A plaque on your restored chair. Only $650 for a limited time!
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In 1964, we lost all but 10 of our dining room chairs to a catastrophic flood. Our board member Ron Fox, who tragically passed away in 2020, made it his personal mission to lead the charge to restore the remaining dining chairs and to build historically-accurate reproductions to replace the remainder.
A flood of problems...
Since all the dining room chairs were lost when the 1964 flood came through the Chateau dining room - and similar chairs are not available for purchase - our wonderful long time board member, Ron Fox, developed this plan. We lost Ron to a massive heart attack in September of 2020. In his honor we want to fill the dining room with these wonderful chairs.
The A-frame Dining chairs that did survive ended up stripped of most of their finish. They were eventually repaired and restored to their original appearance.
The Friends are working with members of the Siskiyou Woodcraft Guild and local artists to create remarkable replacement chairs. Each will be finished with an authentic Monterey finish as the original chairs. This is an exciting opportunity to leave a legacy, honor a family member and contribute to the authentic restoration of the Chateau.
Because of its location within the narrow Caves Creek Canyon, the Chateau has twice endured significant flooding: first in 1936, then again in 1964.
The 1964 flood caused the structure to shift slightly on its foundation, but with amazing engineering the Chateau was gradually stabilized and they were able to open on time in May. The windows were broken out on the dining floor to let the built up ice and snow travel through the lodge.
Not only did all the dining room furniture go down the canyon but the Chateau's first floor gave way so that water and debris inundated the three basements. The resulting damage necessitated removal of the coffee shop's oak parquet floor and the maple dance floor in the dining room. Special woods were ordered to match the original walls on this floor and the first floor above it. Much of both floors had to be carpeted, and the stairway balustrades had to be replaced through careful doweling by hand.
Sponsor a Chair
When you sponsor a chair, we'll commemorate your gift with a personalized plaque.
Your donation is securely processed by our donor management company, Little Green Light. Friends OCAC does not see or store your financial information.