Cheney's traveling bandstand

When work begins later this spring on rehabilitating Sutton Park's gazebo, residents shouldn't just look at it as an effort to preserve a popular location for concerts, movies and other events in Cheney.

Residents should look at it as an effort to preserve a piece of history - history stretching all the way back to late 19th, early 20th century Coeur d'Alene.

The gazebo came to Cheney from the grounds of Fort Wright College in Spokane, being reassembled by community members and reopened after a dedication ceremony in 1984. It has seen much use since then, and that along with weather has led to noticeable deterioration.

The main issue the city is dealing with right now is the foundation, City Administrator Mark Schuller said. The original concrete footings and associated wood posts supporting the structure are virtually at ground level, leading to rotting of the wood and a leaning of the structure to the east side of the park located across Seventh Street from Eastern Washington University.

There are wood slats along the under side of the gazebo that need replacing, the wood decking has holes and gashes and damaged planks and supporting beams on the under side of the roof need shoring up. The railing could also stand to be replaced, and moss on the top of the roof removed.

Those latter issues can be done in time. What's most important, Schuller said, lies underneath.

"The big thing is foundational," he said. "It's to shore up the integrity of the structure."

The city has been working with a contractor on plans to do that, the first of which entails pouring new concrete on top of the existing footings to raise the supporting pad. New posts would then sit above ground level and further from the elements.

Once that is done, the scope of work includes adding additional support to the roof. If there's time after that, Schuller said the city could have a "community work project" to replace the decking, which would be wood-based to maintain the historic nature of the structure.

That history stretches back to late 19th-century Coeur d'Alene, where according to information provided by Cheney -much of which came from the Fort Wright College Historical Museum -it began as a structure situated near the commandant's residence at Fort Sherman. Documentation indicates the gazebo served as a bandstand, and was eventually moved to Fort Wright in 1930 where it was used by the U.S. Army's 4th Army band.

That practice was discontinued in 1950 and the structure sat dormant. In 1977, a group at Fort Wright undertook restoration efforts, and after a campaign raising the needed $6,000 for the work, reopened the gazebo in a July 19, 1978 dedication ceremony.

The belief the structure was used as a bandstand at Fort Sherman is politely contested in a Sept. 6, 1977 letter from restoration supporter and former Coeur d'Alene resident Ellen Lee. Because of its location near the commandant's residence at the edge of the fort near the lake and away from the central parade grounds, Lee speculated it was probably used "as a little pleasure pavilion where officers' ladies in their long skirts and their uniformed escorts could enjoy picnics, dancing or watching sunsets, or the paths of moonlight on the lake at night."

The gazebo in Sutton Park still fulfills that purpose somewhat today. Schuller said it's the "cornerstone of the park," serving as a location for concerts, movies and picnics. It's also a site for weddings, three scheduled so far this year.

Besides the foundation, roof and decking, Schuller said railing could be purchased pre-cut to allow for faster installation, and the Cheney Youth Commission has already received a $300 grant to purchase paint for the structure. The city has the funds for the project, which would be a combination of park mitigation fees along with Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) funding.

"We have the money to do it right," Schuller said. "This is really a popular place."

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.