Historic Point Ellice House in Victoria to reopen with new operator

Point Ellice House is located at 2616 Pleasant St. in Victoria. (Point Ellice House/Facebook)

The B.C. government says it has found an interim operator for Point Ellice House in Victoria, saving the heritage site and museum from closure.

In March, Point Ellice House announced it was closing its doors due to a lack of funding.

The province said at the time that the Vancouver Island Local History Society, which had operated the site on behalf of the province since 2019, had sought a dramatic increase in its operating budget to keep Point Ellice House open before deciding to walk away from its role.

On Friday, the province said it had chosen the Forager Foundation to operate the site at 2616 Pleasant St. until it could find a long-term operator.

Point Ellice House was built in 1861 and served as the home of the O'Reilly family from 1867 until 1975.

The family left behind nearly 16,000 artifacts, comprising one of the largest collections of late Victorian artifacts in North America, according to the province.

"Point Ellice House belongs to the people of British Columbia, and we are committed to keeping this important heritage site open for locals and visitors," said Lana Popham, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.

"We are excited the Forager Foundation will reopen this special heritage site and continue to keep its rich history accessible to everyone."

The Forager Foundation, established in 2013, is a non-profit organization focused on the preservation and promotion of natural and cultural heritage.

"My team is excited to work with the province to keep the doors open at Point Ellice House," said Bryce Mathew Watts, founder and president of Forager Foundation, in a statement Friday.

"We will be working to build off of the legacy of previous site managers and create new programs and resources that share Point Ellice's unique story with a broader audience in Victoria and across the province."