Bayside Community Revitalization Project:
Temperance Hall Repair, Restoration,
and Site Improvements
Fast Forward Summary
Built in 1882 by the Good Templars, Bayside’s Temperance Hall has served the community for 130 years! It has provided space for meetings, live music, worship, community dinners, lecture series, education, celebrations and special events. Many dance classes have been offered here, including square dance, ballet and international folk dance. After the Bayside Grange was chartered in 1932, its members held meetings and events at the Temperance Hall until the large grange hall was built in 1942. The Temperance Hall was owned and maintained by the Bayside Community Association for years until 2013, when the deed and legal ownership of the Hall and property were handed to the local 501(c )3 nonprofit corporation, Bayside Corners. For the past 20 years, the Temperance Hall has been used by Mistwood Educational Center, a private, nonprofit school that provides an extraordinary academic program for grades K-12. Mistwood built a separate building with 2 classrooms and an office next to the Temperance Hall. The Temperance Hall predates the Grange by 60 years and has never been affiliated with a Grange organization. It is located next door to the Bayside Community (Grange) Hall.
After nearly 3 years of a pandemic induced pause, Bayside Corners’ board and volunteers are resuming quarterly meetings and have made the repair and restoration of the Hall and property improvements its priority project.
The Project: Building Repair and Property Improvements
For the Hall to be a useful asset to the community, much work is required. Repair and painting the Hall exterior has already begun. An underground drainage system is needed to keep rainwater away from the building. We need a new foundation and roof, and upgraded electrical system, bathrooms, and small kitchen. Many other projects such as restoring windows and floors will be included in the Building Master Plan.
Fundraising events, business sponsorships, pro bono professional services, and volunteer work parties will help to cover the costs to repair and restore this historic community center. We’ve identified federal grants that provide matching funds for rural and historical facilities. These grants can help us to double the funds raised by local community support.
The History: Why the Bayside Temperance Hall was originally built
In the early 19th Century, there were few alternatives to saloons and pubs for socializing. Bayside, like many western towns and logging communities, was affected by high levels of alcohol consumption. The temperance movement spread throughout the U.S. and Europe between 1800 and 1933. It helps to understand that the concern about the problems caused by alcoholism to families, workplace productivity, and the community was in some ways similar to the impact of the current opioid crisis for many rural communities. The Templars built the Hall as an alternative to saloons for families and neighbors to gather.
The Future: You’re Invited to Join
If you are experienced in construction, upgrading historic structures, or improving building performance, we invite you to join the Building Committee to review the Master Plan and contractors’ proposals and to advise the board.
Are you good at throwing big parties? Let’s bring Bayside folks together and show them a good time for upcoming fundraising events. wplanners needed!
Are you good at financial or project management, social media & website posting, photography, research, or writing?
This property has been neglected. Landscape design and maintenance are needed to beautify Bayside’s centerpiece.
With the help of Cal Poly Humboldt interns, we are researching and preparing maps for Bayside Walking and Bike Tours. Interns will need a Bayside liaison and neighborhood advisor.
We have a large, heavy fundometer and need a skilled carpenter to build a brace for it so that it will be visible outside to update everyone on our progress toward the $100,000 goal.
PRESS RELEASE
FROM THE MAD RIVER UNION, June 23, 2022:
BAYSIDE – Bouncing back from COVID, Bayside Corners is reactivating with a call for volunteers. While grant proposals are pending, volunteers and in-kind materials and services are needed to repair and restore the 1882 Temperance Hall and beautification and improvement projects at the corner of Old Arcata and Jacoby Creek roads.
According to Bayside Corners President MaggieGainer, “with the gradual deterioration of Bayside’s historic center, many residents and motorists speeding through can’t even visualize that it can be more attractive – providing a sense of entry into an historic district.”
“Our small nonprofit aims to make the improvements needed to beautify Bayside’s central space with the county’s mangled chain link fence, weeds, and drainage ditches,” Gainer said.
Mistwood Educational Center, the school that has used the historic building for many years, has become a helpful partner with fundraising for repairs, restoration and beautification. Bayside Corners urges community members to join and support the project.
Working with a landscape architect, Bayside Corners will soon invite Bayside residents to join a brainstorm process with their ideas – trees, shrubs, picnic tables and benches, pollinator patches, improve drainage, etc. – to envision a more useful and attractive space. It has been a longstanding tradition in Bayside for residents to pull together for community improvements.
Donations of supplies, expertise, financial contributions and volunteer time are needed. To learn more and get involved, email baysidecorners@gmail.com.