Brick by brick

SANDPOINT — In the face of funding constraints, the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint is working to restore its home: the 114-year-old building at 110 Main St. that formerly served as Sandpoint City Hall.

Conservatory staff aim to rehabilitate both the building’s exterior and interior and recreate a historic rooftop cupola and bell that once defined the downtown skyline. 

Built in 1910, the structure once housed Sandpoint’s city council chambers, mayor’s office, library, jail, and fire and police departments. After the municipality relocated to Lake Street in 1994, the building changed hands three times and received various interior modifications to create office space with little consideration for historic preservation. 

The conservatory's relationship with the building began when it leased a single office in 2009. The organization gradually expanded to occupy the entire structure and ultimately purchased it in 2019 with support from The Confidence Foundation — just before the COVID-19 pandemic drove local real estate prices skyward. 

"I don't know that we would exist if we hadn't had the opportunity to purchase it then," said Kathi Samuels, the conservatory's development director. 

By the time the ink dried on the mortgage, the conservatory had begun bringing its vision to life. After discovering a hidden vaulted ceiling in the space that once housed horse-drawn fire engines, the conservatory created Little Carnegie Hall: a 90-seat performance venue. 

For the restoration’s second phase, staff began replacing the building’s deteriorating windows this year with energy efficient, historically accurate replicas. 

Both enhancements were guided by local architect Kris Contor, whose next steps for the project include replacing the remaining windows, restoring a portal entrance by Main Street and redesigning the building’s layout to suit the conservatory’s needs and remove misaligned add-ons from past decades. 

“Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, nobody really cared about historic buildings,” Contor said. “What is original is often a lot nicer than what has been put upon these buildings in later years.” 

The final “cherry on top,” according to Samuels, is a planned replica of a rooftop cupola and bell that tolled hourly before it was removed in 1951. Recently, staff of the conservatory and the Bonner County Historical Society traced the original bell to a Spokane antique dealer and bought the artifact in hopes of reinstalling it. 

However, all future renovations are contingent on fundraising. When asked about the biggest challenge historic renovations face, Contor’s response was simple: “Money. You need lots of money.” 

Without the purchasing power of a corporation, the nonprofit conservatory fundraises and pursues grants continuously to inch closer to a completed restoration. 

“We are not developers,” conservatory Founder and Executive Director Karin Wedemeyer said. “We don't just come with millions of dollars in our pockets to throw at the building ... it takes time, but every step that we take, we earned.” 

According to the project's leadership, the significance of restoration and preservation is far-reaching. 

Contor said historic buildings give longtime residents an emotional and spiritual hitching post and allow newcomers to understand Sandpoint’s roots: “If everything is ephemeral and changing constantly, then you have no sense of place.” 

Wedemeyer called the property “a symbol of grace, beauty and hard work,” and said she aimed to preserve its craftsmanship and design that is considerate to not only utility, but also style. 

“We absolutely need to pause at times and say, ‘We need to pay attention to what is beautiful,’” she said. 

Wedemeyer also highlighted the value of a thriving music hub for surrounding restaurants, lodging, retailers and the economy at large. 

“Arts and culture always draw people,” she said. 

Sandpoint residents’ track record of supporting historic buildings in need of aid is indicative of the town’s cultural values. 

When a highway expansion threatened Sandpoint Depot, residents rallied to protect the historic train station and helped it receive the nearly $1 million it needed for a 2015 rehabilitation. When the former post office and library at 419 N. Second Ave. went on the market in 2019, the proprietors of local brewing company MickDuff’s moved in and took out a Small Business Administration loan to fund the buildings’ restoration. 

Like those before them, the conservatory’s staff and supporters are determined to safeguard a piece of Sandpoint’s roots for future generations to not only enjoy, but also look to as they guide the town forward. 

“We need to have memories,” said Wedemeyer. “We need to connect with our past so we can learn from it and move into the future.”

    An architectural rendering shows a completed restoration including a refurbished south entrance and reconstructed rooftop cupola and bell.