The Central Okanagan Heritage Society works diligently to preserve the area's history. 

At the 41st annual Heritage Awards ceremony on Feb. 19, Director Shona Harrison highlighted some of the success with the handing out of seven awards. 

The G.L. Dore House at 379 Park Avenue, Kelowna won for continued conservation of a residential building. 

"Some of the markers of this house are the exposed gabels, we also have the scroll cutouts on the barge boards. It is immaculate," Harrison said of the 1920s residence. "The homeowner has lived in this house for 40 years and has done an impeccable job with maintaining the integrity of the heritage features and the heritage house itself."

Other award winners were:

• The Drought Family House at 2406 Drought Road, West Kelowna won for the conservation project on a heritage building currently in non-residential use,
• The Blue House at 2319 Pandosy Street, Kelowna won for continued conservation of a residential building,
• The old Royal Bank building at 262 Bernard Avenue, Kelowna won for continued conservation of a non-residential building,
• Rotary Marsh at 1050 Sunset Drive, Kelowna won for conservation of a neighbourhood, streetscape or cultural landscape,
• The book 'Kelowna Street Names, third edition' won in the category of special heritage project,
• Resident Beverly Kalmakoff won an award for distinguished community service. 

Despite the collaborative work of preserving history, Harrison said a handful of heritage buildings have been torn down in recent years. 

A heritage home that was sitting at the corner of Long Street and Park Avenue was demolished, the lot split in two, and two large modern dwellings have been erected in its place. 

"We had the cutest little house, another craftsman bungalow," Harrison said of the 1909 wood-frame cottage that had sat on the property.

The director noted that about two years before the house was torn down a grant of $10,000 had been provided to rebuild the roof of the structure while maintaining heritage elements. That grant is now sitting in the landfill, Harrison said. 

Another major loss according to Harrison was the Bouvette House at 2079 Pandosy Street, Kelowna, a 1910 Queen Anne Revival style home. 

"The owner decided that he wanted to take it off of the [heritage] registry, council said no and it was still bulldozed," said Harrison, adding that the property continues to sit empty.

Other losses Harrison noted were the dismantling of the old Courier building on Water Street, the loss of the Jennens House on McDougall Street to fire, and the demolition of the Collett House at the corner of Pandosy Street and Royal Avenue.

"It's the city's vested interest in keeping our heritage. Our heritage has value as it's a touchstone to our past, it's almost like a living narrative of our past, and of our triumphs and of our struggles."

The Central Okanagan Heritage Society would like to see the city council use its power to implement fines on heritage building owners who damage or demolish the structure or force owners to rebuild while maintaining the heritage elements. 

Learn more about the society and local heritage at .