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1908 · East Hill

The "Sawdust" Smith House: From Lumber Baron's Home to Music School

Presented by Tim Jones · Vernon History

Video presented by Tim's AI-generated presenter, in his own voice.

If you have ever heard piano scales drifting down 32nd Avenue, you have passed one of Vernon's great old houses. It was built for a man the town nicknamed "Sawdust".

Vernon's lumber man

S.C. Smith moved his lumber operation to Vernon in 1892, the year the city was incorporated. His sash and door factory became the town's largest employer. In 1894 alone, it turned out 17,000 doors. Smith also served eight years on Vernon City Council.

A home to match

In 1908, Smith built his family home at 1705 32nd Avenue, designed by architect R.B. Bell in the Dutch Colonial and Colonial Revival style. It has impressive Tuscan pillars, a balustraded conservatory and Palladian windows. Across the street stands the T.E. Crowell House of 1910, built by the man behind Park School, the Vernon Armouries and the CPR station, so this corner shows off two of the men who literally built early Vernon.

A convent, then a music school

The house has had more than one life. It served as a convent for the Sisters of St. Anne, and since 1982 it has been home to the Vernon Community Music School. It is one of the anchors of the historic Lakeview subdivision on East Hill.

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