LOPEZ ISLAND GRANGE - REBUILD THE PORCH

Our back porch is deteriorating and is in desperate need of rebuilding to ensure public safety. As one of two critical entry & exit ways to our building, it is crucial that we have functional stairs and a porch.  Our back porch is used to access our storage shed, and in the summer months, it is used regularly for ingress and egress to outdoor events. The wood is rotted, and the stairs are unstable.  It is dangerous and only a matter of time before it completely collapses.

We plan to completely rebuild the stairs and porch with weather-resistant wood that will last many years and is safe. 

Rotted wood staircase.

The stairs are way past their prime.

The porch is not resting on peer blocks, and the support posts are rotten.

We're not sure who installed this, but it is creative carpentry!

Mission: To serve as a welcoming place of fellowship, promoting agriculture, the arts, educational, recreational, and cultural activities, and to maintain and preserve our historic hall.

About: The Lopez Island Grange is an important island touchstone, hosting numerous community gatherings over its lifetime, and generating lifelong connections and memories for visitors and islanders alike. Built in 1903, the Grange building was originally Center School, one of four schools on the island before the district consolidated in the 1940s. The volunteer Lopez Island Grange membership and board have stewarded the building ever since, being responsible for its ongoing maintenance and offering it as a welcoming place of fellowship.

In April 2022, Center School (aka Lopez Island Grange) was listed in the Washington Heritage Register, where it joins over 2,000 other historic and culturally significant properties which have been recognized for their unique contributions to Washington’s heritage. In June of 2022, the property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In the present day, the Grange membership conducts monthly membership meetings and hosts a plethora of Grange sponsored events that include; square dances and community potluck, Maypole event,  documentary films, a Winter farmers market, concerts featuring local and national musicians, and more. Islanders have utilized the hall for birthdays, weddings, memorials, potlucks, 4H meetings, dance classes, plays, art workshops, community meetings, community Thanksgiving dinners, an annual women's coffeehouse, and many other events. There is nary an islander who has not attended an event at the Grange.

Current efforts are focused on maintenance and restoration projects so the hall may be preserved for generations to come.  Recent projects that have been completed are: a full exterior paint job,  upgrades to the water system, foundation repair, installation of energy-efficient heat pumps, and insulation and weatherization of the entire building.