The following is an excerpt from the Whistler Museum Archives: The Story of the Toad Hall Poster:
“Toad Hall was slated for demolition later that summer (1973). One sunny spring day, whoever was milling about was asked to convene out front with their ski gear, but wearing nothing else. The photographer, Chris Speedie, orchestrated the photo simply to provide residents with a memento before Toad Hall met its demise. The completely uninhibited and playful posing perfectly captured the spirit of the times…”
I was greatly dismayed to learn that 51 years after the iconic photo was taken the original Toad Hall is slated for demolition, furthermore, at the hands of a developer and with the blessing of the Resort Municipality of Whistler (Pique, Sept. 25, “Whistler council supports plan to demolish one of the community’s oldest buildings”)!
If Mayor Jack Crompton has “deep roots in Whistler” they are certainly not planted on the west side of Nita Lake where the building is still standing.
Perhaps he might reach out to the original Toad Hall poster folks, their descendants and the Whistler community as a whole to join him wearing only skis and boots for one more memorable photo. Skis are optional.
The developer may be so moved and shamed that they will convert the home into a Valley Trail historical attraction.
Sarcasm aside, Whistler is drastically different from what it was in the ’70s. The Gebhart/Hillman house may not be architecturally significant but it most certainly represents the spirit of those times and that of the people who built it and lived it. If we are to preserve the memory of that era we must preserve the building.
“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.” -Robert Heinlein
