Renovations at downtown Vernon's Kal sports bar expected to take another year

Photo: Chelsey Mutter

The Kal is celebrating its 130th anniversary in downtown Vernon this year – and it’s now looking like the building's renovations will be following it into its 131st.

Project manager Mike Ullyot says the Kal's long history is creating unique challenges.

Every time they tear into a new area of the building, a new issue will make itself known.

"It's a very old building, and it's an extremely complex project because there's been many different renovations over the last 130 years," says Ullyot. "You have to remember that at some point this building actually had caught fire and partially was lost and rebuilt. So there's a lot of history in this building that we have to work with."

According to the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives, the Kalamalka Hotel was named after local Indigenous leader Chief Kalamalka.

It first opened in December 1892 and was known as the social place to be.

It stands as a sports bar now, but Ullyot says it's still an important piece of the Vernon community.

“Everybody is so excited about what's happening ... so it's nice to see the engagement from the community," he says.

For people watching the renovation from the street, expect to see changes to the storefront, soon.

Ullyot says his goal is to have the exterior finished within a month and a half to two months.

"We have a good group of consultants working together with the same end goal of making this an incredible building," he says.

"It's a really cool project to be a part of. It's always fun to help restore or fix up a piece of history."