This church was built in 1892 as the Bethel Presbyterian Church, the only one between Vernon and the US border. It was built by H W Raymer, who in 1905 became Kelowna's first mayor. In 1891 a townsite had been laid out in this area by George Grant MacKay, a real estate promoter, in hopes of establishing a town. The hamlet, then village, then town, then city of Kelowna proved to be better situated, on the lake and closer to the major means of transportation of the day. As a result, Benvoulin sputtered and slowly died, with this church being the last remaining evidence that it ever existed.
It was built of wood from the Eli Lequime sawmill in a Gothic Revival style. It served as a Presbyterian Church until 1925 when the congregation joined the United Church of Canada. It eventually closed in 1964 and was used as a youth centre and a coffee house. in 1982 the Central Okanagan Heritage Society was formed and this church was its first project. Restored, and with a new bell tower as per the original, the church reopened in 1986 and continues to see use to this day as a community and cultural centre.
The church was designated a heritage building on December 19th, 1983, by the City of Kelowna.
Kelowna Heritage Register
historicplaces.ca web page
