01/19/2026
St. Andrew's almost finished
Kristen Holliday - Jan 17, 2026 / 3:00 pm | Story: 594460
City officials say restoration work at St. Andrew’s on the Square, the oldest public building in Kamloops, is nearly complete.
The historic building at 159 Seymour St. suffered major damage in a fire nearly two years ago. Matt Kachel, the city’s infrastructure delivery divisional manager, told council on Tuesday that the project is “almost finished.”
The project, which involves post-fire restoration work and some additional building updates, will cost more than $1 million — the bulk of which is covered by insurance.
“It looks really, really nice,” Kachel said.
“Came together great — and we were also able to address some accessibility needs too, through this project. Obviously, that wasn't covered through insurance, but we took the opportunity where we could to enhance that building while we had it apart.”
St. Andrew’s, the oldest public building in Kamloops, was built in 1887.
In May 2024, a fire started on the outside of the building in an alleyway and climbed up the side of the church before entering the attic. Fire damage was largely restricted to the exterior, but the interior of the building suffered smoke and water damage.
The restoration work, which started in October 2025, involved replacing the building’s damaged siding and roof, upgrading electrical systems, installing a new HVAC system, upgrading the kitchen, and restoring heritage-style flooring, mouldings and trim.
“This is something we never expected to have to do, but it wasn't just fixing a building with fire damage. It’s a historic church, one of the oldest buildings in Kamloops, so a lot of additional care was needed to be able to work through this one,” Kachel told council.
“That one also wasn't part of our capital plan — but we had to adapt and adjust and then work with insurance to figure that one out.”
Jen Fretz, the city's civic operations director, noted it will take time for operations to get ready to re-open the church after construction is complete, encouraging council to "stay tuned" for more information on St. Andrew's exact opening date.
