A historic Delta schoolhouse will be getting much-needed repairs.
Council on Monday (June 13) approved a staff recommendation to grant a heritage alteration permit for the one-room Inverholme Schoolhouse, constructed in 1909 and originally located adjacent to Ladner Trunk Road and 72 Street.
The schoolhouse was typical for rural communities at the time and it remained in operation until 1926.
When Alex D. Paterson sold a large portion of his land to the federal government for the development of the Boundary Bay Airport, the old schoolhouse was moved north, adjacent to the Paterson Farm.
In 1982, it was moved again, this time to Deas Island Regional Park where it was restored.
Metro Vancouver recently applied for a heritage alteration permit to allow exterior rehabilitation.
A report notes that in 2019, a windstorm and falling trees caused damage to the building’s roof. Roof rafters that had previously been cut were further damaged from the tree fall.
The report also notes that during an assessment, it was also determined that the brick chimney was unstable.
Originally, it was proposed that the chimney be removed.
However, the regional district then retained a heritage consultant to identify methods for retaining and reinforcing the chimney.
The new proposal includes numbering the bricks, deconstructing the chimney, reinforcing the internal structure with steel and then re-installing the original bricks
There are two other heritage buildings located in Deas Island Regional Park: the 1906 Burrvilla House and the 1894 Delta Agricultural Hall.
