“Michael Guthrie’s dream of keeping the Langham from becoming a pile of ashes came true. Funded by a $28,000 government grant, the LCS hired 7 people and managed to completely refurbish the exterior and interior of the building for 146,961.82. Over two thirds of that funding was secured by the LCS; volunteers were the lifeblood of the Langham then, as they are now. ...”

... The Idea of having a performing and visual arts space with the upper floors used as studio space was Michaels. His ideas were unanimously accepted and at the same time he was elected president. Michael coordinated the first Rec. Fund and LIP Grants. He also conceived of and organized the first two Langham benefits. Michael and Darelyn were already running "The Village Green Cafe" with a coffee house venue. They turned over their performing venue to the Langham as a donation to help get the Langham off the ground.

In June of 1974 Michael began co-ordinating the saving of "the Langham", an 1896 three story building in Kaslo, B.C. He first wrote the owner, Walter Schmidt of Cape Cod and said he was interested in forming a collective of some kind to buy the building in response to the Village of Kaslo's notice to tear the building down. Walter agreed to such a sale. Michael then asked some of his friends to meet and discuss forming a society after his attempt to interest other local artists in forming a collective failed.

Michael soon had a group of 10 people willing to sign for a loan of $5,000, to buy the building and form "The Langham Cultural Society", those people were:

Michael and Darelyn Guthrie, Fred Higley, Barb Scrivens, Allen and Gloria Davidson, Pat and Jackie Bowyer, Bart Darnell and Jim Vanhorn. The Society was registered in Victoria, B.C. in November of 1974.

Walter Schmidt practically donated the building at a price of $3,500. which is what he paid to Tomio Baba, who owned the building for years.

Without Walters generosity, the project would never have happened.

The first volunteer work crew at the Langham.
Photo from the National Geographic Society's, "The Magestic Rocky Mountains" published 1976

Back Row: Mike Guthrie, Jim VanHorn

Second Row: Dare and Joli Guthrie, Norman Berglund, "little" Jim VanHorn, Brian Kurlick, Nikola and Jackie Bowyer, Fred Higley, Barb Scrivens,

Front Row: Elizabeth, Fern and John VanHorn, Pat and Susan Bowyer, Samuel T. Bones, the Guthrie's dog, and Holly's Cat