QUINKATLA DESIGN
DESERT GARDENS
Kamloops, British Columbia, CANADA

This building was built in 1996/97 on Seymour Street, in downtown Kamloops. The three upper levels contain 56 apartments, while the ground level was designed as ten retail store spaces, with courtyard / sidewalks in the front setback area. An underground parking structure underlays the whole building.
Desert Gardens During construction, on New Years Eve, 1996, the entire building was burnt by a young arsonist. This happened in the middle of an ice storm and fire trucks were unable to get to the scene before the whole upper structure was gone.

The building was subsequently re-built, but although the design was so attractive that all units sold quickly in the middle of a local recession, the developer (Mike Rink of New Future Development) never seemed to be able to scrape the cash together to finish paying for the design.

  • Floor area: 6,200 square metres
  • Planning & Design by Malcolm McSporran, 1995 - 1996
  • Construction: 1997

    • Last Modified: Friday, 19 October, 2001