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The Community Hall is three stories tall and the largest building in town. The building is a balloon-style Victorian vernacular wooden building. Large fifty-foot beams sit on eight-foot posts. As well, internal support is provided by 12 x 12 posts. Wells Centennial Hall
"The building is very large -- 15,969 square feet. The main floor (7537 square feet) includes a large gymnasium with bleacher seating, entrance lobby, offices, bar, and storage rooms, and a proscenium arch, raked stage with dressing rooms. The main gymnasium area is lit by rows of many-light window above the bleachers. The downstairs (7537 square feet) includes men’s and women’s washrooms, showers and locker rooms, two club rooms, 2 banquet rooms (1 has been converted to the community’s library), furnace room and janitor’s suite and storage areas. There is a mezzanine across the front of the building that was originally a reading and billiards room, but has more recently been converted to a ballet studio." Friends of Wells Community Hall
Wells Centennial Hall The community hall is impressive mostly for its size rather than style, which is fairly typical and utilitarian. The hall is located on commercial Sanders Street, and from the back the size is more apparent because it drops down from the street level on an incline. "It is striking for its size, the symmetry of its form; the placement of windows and carpenter gothic detailing." (Iredale, Jennifer. Wells, B.C. A Proposal for Heritage Conservation. p.49)

The main hall is spacious room with a delightful, curved Victorian wooden stage at one end. The maple floor adds real charm and style to the huge hall. The hall was equipped for sports of all kinds, there were pool tables and even a rifle range in the basement which extended the length of one end of the building and had reinforced, thick walls.

Ed Richardson describes the community hall in the following letter dated January 18, 1938:

"The Wells Townsite Company has just finished construction of a large Community Hall. The main floor is 50 by 66 feet with a large stage at one end, seating capacity for 400 people on each side and by the entrance way are the cloak rooms and gymnasium equipment room. Upstairs is a reading room and billiard room complete with a fine full size table. In the basement are the men's and ladies' lounge rooms, banquet room, kitchen, club room, men's and ladies' shower rooms, rifle range, furnace room amd janitor's room. The building is heated by hot air with forced circulation, the insulation being sufficient to heat the building to 70 degree inside with an outside temperature of 40 degrees below zero. To make this possible the entire building has been heavily insulated." (Iredale, Jennifer. Wells, B.C. A Proposal for Heritage Conservation. p.26)
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Last updated 1 March 1999.
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