Sunday, August 3, 2008

amazing fireplace

I've mentioned the old dining hall several times recently - the one that burned on January 1, 1983. It arrived in pieces (a "kit"!) but without plans. Harry Cole and others put it together and it was ready for the '59 season (or was it '60?). I remember it as a somewhat modernistic/Gothic cathedral of wood - long elegant curved wood beams came to a peak: vaults. Descending down from the highest point, where the vaulted beams met, was a stainless steal hood....a fireplace! The hood hung from the ceiling! So the fireplace was right in the middle of the dining hall. Amazing. Great for indoor campfires. We all sat around and the fire roared in this modern-looking fireplace. I found an old photo of this. Judging from how clean and empty the building is, I'm guessing this was taken very early - 1960 or thereabouts.