A nonprofit working to restore the dilapidated Santiam Pass Ski Lodge west of Sisters was recently awarded a $20,000 state grant to launch the restoration effort.

Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge, founded by Salem couple Dwight and Susan Sheets, is relying on grants and private donations to cover the potential $2 million to $3 million cost to renovate the historic lodge, which has sat empty for more than three decades.

The couple signed a five-year permit from the U.S. Forest Service in May to begin work on the lodge, which opened in 1940 across from the Hoodoo Ski Area on U.S. Highway 20 in the Willamette National Forest.

The grant from the State Historic Preservation Office represents the first step in funding the five-year project.

Within five years, the Sheetses hope the lodge will be available for daytime visits. There are no plans for overnight guests at the lodge.

When the five-year permit expires, the Sheetses will use another operational permit to continue restoring the lodge, which sits on 26 acres near the top of Santiam Pass on Forest Service property.

“We are hoping within the third year, we can have the bottom level opened to the public so they can come in and see the lodge and see what is happening,” said Dwight Sheets, a former music teacher.

For now, the Sheetses plan to use the historic preservation grant to replace the lodge’s 75 wood sash windows that are broken and boarded up. When the lodge was last open in the 1980s, the windows gave visitors a clear view of the surrounding mountains.

Replacing the windows is a priority because that will allow fresh air and sunlight in the lodge, the Sheetses said.

“We are really working to get that done as soon as possible so people can come in and walk through and feel comfortable,” Dwight Sheets said.

Other priorities this year are to add electricity and water to the lodge and remove modern additions such as an unnecessary staircase, hallway and an open area near the entrance.

The Sheetses sent out multiple grant applications, and hope to hear back about other grant awards in August. The additional grants would fund removing the additions to the lodge, which would create a huge visual transformation, the couple said.

“Our plans are to take it back to its original look when it was first built in the 1940s,” Dwight Sheets said. “We are moving forward everyday. I really believe we are going to get those additions off this year. And we are working hard to get electricity and water to the lodge.”

The lodge has sat vacant since 1986, when it was used by a church group. The Forest Service did not approve any permits until this year.

The lodge was built between 1939 and 1940 by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It stayed open for 46 years and attracted thousands of year-round guests who visited during ski trips, summer camps and hikes over Santiam Pass.

Forest Service employees have kept an eye on the property, addressing acts of vandalism and repairing the roof in 2002.

The Forest Service recognizes the historic value of the lodge and nominated it to the National Register of Historic Places. The historic nomination focuses on the lodge, an adjacent garage and a short ski trail. It highlights the lodge’s rustic architectural style of the era.

Longtime Oregon residents have fond memories of visiting the lodge. Many residents have reached out to the Sheetses in recent months to offer help or information about the lodge.

Susan Sheets, a former music teacher, said she and her husband welcome the outpouring of interest. She assures people they are sticking with the project for the long haul.

The lodge is coming back, she said.

“It really is happening,” Susan Sheets said. “It’s a slow start, but behind the scenes, there has been a lot of work.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, kspurr@bendbulletin.com