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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The brothel's back. Its new owner might say better than ever.

"We will be recruiting soon," said Derek Younge with a laugh.

Maybe not.

But on Saturday the Stanton Territorial Hospital physician celebrated with a spirited re-opening party at the once notorious landmark. Some ladies arrived elegantly but dressed rather scantily.

Derek Younge shows off the restored log cabin on his property. The cabin, which was damaged in a fire last February, is a historic Yellowknife brothel. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

Last February, the historic Pilot's Lane structure was gutted in a fire. In July, Younge moved into his new home which came with the remains of the former brothel in the backyard.

Lucky for him it was insured. The restoration project took about two months.

He was able to salvage some of the original logs which were used for the gable. Twelve-inch logs ordered from B.C. were used for the walls. Completely winterized, it features a wood stove, electric heater and, of course, a bar tucked in the corner. An antique gun and some signs bearing brothel humour hang on the walls. It's even painted in its original colour, blue.

The cabin was originally built in the 1930s by Bert Lundstrom and Tony Aaria near the junction of Dettah Road and the Ingraham Trail. Apart from being a prostitute's haven, it's also supposed to have been frequented by local trappers and was most recently a guest house.

Younge says it's now the family's nearby paradise to be used for such things as a snowshoeing resting place.

"It's an antique cabin and I was just charmed by that," said Younge. "When it burned down I was kind of heartbroken.

"I wanted to build it the same size and the same colour. To me, like a lot of men, I always wanted to have a log cabin. An antique cabin is a bonus."

Younge's friend Steve Mitchell showed up to the brothel-warming party dressed like the legendary water-delivery man Tom Doornbos, complete with a wooden yoke.

"I think it's terribly important to preserve what little heritage we have left in this town," said Mitchell. "Everyone seems far too eager to plow it under and build some monstrosity on top of it."

Dressed resembling her deceased father and local hockey legend Shorty Brown, Margo Grayston arrived decked in a throwback hockey jacket, ball cap and cigar. The colleague of Younge's said the robustly-built structure represents much more than just a party destination.

"It's wonderful to be able to maintain the heritage that we have," she said. "We need our old heritage sites like this one."