Heritage Playhouse

The Transformation of a cultural icon.

Originally built as the Woman’s Institute Hall in 1929, the playhouse building was the centre for pre-WWII community gatherings, plays, concerts and dances. The SD46 took over the building and used it as a gym, warehouse, and maintenance facility for four decades. Facing possible demolition in 1987, a dedicated group of residents formed the Society under the direction of Fred Inglis lobbied to have the building transformed into a community theatre. Through robust fundraising efforts by Society members Nest Lewis, Dianne Evans, and Colleen Elson, the building was finally opened as a professional theatre in 2000. With authentic architectural details to heritage touches such as velvet seats from Vancouver’s Starlight theatre and hand carved front doors by Bradley Hunt, the Heritage Playhouse is a fine community building built by the community. It is also a provincially designated heritage building and the best equipped professional mid-size theatre on the south Sunshine Coast.

Stonehurst

Advocating for the preservation of the Inglis home.

Sitting on a rise overlooking the Gibsons waterfront, the Inglis home (Stonehurst) was built in 1914. Home to the Sunshine Coast’s first doctor, the storied past of the home and its occupants provides a glimpse of Gibsons pioneering past. The Society has been advocating to preserve the iconic Stonehurst home in the centre of Gibsons Landing for years, but more so lately as the property goes through re-development by a new owner. In 2023, the Society advocated for the Town to negotiate a Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA) with the developer as a condition to preserve the home’s original character as part of the re-development plan.

Gibsons Landing Heritage Guidelines

What does “seaside village character” mean?

How does Gibsons nurture and maintain its quaint seaside character as Town staff, builders, and developers plan for more new development projects? Recognizing the need for planners, developers, and architects to have some imagery and text reference of seaside and heritage character in Gibsons Landing, the Society researched and created a draft document in 2024 for adoption. This live document can be updated and added to as needed providing meaningful reference for future planning and development.