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Friday, September 21 • 2012
Vol. 5 • Issue 24
Joe Perrier tells tales from the past See Page 5 280 Baker Street Nelson BC (250)
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OPEN YEAR ROUND
Taking a closer look at Shambhala’s massive appeal See Pages 12-15
STANDING TALL AT 100
When it opened in 1912, the brick building at 523 Front Street was in the thick of the city’s bustling warehouse district. From flower and feed to organic produce and dog food, the Ellison’s Market building has a rich history Lessons • Retail
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GREG NESTEROFF Nelson Star Reporter
O
ne of Nelson’s finest brick buildings marks a major milestone this weekend. A century ago, the two-storey block at 523 Front Street was the newest addition to what was then the city’s burgeoning warehouse district. Now staff at Ellison’s Market are getting ready to mark its centennial with a bash on Saturday (see related story, page 11). The building’s story is the story of the two competing flour companies that occupied it, Brackman-Ker Feed and Milling, and Ellison’s Milling and Elevator. The former’s roots dated to 1878 when Henry Brackman, who made his fortune during the Cariboo gold rush, teamed up with Scottish miller James Milne on Vancouver Island. Their partnership dissolved the following year, and Brackman took on another associate, David Russell Ker, son of BC’s auditor general. The new firm of Brackman-Ker, based in Victoria, proved highly successful with its line of B&K cereals, feeds, and wheat flakes.
The Nelson branch opened in late 1898 with Frank B. Gibbs as local manager. “In Nelson the company will carry a full line of manufactured products of the mill, as well as oats, bran, shorts and mill feed to supply the local as well as the jobbing trade throughout the district,” the Nelson Tribune reported. At first the company had makeshift headquarters in the Turner Beeton and Co. warehouse, but in 1900, local architecture firm Ewart and Carrie designed a new building for them. By 1912 this was evidently inadequate, for a brick building, 70 by 107 feet with close to 15,000 square feet on its two stories, capable of storing 30 car loads of stock, was erected at 523 Front. It cost either $16,000 or $40,000, depending on conflicting accounts, but it’s unclear who the architect and builder were. Nor is it known who supplied the bricks “The improved property that the company is now occupying makes it one of the heavy taxpayers in this city,” said the Nelson Daily News of January 6, 1913. Story continues to ‘Former’ on Page 8
Home Owners helping home owners
ABOVE: Ellison’s Market today has a staff of 21. (Greg Nesteroff photo) BELOW: Undated image showing 523 Front Street when it was still home to the Brackman-Ker Feed and Milling Co. (Courtesy Touchstones Nelson)