Promontory Homes For Sale

Teskey-Jinkerson Connecetor coming in 2021! https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2927

We LOVE selling homes in our neighbourhood! I went on a quick bike ride in sellabration.

*YES. PEOPLE ARE LISTING! In fact in the last 2 weeks 136 properties were put up for sale between Chilliwack and Hope . *YES. PEOPLE ARE BUYING. In fact in the last 2 weeks 64 properties have sold between Chilliwack and Hope .... There are always people out there needing or wanting to buy and sell. . Maybe your dream home is out there and you just need to go for it. . If you are buying and selling in the same market you will find that you are not saving nor losing. Just moving. . If you sell now you may want to buy later. . Or perhaps you are a renter and it makes more sense to pay yourself now rather than the landlord. . We are happy to discuss "The Market" with you - ANYTIME - REAL TIME . Call Clarke or Kim 6043163635 #forsaleinchilliwack #lovethefraservalley #clarkeandkim #rennie #realestate #realtor #chilliwackrealtor #chilliwackrealtor #buyer #seller #safetymeasures #virtualtour

PROMONTORY FLATS SCHOOL A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A ONE-ROOM SCHOOL HOUSE STILL WITH US The one-room school house was a common staple of many small, rural frontie...r communities in BC around the turn of 20th century. One such example of this quaint institution in Chilliwack still stands today, 111 years after it was constructed. The Promontory Flats School, in the Promontory Heights area of the city, was constructed in 1909 situated on what is today Teskey Way, and over the years it has been lovingly restored and maintained. Today’s Promontory Heights is a vibrant and steadily growing urban core in the southern area of the City of Chilliwack, with tremendous views looking out over the city and valley. However, until the latter part of the 19th century this area was essentially wilderness, with no residents. This status changed in 1886 when Promontory welcomed its first settlers, Edward Thornton (1866-1939) and his wife, who purchased 263 acres upon which they developed a mixed farm. Five years later, in 1891, Edward Thornton’s brother, George (1860-1942), along with his wife, joined Edward living and farming in the glorious beauty of Promontory Heights. Nevertheless, early Promontory remained sparsely settled for a number of years thereafter, with much undeveloped land, trees, stumps, etc. By the early 1900s, Promontory Heights was becoming more populated with new farms and young families with increasing numbers of school-aged children. For a number of years, these children had to travel to Sardis School, located on Higginson Road, just off Vedder Road - a challenging round trip of 8.5 kilometres from where the Promontory Flats School (PFS) would eventually be situated. As more families moved to Promontory, the demand for a new local school became louder, and finally the BC Government responded with plans for a new elementary school in Promontory Heights. Although Promontory Heights rises to 600 feet above the valley floor, there is an area referred to as Promontory Flats, where the landscape levels out somewhat, before continuing its climb towards the south. A significant portion of Edward Thornton’s 263 acres of land holdings was located in the Promontory Flats area, and to assist in and expedite construction of the area’s much needed elementary school, he donated one acre of his land for this purpose. This parcel of land dedicated for Promontory’s new school was situated on the south side of today’s Teskey Way, between Russell Road and Alpine Crescent, a location with relatively few slopes. [Note: Teskey Way, in its current form, was initially envisioned in 1988 and officially opened on June 16, 1997.] In May 1909, sealed tenders were requested from contractors for construction of a small one-room frame school house. Construction soon commenced, and five months later, the new Promontory Flats School opened on November 1, 1909, somewhat after the start of the 1909-1910 school year. The opening student body comprised 17 students, including members of the Thornton, Jinkerson, and Bailey families. The school house was located just 400 metres southeast of the George Thornton family home (see Image #1). For the next 32 years, the PFS was an integral and beloved aspect of the Promontory community, accommodating Grades 1 to 6. However, on December 1, 1941, the Township school board made the decision to close PFS, effective after the end of that year’s Christmas holidays. The school’s last class took place on December 19, 1941. The reason for PFS’s closure related to the structure requiring many repairs and alterations, as well as painting and new lighting. It was believed the costs of this upgrade would not exceed the benefit that Promontory’s students would receive from attending a larger school. At the time, there were 18 students in PFS, and starting in 1942 they would be transported daily to Sardis School. With the closure of PFS, there was immediate community interest in the structure for non-educational uses. In March 1942, the old one-room school house was rented for Sunday School sessions and occasional church events. It would also be used as a de facto community hall for the remainder of the 1940s, albeit a relatively small one. However, circa 1950, the structure was condemned as it only had one door, and consequently closed for all uses. It would remain vacant and neglected for several years, until a new chapter of a long-established national women’s group pumped new life into the old school house. On March 19, 1952, a number of Promontory women gathered and voted to form a local arm of the Women’s Institute. This national association had first been established in Ontario in 1897 with the goals of revitalizing rural communities and later encouraging women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. The new Promontory Women’s Institute (PWI) needed a regular meeting place, and it identified the old PFS as suitable for its needs, and one year later, on March 11, 1953, School District #33 granted permission to the Institute for use of the old school house for its meetings and social events. During the following three years, the PWI became fondly attached to the PFS as its base of operations so much so that on August 27, 1956, the group offered Township Council $500 to purchase the old school house structure. However, Council preferred to retain ownership of the PFS building, and instead granted the PWI a 20-year lease, as well as allowing them to spend the $500 on improvements to the building and the grounds. At that time, the PFS structure had no electricity or inside plumbing. A wood heater had been used to heat the building. As part of its improvement initiative, the PWI had electricity wired in and a sink installed. The PWI envisioned ultimately turning the old school property into a community centre and a park. By 1971, with developers wanting to take advantage of the PFS’s spectacular views (see Images #4 and #10), and with Promontory in dire need of a functional community hall, it was decided that the old school house would undergo a significant upgrade, one that would ensure its structural integrity and usefulness for decades to come. The PWI, with the Township’s permission, launched a major renovation/restoration project, one of the goals of which was to maintain the PFS’s original design and floor plan. With PWI spearheading the fundraising drive, and much volunteer labour from the Promontory community, a basement was constructed below the building, and essentials such as running water, a kitchen, washroom, and propane heat were added (see Image #7). In December 1973, the project was awarded a Local Initiatives Program grant from the federal government to enable its completion. The $7,515 grant was intended to supplement the wages of the seven workmen on the project. Renovations to the former Promontory Flats School were ultimately completed in 1974, with part of the project including a 1,008-square foot addition to the rear of the structure. A number of community social events at the PFS marked completion of the project and the rebirth of a cherished aspect of Promontory life, one that had been in peril just several years earlier. In 1976, at the conclusion of its initial 20-year lease of the Promontory Women’s Institute Hall (as the structure had come to be known over the years see Image #12), the PWI negotiated a new ongoing lease with the Township. Under its lease agreement, the PWI would continue to be responsible for maintaining and managing the building. However, by that time the group had outgrown the space and it vacated the PFS. PWI subsequently leased the PFS building to the Hobby Hill Parent Participation Preschool, a new preschool that had been founded earlier in 1976. On August 2, 1988, PWI, as managers of the PFS, obtained Voluntary Municipal Heritage Designation for the old school house (see Image #8). Such designation means the structure is subject to municipal heritage bylaws and is legally protected under the Local Government Act. PFS is currently one of 15 properties with this designation in Chilliwack. Today, the historic Promontory Flats School building, surrounded by trees in a park-like setting at 5650 Teskey Way, continues to command a majestic view, looking out over Chilliwack and the valley floor as it has for more than a century. In fact, the structure still serves as a school of sorts, albeit of the preschool variety, with the Hobby Hill Parent Participation Preschool now in its 44th year as the building’s tenant. Over the years the PFS structure has undergone some additions, as well as internal and external improvements, but it still retains its charm as a classic one-room school house from an earlier era in Chilliwack’s history. IMAGES: There are 15 images accompanying this article, each with a detailed narrative.