FAITH HALL

Ethete, Wyoming

Design Team: Kurt Dubbe, AIA; John Fabian

Faith Hall was built in the 30s and is part of what is known as St. Michael’s mission. Founded by Reverend John Roberts with the permission of Shoshone Chief Washakie in the thirties, it is a stone building and was a community center, and remains so to this day. It is located in Ethete, Wyoming on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The mission was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1971.

DMA had been doing some pro bono work with both the Northern Arapaho Tribe, and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, most of it being preservation-related. Subsequently, we were contacted by the northern Arapaho Tribal Council in providing some historic preservation assistance at Faith Hall.

All buildings are organized in a large circle called the "circle of life" and were created through the Episcopal mission at the time. They comprise of administrative buildings, housing, stores, and Faith Hall, the community center. It includes a gymnasium, lockers, and meeting rooms, and was run down. But the Northern Arapaho Tribe wanted to keep this large stone structure.

The first aspect of our role was to provide technical preservation assistance in identifying the most pressing, which were stabilization challenges of the building, including the roof. DMA then prepared a presentation plan for the roof.

We also assisted the Northern Arapaho Tribe in applying for a federal historic preservation grant, which they were successful in getting.

We collaborated on engaging a qualified contractor in Lander, Wyoming, with whom we have worked on other non-related projects. Our role, then, was to stabilize the structure to mothball it, and install the new roof visible on the photographs above.

Since the project completion, Faith Hall has been reinstated into service as a community center while still undergoing volunteer work to improve the building.