experience in social-media management, yet their Instagram account has no posts and only 71 followers,” the release said.
The society is also claiming ownership of 95 per cent of artifacts and displays at the Yale Historic Site.
Forager founder and president Bryce Mathew Watts told the Vancouver Sun he has no experience in running a physical heritage site, although he has worked with a number of heritage organizations around the province.
He could not immediately be reached by the Times Colonist for comment. The foundation’s website offered only a “check back soon” message on Friday.
Point Ellice House, built in 1861, was the home of Peter O’Reilly, who served as B.C.’s chief gold commissioner and a county court judge, and his family from 1867 until 1975.
Over the years, the home’s residential neighbourhood has become an industrial zone.
The house, which has a two-acre garden, held close to 16,000 late-Victorian artifacts when the province took it over. It attracted up to 3,000 visitors annually prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Point Ellice House belongs to the people of British Columbia, and we are committed to keeping this important heritage site open for locals and visitors,” said Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Lana Popham. “We are excited the Forager Foundation will reopen this special heritage site and continue to keep its rich history accessible to everyone.”
The province described the Forager Foundation as a non-profit group that focuses on preserving and promoting natural and cultural heritage, with a specialty in developing educational programs.
In a statement, Watts, who described himself as acting director of heritage at Forager Foundation, said his team will “build off of the legacy of previous site managers and create new programs and resources that share Point Ellice’s unique story with a broader audience in Victoria and across the province.”
The province has also announced renewal of a contract for site operations with the Carr House Community Society for the next five years. The society operates Carr House, the childhood home of artist Emily Carr, which attracts about 6,000 visitors a year.
“Destination Greater Victoria is pleased to see there will be business continuity at Emily Carr House and Point Ellice House,” said Destination Greater Victoria chief executive Paul Nursey. “Having a variety of experiences for both locals and visitors to both learn from and enjoy is an essential component of a vibrant and diversified visitor economy.”
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto called Point Ellice House “an important landmark of our city’s colonial history,” while Emily Carr House executive director Pascale Halliday said the society takes pride in embracing the themes of Carr’s life, including art, writing, the environment, feminism and animal rights.
