Announcing "A Past For Our Future," Scanning Watson Price Barn, and Asking "Will There be a There There?"

[Brandon Spencer-Hartle]

The Historic Preservation League of Oregon couldn't be more excited to announce the publication of a special booklet chronicling the history of the preservation movement in Oregon. A Past For Our Future is a 16-page account of Oregon's preservation spirit authored by noted preservationist and 2011 George McMath Historic Preservation Award recipient Elisabeth Walton Potter. First delivered lecture-style at the 1997 Governor's Conference on Historic Preservation, Walton Potter's booklet provides a refreshing look back on Oregon's preservation pioneers and highlights the critical legislation that has made preservation in our state uniquely viable. In the coming month, 100 copies of A Past For Our Future will be distributed to libraries, historical societies, and universities across Oregon and a digital version will be made available on the University of Oregon's online library. In celebration of the booklet's printing and this being the League's 35th birthday year, the HPLO will be holding a reception at Salem's Mission Mill on the afternoon of Saturday April 28th. Save the date and look for details on the website in the weeks to come.

And, of course, there's lots of current preservation news to share this week. Here's this week's Friday Preservation Roundup:

Astoria. John Goodenberger writes about the preservation of the Holmes Residence in the Coast River Business Journal.

Baker City. A proposal to mine dredge tailings left from the '30s, '40s, and '50s may change the landscape around the beloved Sumpter Dredge. 

Cascade Crossing. PGE is holding a series of open houses next week to discuss the planned Cascade Crossing transmission project, something the HPLO is following closely with the encouragement of PGE. 

Douglas County. More covered bridges are up for repair. 

Estacada. A new book on Barton, Eagle Creek, Currinsville, George, Porter, Fanton, Garfield, Viola, Springwater, and, obviously, Estacada, is out. 

Grants Pass. The Oregonian featured a great article about the digitization of turn-of-the-century photos of Southern Oregon. 

Jacksonville. Everybody is getting ready for the March 16th Preservation Roundtable on "Oregon's Historic Masonry Buildings" and we hope to see you there, too, if you live, work, or play in any of Southern Oregon's downtown districts. 

Penny Lane. John Lennon and Paul McCartney's childhood houses have been officially designated as historic places by the British government... George and Ringo's, however, didn't make the cut. 

Philomath. The HPLO is partnering with i-TEN Associates to document the Watson Price Barn, a 2011 Most Endangered Place, with a new tool: laser scan (article page 1 and page 2) 

Portland. The Custom House has sold for $4.7 million (and, yes, the identity of the buyer is a mystery to us too), the O features Old Portland Hardware and Architectural, the Architectural Heritage Center's historic building app content keeps expanding, a panel discussion on resilience in Old Town/Chinatown is scheduled for March 9 (members of the HPLO's Roundtable taskforce will be there), and all friends of preservation are encouraged to go to Tuesday's candidate forum on design/preservation, Wednesday's State of Preservation in Portland presentation at City Hall, and Sunday's HPLO conversation on "Will there be a there there?"

Salem. While finishing touches are put on the new/rehabilitated Oregon State Hospital, locals have many questions about the fate of the historic buildings on the yet-to-be-redeveloped north half of the campus. 

With so many statewide events coming up in the next couple weeks, we hope to see you at a candidate debate, on a building tour, or at an HPLO program soon. Today's images come from A Past For Our Future, which features several people and places pivotal to Oregon's early preservation movement. My favorite of the booklet's images is this one from 1971, featuring, from left to right, Rod Porter (State Highway Engineer and Liaison Officer); Thomas Vaughan (Executive Director of the Oregon Historical Society); Lewis L. McArthur (Industrial Historian); Wallace Kay Huntington (Landscape Architect); Governor Tom McCall; and Ron Schmidt (Assistant to the Governor). The photo shows the swearing in of the first appointees to the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (Marion Dean Ross, Dr. Thomas Newman, Dorothy Johansen, and George A. McMath were also appointed to the Committee, but were not present for this photo). Keep sending us news and events from around the state and make sure to get out and see some historic places in the week ahead!