Just over 50 years ago, Comox Valley naturalist Hamilton Mack Laing donated his home, known to the community as 'Shakesides' to the Town of Comox.
That was in 1973.
However, after it was vacated in 2014, the building sat empty and was under threat of demolition. That is, until the Merville Community Association offered to "adopt" the building and have it moved to the Merville Hall location.
"Shakesides is a Canadian heritage building," said a release from Merville Community Association. "It is true that knowledge of our past helps to define us as Canadians and, in times like these, we are proud to be Canadians."
The house was built by Laing in around 1950. Laing was an internationally-renowned naturalist, ornithologist, collector and author. According to the release from the MCA, Laing "envisioned his home being partially used as a centre, or museum, for environmental education and research."
"This proposed relocation and rehabilitation project is a happy ending story for all involved," the release says. "It represents a win for the Town of Comox to not only find a new home for Shakesides, but to forgo the court-mandated demolition bill and to be able to reallocate those funds towards the cost of relocation. This is an immense environmental win, as saving an existing building diverts the majority of its materials from the landfill, and conserves a generation or more of embodied energy.
"The relocation is a heritage win for the Comox Valley residents and visitors as the new high-visibility location in Merville is very accessible," it says. "This growing collection of historic buildings stands to tell the unique history of this valley while serving the community with relevant and educational new uses including an open-air museum for residents and visitors alike. Shakesides would be an incredible added asset to this valuable and well-run community site."
The building move will be done by Nickel Bros. and will sit among other historic buildings at the Merville Hall site.
"Nickel Bros house movers has proposed relocation by barge, a plan that represents the least disruptive relocation process for all communities between the two sites," the release says.
The house is currently located in Mack Laing park, in Comox.
