The Gur Sikh Temple national historic site in Abbotsford has received an award from that National Trust for Canada.
The 2020 Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award (Resilient Historic Places) recognizes historic places or landscapes that illustrate “extraordinary resilience, significance and benefit to a community” over 10 years or more.
The awards also recognize “transformative projects” completed between 2016 and 2019.
The temple, located at 333089 South Fraser Way, was one of six projects across Canada this year to receive the honour for resilient historic places.
The temple was built by struggling settlers in the early 1900s, staring in 1908. In 2006, the site was designated a national historic site by Prime Minister Jean Chretien on July 31, 2002.
In 2011, the ground floor was converted into the Sikh Heritage Museum, welcoming the public and offering guided tours organized around exhibits.
The Sikh place of worship also functions as a centre for prayer and a site for all Canadians to visit and learn about Sikh history.
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