The stove that warmed visitors to Glenwood Hall since it was built in 1951 has disappeared, and the hall is hoping to get it back with some help from the community.
Workers renovating the hall accidentally brought it to the dump in Telkwa last week, not realizing that there were plans for it.
“It has a lot of sentimental value,” explained hall director Francios Depey.
“I just rushed to the dump. I hoped it had not been pushed by a backhoe on top of a big scrap pile... The stove was nowhere to be seen.”
Depey was told somebody quickly snatched up the massive oval stove.
“The idea was to replace it but definitely not get rid of it because there were several projects (proposed).
“One was to make some kind of a sculpture because it has a kind of look with the pipe stove a bit like a dinosaur. So we wanted to create this kind of landmark which is an important part of the hall for many people, but it’s gone,” said Depey, adding another option was to use the stove for a gazebo.
“Whatever we do we want to build something around that stove because it’s a part of the history, and we don’t want to separate the stove from the building.”
Efforts by the subcontractor who made the error to contact any scrap collectors have so far proved fruitless.
Renovations to the hall include installing a new heating and cooling system, and replacing the roof. The work has been 15 years in the making, with much of the work being done by volunteers according to Depey. Grants, including a $30,000 one to the Glenwood Women’s Institute from Northern Development Initiative Trust, have made hiring contractors for major repairs possible.
Contact information for the hall can be found at glenwoodhall.ca.