The Franz Wilhelmsen Hall will be the name of the main worship area and performance hall in the new Whistler Interfaith Chapel and Meeting Place. "The whole project has changed since we were last before council," Stephen Milstein of the Whistler Skiers Chapel Society told council Monday. The chapel, which will be located between municipal hall and the BrewHouse, will include space for the performing arts, a teen centre, day care, office space, a kitchen, music rooms and community space. The building will have three floors on a 15,000-square-foot footprint. "We don’t think this building is about religion, it’s about spirit," Milstein said. "This building is about people sharing their differences and similarities." Milstein explained the main hall, the place of worship, has been named the Franz Wilhelmsen Hall because it was the late president of Garibaldi Lifts Ltd. who brought the first Skiers Chapel to Whistler. The hall will have seating for up to 300 — fewer for theatre performances — and will offer "recording quality sound." The hall can also be divided in two for more intimate religious services. The licensed day care will be on the middle floor and will have spaces for 22 children. Eighteen spots will be reserved for local children and four for children of visitors. The Whistler-Blackcomb Foundation recently announced it is contributing $400,000 to the cost of building the day care. The lower floor will include a teen area and three or four sound proof music rooms. The building could cost as much as $5 million to build, depending on the final design. Milstein said that in addition to the money the Whistler-Blackcomb Foundation has announced, the society is expecting a donation of between $250,000 and $400,000 from one individual. "When we have the first two donations, then we’ll start knocking on doors," Milstein told council. The society has a list of approximately 600 names of people who have indicated their willingness to contribute to the chapel. A fund-raising event called Alpenglow will be held at the new Roundhouse Lodge on Dec. 5. The chapel society also has a plan to attract donations through an art program. A call will be going out for artists’ proposals for approximately 22 pieces. Donors will be invited to make a donation to pay for the art work, which will remain in the chapel. Donors’ contributions will be recognized in the chapel and on limited reproductions of the original works.
