History buffs tour community
<p>Visitors in town for Spokane’s National Preservation Conference check out the interior of the Sandpoint Depot, a building that has been on lock-down for a long time. (Photo by CAMERON RASMUSSON)</p>
SANDPOINT — History enthusiasts of all stripes visited town Wednesday morning for an examination of the downtown’s greatest historic buildings.
Attendees of the National Historic Trust for Preservation conference in Spokane got a taste of the Panhandle’s historical merit Wednesday with tours of venerable Sandpoint architecture. Headed up by Preservation Idaho board member Aric Spence, the group toured through signature locations like the Panida Theater, Community Hall and the train depot — a location where group members enjoyed a rare indoors perspective.
The group consisted of about 20 individuals attending the National Preservation Conference taking place between Wednesday and Saturday. The group signed up for some practical lessons of preservation in action by jaunting over to Sandpoint for the morning and afternoon. The day began at Community Hall, where 16-year-old Joel Smith, who made a name for himself this summer offering free downtown tours, presented some of the 1936 building’s history as a town center and USO club during World War II.
After the brief stop at Community Hall, the crew traveled down the block for one of the centerpieces of the trip: the Sandpoint Depot. Spence guided the history enthusiasts inside the building for a tour and a rundown of the history. A centerpiece of Sandpoint travel and commerce in the town’s early history, the railroads helped build it into the community it is today. That legacy continues to this day as the depot still stands and is still the location for the only Amtrak stop in Idaho.
National Preservation Convention-goers had the rare opportunity to go inside the facility, which has been largely untouched since work on the Sand Creek Byway ended. The area was decorated with historic photographs of the area’s past.
While the depot is heavily dilapidated, Spence said there’s plenty of hope for its future. Amtrak has allocated about $900,000 in funds received from Idaho Transportation Department to pay for the building’s restoration. If that follows through to completion, the depot could well service travelers in the future.
“People have told me it will make a great museum, or a great this or a great that, but I think it makes a great depot,” Spence said.
The group finished up their morning with a tour of the Panida Theater before breaking for lunch. Executive director Karen Bowers walked them through the facility, explaining the details that made it a long-standing community destination and the many improvements that have been made since it was saved from demolition in the 1980s.
The group of National Historic Trust for Preservation members was itself as interesting as the places they toured. Consisting of all age groups and backgrounds, they came from all around the country — and some outside of it — to learn more about protecting their community’s finest historic treasures.