Town Story: BC

04/11/2025

Capturing the Present, Revealing the Past
📍 Kaslo, BC | Front Street – Block 2

We’ve recently begun documenting the heart of Kaslo using our new LiDAR scanner. Through six detailed scans, we captured the entirety of Block 2 along Front Street—producing over 50 million data points to create a digital record of the street as it stands today.

But this isn’t just about the present. These point clouds will be merged into a comprehensive 3D model, which we’ll compare to historical references—like this 1908 fire insurance map—to trace the evolution of Kaslo’s built form over more than a century.

By understanding where we are now, we gain new insight into where we began. This work is part of a broader effort to document, interpret, and share the evolving stories of BC’s small towns—starting here, but not ending here.

More stories to come.

1908 Map Credit: Library & Archives Canada, ID 3807542

04/04/2025

We’re making a small but meaningful shift starting April 9, 2025, and we want to take you along for the journey. This isn’t a big change—just a little reorganization to better connect the dots between TOWN Architecture and TOWN Story.

We’ve always valued the rich stories that shape our communities and the important role you play in sharing those stories. As we continue to grow, we want to make sure our history and future are linked even more closely.

Rest assured, you don’t need to do anything on your end. Just keep following TOWN Story for new updates, exciting content, and, of course, the continued journey of preserving and designing spaces that honor the past and inspire the future.

We hope you'll continue with us, and as always, we’re grateful for your support.

07/12/2024

We are thrilled to share a series of blueprint elevations of the historic Kemball Building. Designed by architect William King and originally constructed at a cost of $42,000, this building holds a special place in our community’s history.

After investing significant time and effort, we finally tracked down the original blueprints at the Royal BC Museum. It's fascinating to see the evolution of this iconic structure!

Can you spot the differences between William King’s original design, what was initially built, and how the Kemball Building looks today? We'd love to hear your observations and thoughts!

Images courtesy of BC Archives.

01/19/2024

01/17/2024

01/15/2024

Kaslo’s Kemball Building: A 3D journey from its 1912 inception to its present-day form in 2024.

01/08/2024

Delving into historical fire insurance maps of the Kemball Building site reveals a fascinating past. The map from 1908 portrays a pre-Kemball era featuring six structures. I've scoured the archives, but alas, no photographic trace of these bygone buildings has surfaced. Does anyone have any photographic relics shedding light on these lost structures? Was it one of the many fires that removed these buildings or were they removed solely for the addition of the Kemball Building?

1908 Map Credit: Library & Archives Canada, ID 3807542
1922 Map Credit: Fire Insurance Plan of Kaslo, BC. 1922.
Underwriters' Survey Bureau. From Spatial and Numeric Data Services map collection within Libraries and Cultural Resources at the University of Calgary.

12/16/2023

From scans to plans! Take a look at the abstract beauty of these floor plans derived from our recent 3D lidar scans of the Kemball Building. While they may seem artistic, they’re packed with valuable insights about this historical structure! 🏛️📐

12/14/2023

Embracing the future of scanning tech… even if it’s still getting its sea legs! Dive into this lidar scan capturing the Kemball Building's current main entry. Yes, the quality might look like an abstract painting 🎨, but the insights it brings are crystal clear! Stay tuned for more revealing scans!

12/10/2023

Presenting a direct comparison to our previous post! Three snapshots showing the current conditions of the Kemball Building's west canopy. Notice the canopy has been extended since the historical images. The colour palette has also changed, once white, then dark, and now in three distinct colours. Upon closer inspection, the detailed ornamentation on the gable end suggests design variations, differing from the original structure. The southern canopy displays the more angular ornamentation (thought to be its initial form) while the west has curves at the bottom. Does anyone know what year this canopy was extended?