By Haley Grinder
Special to the Pioneer
The Village of Radium Hot Springs will be the new home for the treehouse-inspired architectural masterpiece, Woodcarver Park: Home of a Thousand Faces. With hopes to complete the community park by winter 2022, it will pay tribute to Radium’s very own Rolf Heer, a quirky, yet lovable former resident who grew to become an iconic staple of the Village — equipped with his signature red wizard hat and assorted robes to match.
“It’s going to be part of the greeting into the valley. Radium has always been the gateway, and we pride ourselves in that,” says Doug McIntosh, Director of The Radium Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Radium. “[We’re what] people perceive when they come from the north and the east.” The park will be a welcome addition to the recent artwork installed in April.
President of Radium Village Arts and Culture Society, Valerie Bracken, led the official park plan launch on the afternoon of June 1, excitedly pulling down the blue tarps to unveil designs for the two story wooden gem.
The society was established in Oct. 2020, specifically to manage the Woodcarver Park venture, though it will be tackling new projects in the future.
Rolf Heer was a welcoming figurehead for Radium Hot Springs. He was once coined, the “wizard who guarded the crack in the mountain,” otherwise known as the famed entrance from the east: Sinclair Canyon. Giving off an eclectic first impression, Heer was “very authentic, and the most honest person I’ve ever met,” says Bracken. “He’s the pillar of self-expression.”
Originally from Switzerland, Heer loved Radium for the familiarity that arose from the picturesque valley, vast mountains, and smell of fresh air.
The treehouse was actually a motel when Heer first bought the property. However, his passion was not rooted in business. Rather, in the art of woodcarving— transforming wood’s jagged inconsistencies into lifelike, “friendly” faces. Thus, the Home of a Thousand Faces was born, showcasing a variety of handmade carvings of bearded men, a rooftop parade of goats, and even a wooden replica of the Flintstone’s tractor to boot. The uniquely eclectic spot even earned Heer a feature on popular television series “Weird Homes.”
After a fire destroyed Heer’s hard work in Nov. 2018, the frozen ashes of the iconic Home of a Thousand Faces, became a cherished memory for those lucky enough to remember it.
Already a work in progress, Radium’s Chamber planned this official memorialization prior to Heer passing from cancer in July 2020.
Erin Palashniuk, president of Radium Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Radium, stresses how grateful they are for Heer donating his land to the town. The board “felt that it was important to include people that knew Rolf to build his vision for the park,” in order to best honour his memory.
In charge of the architectural designs were Rich and Valerie Bassett of Bassett’s Associates Landscape Architecture Inc. Although only meeting Heer in passing a few times, they worked closely with Heer’s many friends, the Radium Chamber, Radium Village Staff, and Council members to manifest the vision Heer would have wanted.
“The main goal is to build a gathering space for people to be outdoors,” says Bracken. “It’s a place for families to reconnect. A place for music to be played and art shows [or] art lessons,” adding that the society even wants to host a wood carving festival in the future.
Showcasing a vivid reincarnation of Heer’s legacy, the park will boast an eye-catching, wooden treehouse, visible from Highway 93. Its roof will resemble Heer’s iconic wizard hat, and comes complete with a lookout point for visitors and residents alike to enjoy a spectacular view of the mountains. A grassy, open area will be located out front, lined with a “river” of stumps of various sizes for sitting or children to play on. Washrooms and a covered picnic area will also be present, overlooked by an honorary metal outline of a goat.
Known for his unexpected whims, such as water guns scattered sporadically throughout his own treehome, the park will also host an “unexpected adventure play area,” with a slide winding through the trees and a surplus of wooden logs for the children to climb scattered throughout. “We had many visions for the park before Val and Rich [Bassett] were involved, but nothing compared to this,” says Bracken.
Located beside St. Joseph’s Church— where Rolf was interred— those curious as to what the park will look like can see the plans face-to-face on the two boards out front, adjacent to Highway 93 and Madsen road.
The project will cost approximately $1.1 million to complete, although a small portion of those funds will be designated for the park’s maintenance post launch. Bracken says the society will spend just over a year fundraising prior to its construction, which is projected to begin July 2022.
Citizens of Radium have also been helping build the park benches and picnic tables for the park, creating a stronger sense of community within the area.
Although Heer’s modesty had him deny the label “artist” to visitors, his sheer talent was undeniable, leaving behind a legacy that even the hottest fire can not burn out.
For more information on the Woodcarver Park: Home of a Thousand Faces project and means of donating, visit: https://radiumarts.ca/projects/woodcarver-park/.
