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It’s a frame-up--and a fine one
By Pat Matuska Bulletin Staff Writer Bulletin photos/ Diane Kulpinski To see a larger version of each picture simply click on the picture. Copyright © 1995 The Bulletin, Bend, Deschutes County, Oregon, October 29, 1995
With a king-size Ronald McDonald looking on, workers raised the framing for a home for patients' families Curious spectators gathered in northeast Bend on Saturday to watch thick timbers, some cut from ponderosa pines that formerly stood in the Mirror Pond parking lots, raised to form the skeleton of Central Oregon’s future Ronald McDonald House. Supporters sponsored timbers for $250 each and bought $10 hardwood pegs which they could sign and pound into the structure themselves. Hundreds of pegs and more than 150 timbers, some measuring 12-by-8 inches in cross section and more than 20 feet long, will form the final timber-framed structure. Project backers chose to use a timber frame, which is held together by oak pegs and joints carved out of the wood, because it will provide a rustic, aesthetically pleasing atmosphere for families staying at the house. It is somewhat more costly than building with nails and two-by-fours, said instructor Mikkel Johansen. But, he added, “This house will last 300 years.” Once completed, the house will provide low-cost or free temporary overnight lodging for families of children receiving medical treatment in Bend. The 7,100-square-foot facility, located just west of St. Charles Medical Center at the corner of NE Neff Road and Purcell Boulevard, will have room for six families. It’s scheduled to open sometime late next year. The community room and lobby portions of the frame went up Saturday. The timbers had been cut and prepared earlier in the week by four instructors and 18 participants in a week-long workshop sponsored by the Timber Framers Guild of North America. The speed of construction from now on will depend upon fund-raising, said Peggy Carey, president of the project’s board of directors. Supporters have about $200,000 left to raise for the $600,000 project. More than 100 timbers remain available for sponsorship.
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