Heritage buildings offer insights from the past, and are places of opportunity to animate the future. Buildings hold stories, and help create stories.
Banff has a number of organizations that raise awareness and appreciation of its built heritage. They include the Banff Heritage Corporation, the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation and the Whyte Museum.
Bowstrings Heritage Foundation’s Operating Principles include complementing the good work being done by these and other organizations. We work in partnership and create, through research, resources, programming, restoration and creative adaptation, opportunities to celebrate Rocky Mountain heritage.
Current Heritage Projects
Our focus right now is the future of The Mountain School and Rutherford Cottage. Both were lively places in the early twentieth century, brought to life by visionaries who shaped the lives of a generation.
Through the restoration and adaptation of these two storied properties, we hope to follow in the footsteps of the Greenhams and Rutherfords, contribute to Alberta’s cultural and community life. We are also working with Shuswap Elders and other experts to document the kekulis, the pit houses of Banff National Park. These structures have a 4,000 year history and may represent the first built heritage in the Canadian Rockies.
Future Work
We are committed to preserving our natural and cultural heritage in socially responsible and environmentally intelligent ways. We welcome your engagement and interest, and hope you join us to help build a culturally rich, resourceful and connected Bow Valley.