The building known as the White Drum, located at 46 West Orange Road, was recently demolished. The building had become a landmark over the years and was often featured on postcards. Many have memories of the beloved restaurant.

“It was an unusual art deco building designed by Alfred Gass of Greenfield,” said Allen Young, author of “North of Quabbin Revisited: A Guide to Nine Massachusetts Towns North of Quabbin Reservoir.” Young wrote about the building in the architecture section of his book.

The White Drum was located at the spot once occupied by The Waffle Shoppe, which was constructed in 1923. The Orange Enterprise and Journal described the restaurant in the following way: “The Waffle Shoppe has grown in popularity each year since it was built and motorists from all over the country have enjoyed its hospitality and excellent service. Its business has increased each year with the result that it enjoyed recognition comparable to the Sweetheart Inn in Shelburne Falls and the Buttercup Tea Room in Lunenburg.”

According to the Orange Enterprise and Journal, The Waffle Shoppe burned down on Dec. 22, 1933.

The White Drum opened on July 20, 1934. In a description of the new building in the Orange Enterprise and Journal of Sept. 6, 1934, the restaurant had two dining rooms along with the kitchen. The article also described it as having “massive timbers [that] extend over the main dining room, all taken from an old mill [that] was recently dismantled in Springfield. Eight of these beams, which are 12 by 16 feet, weigh 8 tons and had to be hoisted to their places by derricks.”

The project contractor for the building was Alfred Gass of Greenfield. Wards Store in Orange provided the linen and draperies, Spooner Brothers of Orange installed plumbing and heating, Hales Electrical Shop in Orange did the electrical wiring and Harold McDonald of Athol provided the lighting fixtures.

In its later years the building housed several other restaurants including the King Sing in the 1980s. Clare Green of Warwick, a former preschool and kindergarten teacher, has memories of taking her Warwick kindergarten class there for a field trip.

“The field trip coincided with our school-wide themed study of Asian countries,” she said. “We had a wonderful meal, a fabulous time. Each child also received chopsticks to use, a placemat with the Chinese zodiac featured and a fortune cookie. The owners were so welcoming and accommodating to our class of 10 kindergarten students. They really enjoyed themselves. I remember the class having so much fun conversing around the table, besides eating.”

The large longleaf yellow pine beams that were used in the building are being reclaimed by T.S. Mann Lumber Co. of Athol as part of the company’s reclaimed wood business.

“The beams will be cleaned up to see how they look and then we will wait for a customer who is interested in the beams or a customer who wants the beams sawed into different sizes or boards,” said Thomas Mann, of T.S. Mann Lumber Co.

Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.