The Glass Bottle House in the Kootenay

What can you do with 500'000 Embalming Fluid Bottles?
Simple - Just build a Glass Bottle House!

David H. Brown's "Glass Bottle House" is a very unusual road site attraction and one of the most unique houses in the Kootenay

Glass Bottle House

The late David H. Brown, working in the Funeral Business, thought that all those empty embalming fluid bottles should be put to some use and came up with the idea to build a house after retirement to "indulge himself with a whim of peculiar nature."

He started to collect bottles, and soon word got out to his friends in the funeral profession. Together they collected over 500,000 of the square shaped bottles, weighing 250 tons in all. In 1952 after 35 years in the business, he retired and started to give shape to his unique dream.

Vision, Passion and Persistence

*French Riviera-view*

The house itself sits upon solid rock with panoramic views over Kootenay Lake. Built in a cloverleaf pattern with three main rooms, circular in shape, 48 feet in length, 24 feet wide, and, including the upstairs room, contains 1,200 square feet of floor space. The walls are built with a single thickness of bottles, which are short and stubby. Strips of wood placed between the bottlenecks, strengthened with cement and wire, support the inner lining of cedar boards, which are nailed on perpendicularly. It took him over 2 years to construct his dream home.

The interior emanates the feel of a cozy cottage with its dark paneled walls and old-fashioned windows. In the living room, beds for the occasional guests are hidden behind the chesterfield and built in panel-doors in the wall. A dollhouse kitchen with an exceptional view and doors out to a garden patio complete the fairytale feeling one gets from this place.

*Garden trail to the Lake Kootenay*

Small sitting areas are walled with bottles and offer sweeping views over the lake. Pathways made of stone criss-cross the beautiful landscaped property planted with a myriad of flowers and evergreens, though I personally could do without the colorful dwarfs that are placed throughout. An arch, built of bottles, leads to the terraced garden with a Mediterranean feel cascading down to the lake. A waterfall with a water wheel, little fountains and a gazebo, of course with a foundation made of glass bottles, complete the picture perfect look.

The Glass House was meant to be the Brown's home, but the project attracted the curiosity of passers-by from the start. Finally, suffering from complete loss of privacy, Mr. Brown built the little tower that serves as entry to the place and started to charge a fee, in the hopes that this would discourage people from visiting. Instead, the flow of visitors increased. They employed a staff to admit the curious and answer their many questions and used the house only in winter.

When I visited in mid August, the heat was scourging, but the little house felt cool without an air conditioner, which meant the walls must be a pretty good barrier for keeping out the heat in summer and the cold in winter. There's one heating source in the house, which, I was told, was plenty to keep the house toasty warm. Relatives of Mr. and Mrs. Brown still live in the house during the tourist-free winter month.

*Entrance to the Glass Bottle House*

Address

The Glass Bottle House
P.O.Box 64
Boswell, BC
V0B 1A0
Canada

Phone: 250-223-8372
Fax: 250-223-8332

Opening hours
Daily from May to October

Where to find

775 km Vancouver - Boswell
571 km Calgary - Boswell via Banff-Radium Hot Springs
280 km Revelstoke - Boswell plus Ferry
40 km Creston - Boswell

View Boswell in a larger map

Where to stay

Creston itself has many motels, hotels and B&Bs, and so does the area between Creston and Crawford Bay. If you want to drive a bit further and stay in Nelson or Kaslo - two picturesque towns north of Creston - make sure you are early enough at Kootenay Bay to catch the ferry.

Valley View Motel

**© Valley View Motel**

216 Valleyview Drive
Creston, BC V0B 1G3
Phone: (250) 428-2336

Nothing fancy, but nice, cozy, clean and quite. The Valley View Motel offers several cabins with kitchenette. Great value!

Read reviews about the Valley View Motel

Emarald Lakes B&B and Inn

**© Emerald Lake B&B**

4294 Sundance Road
Nelson, BC, V1L 6N1
Phone.: 250-825-0009
TF: 1-877-363-7525
Email the Emeral Lake Inn

If you are ready to splurge, this is an exquisite place to do it. Luxurious, romantic rooms with fine Oriental antiques, memorable gourmet breakfasts, warm hospitality, forest, mountain, lake views in a dramatic lakeside post and beam estate home with Fireplaces, heated indoor pool, 8-person hot tub, sauna, stunning baths with 2-person Jacuzzi, dock and beach on Kootenay Lake.

Read reviews about the Emerald Lakes Inn

More Hotels in Creston

Go here for more hotels in Creston

Of Interest

Satsang at the Yasodhara Ashram

The Yasodhara Ashram community near Crawford Bay gathers every evening in the Temple of Divine Light for Satsang, a Sanskrit term that means to be "in the company of the wise.' Satsang is a time for everyone to chant mantra, sing bhajans and reflect on the day together. Excellent bookstore.