Six plates lost at Shack

But ‘dozens’ of the historic pottery pieces saved for use in the new complex, the developer says.Some half-dozen of the decorative crockery plates that festooned the original Pottery Shack complex could not be salvaged when the last remaining original building was demolished this week, raising questions about the fate of the Depression-era items.

But “dozens” of plates have been removed and stored for future use at the complex, which is being redeveloped, said Leslie Cunningham, a spokeswoman for the developer, Brooks Street LLC.

“The plates were too high and could not be reached,” Cunningham said. “Dozens of plates from the front as well as the rear were carefully removed and packed away for future use on site. The quantity [of plates] far exceeds the number that can be reapplied.”

The half-dozen that could not be saved are duplicates of others, Cunningham added.

Area resident Rik Lawrence has been watching the construction progress at the site and noticed that plates were left on the building. Lawrence took photos Wednesday showing a worker ripping up the roofing while the plates were still in place.

“That’s not an acceptable answer,” Lawrence said of the response by the developer. “The Heritage Committee wanted them to save all the plates possible.”

The plates will be used to decorate the new complex and will also be part of a historic exhibit at the site. Other original materials were also salvaged for the redevelopment, and the historic statue of Eiler Larsen, Laguna’s Greeter, will be restored and put in place.

In other Pottery Shack news, Cunningham said about 50 names have been submitted to a contest to find a new name for the retail complex, which will not be able to retain the Pottery Shack moniker when it reopens in February.