October 17, 2007

Hood River Middle School auditorium dedication and open house will be Oct. 22, 7-8 p.m.

The community is invited to see the renovated auditorium, a 1927 building listed on the National Historic Registry.

Restoration work, following last winter’s storm damage, cost about $800,000.

Principal Bob Dais will present a slide show and overview of the project. Nina Olsson, art conservator, will tell how she and her team restored the Percy Manser mural over the auditorium stage. Olsson will also give a brief history of the mural.

On Jan. 15, a large windstorm hit the Hood River area, causing a malfunction in the heating system in the building, causing pipes to freeze. When they burst, more than 8,000 gallons of water filled the hall, damaging the plaster, flooring, and the mural.

The auditorium has been under reconstruction ever since. Cleanup began immediately, with the help of Hood River Fire Department.