In the 1960s, many Kootenay residents noticed that the original Doukhobor villages were disappearing. Some were being purchased for individual dwellings or demolished for building materials, others had been destroyed by arson. Artifacts were also disappearing, funneled across the continent by collectors. Several concerned citizens realized that they would have to act quickly if any remnant or record of this lifestyle was to be preserved for future generations. By the time the Kootenay Doukhobor Historical Society was formed in 1966, there were no complete villages in sound condition left that would be suitable for a museum.
The Kootenay Doukhobor Historical Society listed among its projects; "The building of a communal house as the first stage in the reconstruction of a complete village." The first main building - the Dom - was opened to the public on May 1, 1971. A Castlegar-Kinnaird BC Centennial project, 1971 marking the Centennial of the province of British Columbia entering into Confederation.
The complex was originally named the Doukhobor Village Museum, but in 2006, upon the suggestion of an eco-tourism consultant to Castlegar, the name was changed. Given the 10 buildings, the 10 acres including restaurant, heritage orchard, Tolstoy statue, etc. it was decided that the complex was not so much a museum as an entire discovery into the Doukhobor way of life. Thus, the name was changed to The Doukhobor Discovery Centre.
From modest beginnings, the present Doukhobor Discovery Centre has grown to include over 1,600 donated artifacts. The present day complex is a complete village consisting of ten buildings, including a Village Market and a Village Restaurant (currently closed for renovation). The original wood construction Banya (bath house) was lost to fire and was rebuilt from brick in its current location. The original wood Annex building was also lost to a devastating fire, but was later reconstructed out of brick on its original footprint.