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Planned renovations take effect

Miners Hall renovation granted $300,000 by Columbia Basin Trust

Chris Stedile

Rossland News

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.

With this $300,000 contribution from the Community Development Program,  the Rossland Council for Arts and Culture (RCAC) now have 70 per cent of the required funds in place for the project.

RCAC has been dreaming of turning the fourth floor attic space into a functional arts and recreation programming space for nearly 20 years. The plans 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.

In addition to RCAC’s renovations to the fourth floor, the City has planned upgrades to the roof and siding, and the project has expanded to include restoration to the façade of the building and reconstruction of the entry courtyard.

While looking at some historical photos, RCAC 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. 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.