WA_Scouter

Thank you for your sentiments. The really frustrating thing about our particular situation is that we could have it all. Build a new utilitarian kitchen and rest rooms off the back corner and keep the historic lodge, the beautiful main hall so many have occupied over the last 83 years, intact. In addition, the BSA could gain a lot of respect from the local community that does not want to see this historical landmark demolished. We are still actively searching for other old Boy Scout camp lodges/dining halls. The more we look, the more special and unique our Finch Lodge appears to be. We have found a couple of less grand Scout Lodges but neither is currently operated by BSA. One is now part of a state park in Wyoming. The other, in Chahalis, Wa, was built in 1938 by WPA as a shared community and Boy Scout center. Never really a camp lodge. We have been told that there is a 1950's vintage, architect designed dining hall, "Coral Rock Dining Hall" at Ben Delatour Scout Ranch in Colorado. That council had the vision to renovate it a few years ago, including a state-of-the-art kitchen. There may be other great lodges out there that are not represented on the WEB. We'd like to know about them.

I am helping to research the history of our councils great historic camp lodge. Finch Lodge was designed by Washington States official architect, Julius Zittel and built during the summer of 1923 at Camp Cowles Scout Camp, Diamond Lake, Washington. Mr. Zittel designed numerous houses, cathedrals and institutional buildings in this region from the 1890s through the 1920s. Our lodge is 70 feet wide and 60 feet deep. It was built with a screened porch meant for dining, a kitchen and a great hall with a large stone fireplace at each end. A balcony with a gothic influenced railing runs around the main hall. Does anyone know of any other great old Boy Scout Camp lodges still owned and used by the Boy Scouts? Do you know if refurbishment or rehabilitation has been done on any? We know we have a very special, unique lodge and wonder how many other special lodges of the same time period (or earlier) are still being used by Scouts. There are a few then and now pictures at www.savefinchlodge.com if anyone is interested.