When the local boy scouts struck upon the idea of building themselves a suitable meeting place, the community rallied behind them, obtaining funds from the I.E.R.A. The I.E.R.A. was phased out in late 1935 and replaced by the WPA, which, in 1936, provided further funds for the building's completion.
In 1942, with the construction of Farragut Naval Training Base south of Sandpoint, the hall was leased by the Y.M.C.A. for use as a U.S.O. club for the sailors from the base. When, in 1944, the U.S.O. decided that they needed more room, another wing was added to the hall at a cost of $11,000. With that, the hall was complete.
The Sandpoint Community Hall is one of the first buildings a visitor sees as he follows the curve of Highway 95 into Sandpoint from the south. The low log building sits on a spacious First Avenue lot across the street from the Bonner County Courthouse. The lawn, trees, and evergreen shrubs soften the lines of the hall while annual flowers provide bright spots of color during the summer months. The original portion of the one-story Community Hall is basically rectangular in plan, with two small ells facing the front (east) and a much larger one projecting at the center rear. The five-bay symmetrical façade is flanked by the two ells, whose gable roofs are slightly lower than the ridge of the main gable. Centered in the façade is a shallow front porch whose gable roof mirrors those of the ells but at an even lower level.
The use of logs as the primary building material for the original part of the hall reflects the logging economy of this North Idaho town and the popularity of the Rustic Style in the WPA period . Logs are used commonly in vernacular buildings in rural areas but are rarely found in architect-designed public buildings in towns. These logs are peeled tamarack, about 9 to 13 inches in diameter, left completely round and joined at the corners with an uncommon V- notch. Four- to six-inch gaps between the logs are filled with a sand-based chinking. This chinking is not obvious on the exterior, however, since the walls are painted solid brown.
The idea behind the Community Hall originated with the local Boy Scout organization early in 1935. It was difficult to find meeting places for the three Sandpoint troops, especially during the winter months, "and for that reason the council decided to build a log cabin for the use of the Boy Scouts and other local groups," reported E. E. Hunt, president of the Bonner County Boy Scout council. Other groups soon became involved and the project became community- wide in scope.
Local support for the building grew quickly. By early February the city had volunteered to create a relief program for the construction of the hall and application was made to the I.E.R.A. for the labor needed for the job. The building committee then launched a drive to raise $3600 in materials and money as the community's share of the project. Most of the money came in small pledges and the effort was finally capped in May with a $1000 donation from the city. The county commissioners donated the lots across from the county courthouse.
Actual construction on the hall began in June 1935. Local architect H. L. Mount joy's plans called for a building of peeled tamarack logs topped with a roof of hand-split shakes. The logs were secured from Humbird Company lands, apparently without charge. I.E.R.A. funds paid for the labor on the building, with the committee having to pay only for the foreman, A. E. Dimmitt. By late September the shell of the hall was done and work proceeding on shingling the roof.
At this point in the construction, however, the I.E.R.A. was phased out and replaced by the W.P.A. It was announced that the hall project would be continued under a W.P.A. setup but the actual changeover took months to complete. In the meanwhile, the new log hall stood boarded up for the winter.
By late February 1936 Jack O'Rourke, W.P.A. administrator for northern Idaho, announced that W.P.A. officials in Washington, D.C. had agreed to fund the rest of the Community Hall project. Funding was provided for labor and for the remainder of the building materials. The city added an additional $500 to cover the cost of the project foreman and skilled carpenters, and construction was underway again.
The Community Hall was finished by early June 1936 and was shown to the public during an open house on June 14. Three days later the grand dedication included speeches and entertainment by the Boy Scouts , Camp Fire Girls and the high school band, followed by dancing to the musicof a local orchestra. Sandpoint could rejoice in the fulfillment of a community dream, although some debts remained to be paid on the $8000 building.
The Community Hall took on a national scope, however, soon after Farragut Naval Training Base was constructed at the southern tip of Lake Pend Oreille in 1942. For the next two years Farragut had a population of about 42,000, making it the largest city in Idaho. In June 1943 the city of Sandpoint leased the Community Hall to the Y.M.C.A. for use as a U.S.O. club. Busloads of sailors came to town every day to relax and socialize in the log meeting hall.
It was during its tenure as a U.S.O. club that the frame wing was added to the south wall of the Community Hall. Early in 1944 the U.S.O. decided that the hall was not adequate for its needs and determined that more room was necessary. The New York office prepared the plans and the Spokane firm of Hazen and Clark was awarded the $11,000 contract in September. The new wing added two large rooms and followed the original design as much as possible.
From the NRHP Nomination Form