[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2010-06-14

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  Recent Past and Preservation Discussion Set for Portland
2. 1910 Lazinka Sawmill Fired Up!
3.  Egyptian Theatre Listed in National Register of Historic Places
4.  Goodale Trail is Workshop Focus
5.  Chinese Remembering 2010 to be Held in Lewiston


RECENT PAST AND PRESERVATION DISCUSSION SET FOR PORTLAND 

Buildings and residential enclaves from the mid-twentieth century are
reaching and surpassing the 50 year mark, making them widely eligible
for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Yet
preservationists still face a number of challenges, even when advocating
for buildings that can now be recognized as officially "historic." Local
and regional architects, builders, and property owners themselves chose
to adapt national trends to shape a Portland and Oregon mid-century
"identity" that was and remains distinctly different from preceding
styles and trends. There is a critical need to identify, appreciate,
document, and preserve many of these buildings before they disappear, or
are discarded as "unimportant." Improving public awareness, addressing
policies for preservation, promoting sustainable re-use and restoration
and supporting grassroots advocacy will be necessary, if we are to save
our own architectural past. 

This mega-program will be led by Christine Madrid French, Director of
Modernism + Recent Past Program with the National Trust for Historic
Preservation, and Anthea Hartig, Director of the National Trust's
Western Regional Office, in San Francisco. They will be joined by a
cadre of local advocates who continue to call attention to and advocate
for the Mid-Century Modern buildings in our community. 

Saturday June 19, 2010 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Pre-registration is Required
- 503 231-7264 or go online to
http://www.visitahc.org.


1910 LAZINKA SAWMILL FIRED UP!

Discover the region's timber industry of a century ago through this
historic sawmill. The sawdust flies as huge blades whir through massive
pine logs. Learn how logs were worked by hand and saw timber with
antique tools. 
June 19-20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. High Desert Museum (541) 382-4754,
www.highdesertmuseum.org 


COOS BAY THEATER LISTED ON NATIONAL REGISTER

The Egyptian Theatre in downtown Coos Bay is Oregon’s latest entry in
the National Register of Historic Places.

Originally constructed in 1922 as the Motor Inn Garage and Service
Station due to building restrictions in place after World War I, the
building was transformed into the Egyptian Theatre after federal
building restrictions were lifted. The theatre is historically unique in
the preservation of its original décor in the Egyptian Revival style
designed by architect Lee Arden Thomas and artist Carl F. Berg. The
extensive Egyptian-themed interior decorations of the theatre consist of
bronze pharaoh statues, columns painted with hieroglyphics and
Egyptianesque characters, original light fixtures, furnishings,
hand-painted vaudeville flats, and a Wurlitzer pipe organ. While there
have been some alterations to the theatre’s exterior, including the
addition of a neon marquee during the early 1980s, the building’s
interior is essentially unchanged. The building still operates as a
movie theatre.

Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation
recommended the building’s nomination in February 2010. The Egyptian
Theatre joins 20 other historic Coos Bay properties listed in the
National Register, which is maintained by the National Park Service
under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

Cara Kaser, Architectural Historian, State Historic Preservation Office
(503) 986-0784; cara.kaser at state.or.us 
More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings
is online at http://www.oregonheritage.org/ (click on “National
Register” at left of page).


GOODALE TRAIL IS WORKSHOP FOCUS

Early explorer Tim Goodale and finding historic ruts of the Goodale
Trail cutoff across eastern Oregon will be the subject of a special
three day workshop at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive
Center on June 18-19-20.  The Oregon California Trails Association, a
national non-profit organization dedicated to preservation of historic
western trails, is sponsoring the workshop.

The workshop includes two half-day field trips identifying and marking
locations of the trail around Halfway, Oregon and at Virtue Flat just
east of Baker City. Pre-registration is required for field trips and an
evening dinner at the Center’s wagon encampment, but all visitors to
the Interpretive Center may attend the programs on Saturday afternoon
and Sunday morning.

Dave Welsh will present on Trail Preservation, Fred Dykes will share
his research on the route of the Goodale Cutoff.  Award winning western
history author Will Bagley will present “Tim Goodale Roads, Roles, &
Insights”. Dr. Jere Krakow, former head of the National Park Service
Long Distance Trails Office will share information on the Additional
Routes Study. Jack and Pat Fletcher will present “Tim Goodale & other
Odds, Ends, & People”.  James W. McGill, author of “Rediscovered
Frontiersman Timothy Goodale” will share his research on Goodale’s
family connections and legacy in Idaho and Oregon.  All presenters are
planning to include information on recent mapping and preservation
projects related to the Trail.

For more information or current schedule of programs, please contact
the Interpretive Center at 541-523-1843. Information on the Oregon
California Trails Association can be found at www.octa-trails.org. Visit
oregontrail.blm.gov for more information about the Center, or call
541-523-1843 for updates on programs and events. 

CHINESE REMEMBERING 2010  CONVENES IN LEWSITON

The third annual conference highlighting the influence and
contributions of the Chinese in the history of Idaho and the Northwest
will be held in Lewiston, Idaho on June 24-25. Chinese Remembering 2010
will bring together scholars, teachers and the public to discuss and
understand the history of this little known ethnic group in the region.
The goals of the conference are to educate, to bring cultures together,
and to specifically explore and generate interest in the history and
culture of the Chinese in the area. 

Chinese Remembering 2010 will consist of four lectures and discussions
on Thursday, June 24, in the Orchid Room of Morgan’s Alley in historic
downtown Lewiston followed by a reception with live music, book signings
and a no host bar at the Lewis-Clark State College Center for Arts &
History. A display of Chinese artifacts from the region will be on
exhibit. On Friday, June 25, interested participants are invited to
journey on a historically interpreted jet boat trip into Hells Canyon to
sites once occupied by Chinese. Food and refreshments are included. The
trip is limited to 100.

Registration materials and additional information is available by
contacting the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude at (208) 962-2050 or by
email at director1 at stgertrudes.org. Early registration is advised since
this has been a popular conference over the last two years.