The Nanaimo Bastion is closed to the public until the restoration project is complete.  Daily noon cannon firings will begin on the May long weekend.

Passion for the Bastion Raises the Roof!
by Mark Corbett, August 27, 2010

Besides being physically moved twice in its 157-year-old history - once in 1891 and the other in 1974 - the Nanaimo Bastion has never experienced such drama.

As a wooden structure, this former Hudson?s Bay Company outpost has done remarkably well considering its location on the edge of the harbour, having spent more than a century and a half being pummelled by west coast weather. But even this sturdy little sentinel needs some serious TLC every so often. Enter the 2010 Passion for the Bastion Restoration Project.

The decision to undertake a major restoration project on the Bastion was made in late 2009 when significant wood rot was discovered by City of Nanaimo crews. The problem was so bad the structure was actually leaning three degrees to the south. As a major tourist attraction downtown, this iconic symbol of Nanaimo was declared unsafe for the public to enter.

Following a lengthy tendering process that wrapped up this spring, the City of Nanaimo, which is ultimately responsible for the Bastion, contracted several organizations to assist with this important project: the local engineering firm of Read Jones Christoffersen (RJC), Knappett Projects, and taking the lead on the actual wood conservation and repair, Macdonald Lawrence Timber Framing (MLTF) of Cobble Hill. Nanaimo Museum, the guardian of the Bastion, has played the role of fundraiser and facilitator.

When one passes the Bastion today, several months into the restoration and in an eerie state of being entirely dismantled, it is likely quite shocking to those who have strolled by this 30 foot tall edifice for literally years on end, to see it virtually vanished behind a green rain shield. Can you say Criss Angel Mind Freak? But have no fear; the Bastion is in great hands and will soon reappear thanks to the magic of modern day wood working.

The process of repairing the Bastion has been extraordinary right from the beginning; from the first of the exterior wooden walls being removed - exposing the dark interior to sunlight it likely hasn?t encountered since the wood was an actual tree - to the roof and two floors hovering over the plaza by a 90 foot crane, to the unique craftsmanship of fusing wood onto wood. This is definitely history in the making.
The reality is, at the time of writing the bottom floor and a number of columns are the only visible reminders of the Bastion. But it?s dismantling was done purposefully, methodically and thoughtfully according to the highest standards of historic conservation?and with the future in mind.

The goal of everyone involved is to make the Bastion look as fresh and be as strong as it was when it was first built more than 150 years ago. The extensive and seemingly dramatic work being done today will ensure that it will last for decades to come. And by encasing exposed steel beams - put in place during restorations in 1993 - into the wooden floor timbers, basically hiding them from view, the authentic Bastion experience will no longer be overshadowed by out-of-place technology. And after all this, approximately 90% of the original wood from the Bastion will be preserved!

As strange and almost ghostly as it may seem right now to not be able to see the Bastion at the end of Bastion Street, before you know it our favourite octagon will reappear, only stronger and straighter, to once again occupy its proud place in the harbour.
From now until the end of September, the public is invited to witness the exciting rebuild of the Bastion as every piece of wood is put back in its original place. Tours of the construction site are also available with advance notice. Please call the museum for more information.

Throughout the entire process, Nanaimo Museum has been documenting the restoration project through digital photography and video, which will be archived for future generations, and has worked hand in hand with many local media outlets to cover Bastion related events as they unfold. When the project is complete, a multi-media presentation will also be produced and made available for public viewing.  

March 2010 - Bastion Remediation Press Release. 

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Bring your friends and family to the Bastion this summer for a unique look into Nanaimo's colourful past. 

Along with three floors of historical re-creations, costumes, and photographs, the Bastion is perhaps most famous for its exciting cannon firing ceremony every day at noon throughout the summer.  For more than twenty years, the resonant sound of local bagpiper Bill Poppy has accompanied this ceremonial reenactment. Also adding to the entertainment every Thursday and Saturday between late June and Labour Day is the Brigadoon Dance Academy's highland dancers.

As the guardian of this former Hudson's Bay Company outpost, built in 1853, the Nanaimo Museum also provides a site interpreter to share the fascinating stories of the lives of early settlers and the significance of the Bastion to Nanaimo.

The Bastion...What a Blast!



Admission
General admission is by donation
Guided tours can be arranged through the Nanaimo Museum's program coordinator

Hours
Summer Season: Closed until further notice. 
Daily Noon Cannon Firing: begins May 21st, 2010

Fall Season: Labour Day until the last Cruise Ship visits
OPEN Saturday through Wednesday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Cannon Firing on Cruise Ship days

Winter Season: Guided Tours can be arranged through the Nanaimo Museum's program coordinator.

Location
The historic Bastion is located on Front Street at Bastion Street in downtown Nanaimo across from the Coast Bastion Hotel.
It is only one block away from the Nanaimo Museum.