New Tenants move into the Castle

The noise of people at work sawing and pounding nails next door at the Pythian Castle is the sound of something coming that is exciting.

 The Castle, which is owned by the Weiser Architectural Preservation Committee, is undergoing modest interior renovations. 

 When it’s done, it will become the new home for the Bee Tree Folk School and a venue for live music, exhibits, events and classes for all ages. 

 The principals behind the folk school and the Pythian Castle project, Dennis and Sandy Cooper, told me it’s a little early to do a feature story on the transformation. They would rather get a bit further along  in the renovation.

 The Bee Tree Folk School has been located at Billings Gym on the Intermountain Institute grounds, where with much volunteer effort, a performing space called the “grotto” was created in the basement.

 The plan was to buy the building, and the location made sense with the nearby Hooker Hall and museum and the annual fiddle contest. For whatever reasons that are now immaterial, the deal didn’t happen and the school has found a new location in downtown Weiser.

 A member of the WAPC told me that the details of the lease on the Castle are still being worked out, but the arrangement is “truly a good fit.” The Castle will get the “love” it deserves as perhaps the most inconic building in Weiser.

 The Castle’s interior was, shall we say, a little rustic and lacked some amenities. A local firm has already installed a heating and air conditioning system. There are two new handicap accessible bathrooms under construction right now.

 The demolition work on the ground floor has been proceeding with caution and with the intent to reuse whatever wood and materials were salvagable. 

 The ground floor is getting the most work done. Eventually, the Bee Tree Folk School would like to utilize the upstairs in the Castle. It’s a unique space upstairs, configured almost like a chapel.

 As I look at the old Castle every day, I think it  might have been fun to hang out with the Knights of Pythias when they were an active and secretative fraternal organization decades ago.

 I’ve seen the artifacts they had upstairs in the Castle – swords and spears and other accouterments of medieval fun. I forget if there was a coat of armor. It must have been a wild initiation into the club for new members.

 All of those artifacts went to the Weiser museum, also known as the Snake River Heritage Center, for safekeeping and display. You can check them out whenever the museum is open.

 As I have said before, the more things that are going on downtown, the better it is for the community. 

 The Castle’s new tenant will bring people downtown and visitors to the community for events. We will all benefit from the additional cultural offerings. 

 There will be folksy music and the sound of applause once again in the century-old Castle. Unlike 100 years ago, there will not be any sword-fighting or knights jousting, I’m told.

 Steve Lyon is the editor of the Weiser Signal American. Contact him at scoop@signalamerican.org