New life is being breathed into the Ootischenia hall.
Harold Chernoff of Trowlex Rentals & Sales bought the building in September. Following an interior transformation, the hall is now a performance venue called Harry’s Hall.
“This is an incredible opportunity for all the folks in town and in the Kootenay region to come out and enjoy a beautiful venue that has incredible opportunities,” said Kyle Burk, who works for Chernoff and is managing the new space.
“Harold is an entrepreneur and an investor in our community. He just walked into my office one day and said, ‘Hey, I bought the Ootischenia hall.’ I was very excited as a musician and a performer. He thought this was a great idea and so do I. So we both got excited about it.”
The hall was built in 1942 as an elementary school and operated until 1962, when a new school (since demolished) was built. The old school then became a community hall, mainly used by the local Doukhobor community. However, in recent years its future has been in doubt.
Burk said they have upgraded the building’s electrical and plumbing systems and prepared it to host performances and celebrations.
“Recently we had a fantastic event with open mic and the town came out in huge support and we created a bit of a nightclub kind of feel in there,” he said.
“As the curator, I’m having a blast. I’m having so much fun putting it together for each individual event that we do and looking forward to seeing how other folks come in there and dress up and use it.”
Burk said they have received an “incredible response” so far from the public so far. He said they plan to hold regular open mic events and take bookings for private parties and meetings, which can be done online.
Burk added the sale of the building included about nine acres of land, which they are considering developing for larger events.
“So we’re doing some landscaping and planning every day and trying to make sure that the future is bright for music and art and culture in Castlegar,” he said.
