The Caetani Cultural Centre is about to receive a major infusion of cash to continue with upgrades and programs at its historic property on Vernon’s Pleasant Valley Road.
A grant application of $75,000 has been approved by the Department of Canadian Heritage Cultural Spaces Fund towards the goal of opening up the house, once belonging to Italian duke Leone Caetani and later by his daughter, Sveva Caetani, to public access.
This year marks what would have been Sveva’s Caetani’s 100th birthday. A celebrated artist, Caetani died in 1994, leaving her home and property to the City of Vernon.
The home is now managed by the Caetani Cultural Centre Society.
“I think Sveva is smiling down on us today,” said society president Angelika Jaeger.
“We have always believed that the significance of the Caetani family, their unique and heartbreaking story, and especially the legacy of the artworks and writings of Sveva Caetani, are of great importance to this area. This commitment from the federal government validates what we have been working so hard towards. This project is of huge significance to this community and opens up wider arts programming and cultural heritage tourism opportunities. It’s also bringing our tax dollars back into this region.”
The centre’s executive director Susan Brandoli says costs to make the Caetani house more accessible total approximately $225,000.
This includes improvements to the structure of the house, upgrading the HVAC and electrical systems, and most importantly, the installation of a fire suppression system, she said.
“The sprinkler system installation is the missing key we have been seeking in order to open up the house to public access. Without this, our hands were tied for future development into a significant cultural and heritage site,” said Brandoli.
With this recent Canadian Heritage grant, the Caetani centre is now $177,000 closer to its goal.
“We still have about $50,000 to raise in order to complete our remaining project funding goal. However, we are confident that we can raise the remaining amount in 2017,” said Brandoli. “Additional funding applications are in the works, and the society will once again be going ahead with its popular Splash of Red fundraiser Aug. 24.”
For more information, visit www.caetani.org or call 250-275-1525.