On September 14, 2024, we hosted a successful fundraising auction for Manna Food Bank organized by friends at local wood supply store Cormark. Many of our woodworkers donated artwork to the cause. Little did we know that our gallery would be completely underwater in 13 days, along with Manna’s warehouses along the Swannanoa River.

Titled a “once in 1000-year storm,” Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage to many areas of western North Carolina. In the River Arts District, the French Broad River crested over 24 feet. Our building is pictured above; others were completely demolished by the immense force of the water and swiftly flowing debris.

When the floodwaters receded, our woodshop and gallery were a mess of crumbling walls, damaged artwork, and destroyed equipment. Everything inside had been tossed about in the rushing water and was either broken, swept downstream, or covered in a thick layer of noxious mud.

With the gallery entrance collapsed and missing walls in the back studios, we were unsure if our building would be condemned.

Together we worked with woodworkers, friends, and volunteers to clear the gallery and retrieve as many artworks and tools as possible from the wreckage.

Hundreds of artworks were recovered from the rubble. We spent weeks cleaning and cataloging items to be returned to the artists.

We were relieved to find out that our building was cleared for rebuild and restoration. More than 100 volunteers from near and far helped us shovel mud and tear everything down to the studs.

As weeks turned into months, cleanup efforts made steady progress.

This massive pile in front of our building isn’t even everything we pulled out!

While we cleaned out our space, something exciting was in the works. The disaster relief organization Operation Blessing was committed to getting us up and running again as soon as possible. They began construction on a temporary woodshop and gallery just minutes away from our original building.

Tent construction finished right before Christmas. We celebrated this big step forward by re-hanging our recovered gallery sign.

The area around our tent was cleared, railings were rebuilt, and trees planted. The greenery was a welcome sight!

Meanwhile, volunteers and Foundation Woodworks woodworkers partnered to make significant progress in our original building just up the street. Over the course of two weeks our gallery facade and exterior walls were reconstructed.

Spring of 2025 you will be able to visit Foundation Woodworks again in our temporary location on Riverside Drive (former location of Pleb winery)

We are moving along reconstructing our original 17 Foundy St location every week with the help of volunteers. Want to join? Send us an email: foundationwoodworks@gmail.com.