$300,000 Grant for Miners Hall Restoration
By Contributor
Miners Hall Renovation granted $300,000 by Columbia Basin Trust
With the announcement of a $300,000 grant from the Columbia Basin Trust, the renovation and restoration of the Rossland Miners Union Hall is one step closer to reality.
“We are very grateful for this show of support from Columbia Basin Trust,” said Renate Fleming, President of the Rossland Council for Arts & Culture (RCAC). “With this $300,000 contribution from the Community Development Program, we now have 70% of the required funds in place for the project.”
RCAC has been dreaming of turning the 4th floor attic space into functional arts and recreation programming space for nearly 20 years. Currently the 4th floor attic is an undeveloped space used predominantly for storage. The plans for the 4th floor development include a Green Room for performers, storage for the Gold Fever Follies’ props and costumes and a mid-sized main room that would be used for art classes and recreation programs.
When the City announced that they would be doing much needed upgrades to the roof and siding of the building using Miners Hall designated reserve funds, RCAC knew that this was the right time to tackle the much dreamed of 4th floor renovation.
In addition to the City’s planned upgrades to the roof and siding and RCAC’s renovations to the 4th floor, the project has expanded to include restoration to the façade of the building and reconstruction of the entry courtyard.
“Our plans for the attic renovation included reopening the balcony that overlooks Columbia Avenue.” explains Larry Doell from RCAC, “While looking at some historical photos, we realized that the design of both the balcony and the roof line had been substantially changed from the original.” The planned façade restoration intends to rebuild both the balcony and roof line to more closely resemble the original High Victorian design.
“The intent of the full project is to stabilize the condition of the Miners Hall, restore the façade to its historic form and create new spaces inside the existing building that will support arts and community activities.” explains Fleming. “When the Western Federation of Miners Local 38 built the Hall in 1898, they had plans to develop the attic into usable space. Finally over 100 years later, we are going to make it happen.”
