Borden number: DlQf-5. A Borden number is a unique identifier code that is assigned to an archaeological or historic site on the basis of its location.

Source: BC Heritage Branch files

Designated Site; Ministerial Designation; 30 June 1977.

Source: BC Heritage Branch files

The Langham Cultural Centre is a three-storey wooden building situated on a corner lot in the Village of Kaslo, British Columbia. It has a partial false-front façade and a gable roof with five dormers on each side.

Source: BC Heritage Branch files

Constructed as a hotel in 1896, the Langham Cultural Centre is an excellent example of a substantial commercial building constructed to accommodate the influx of people drawn to the Kootenay region by the mining boom of the late nineteenth century. It is symbolic of the economic prosperity and sense of optimism that prevailed during the heyday of mining in the Kootenay area.

Utilized as an internment facility for approximately 80 Japanese Canadians during WW2, the Langham Cultural Centre also serves as a tangible reminder of the loss of freedom and property suffered by Japanese Canadians when they were forcibly removed from the British Columbia coast in 1942. As the location of the Japanese Canadian Museum since 1992, the Langham Cultural Centre serves as a centre for education about the wartime experience of the Japanese Canadians in the Kaslo area.

The Langham Cultural Centre is representative of the nation-wide campaign for redress for wartime injustices that was conducted by Japanese Canadians in the late twentieth century. In Kaslo, this initiative was expressed through an apology ceremony held at the Langham Cultural Centre in August 1988 which involved participants from the local, provincial and federal governments and predated the federal government's formal apology to Japanese Canadians later that year. A plaque on the exterior of the building commemorates the Japanese Canadians, their courage under adversity and their ability to overcome injustice.

The Langham is an important example of one community's commitment to its built and cultural heritage. Restored in the late 1970s to house a theatre, art gallery, art studios and offices, the Langham Cultural Centre stands as a monument to civic beautification and enrichment through heritage conservation. The role of this historic place as the Langham Cultural Centre also speaks to the social importance of historic places within British Columbia communities.

Source: BC Heritage Branch files

Source: included with note

The character-defining elements of the Langham Cultural Centre include:
- Surviving features of its 1896 construction, such as its three-storey wooden structure, its false front and gable roof with five dormers on each side
- Physical evidence of its use as an internment facility during WW2
- Evidence of use as the Japanese Canadian Museum, and the commemorative plaques and educational displays relating to the Japanese Canadian experience in the Kaslo area and the campaign for redress
- Evidence of use as the Langham Cultural Centre, and the physical features thereof including the theatre and gallery spaces

Source: BC Heritage Branch files