[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2014-06-26

[INFO Heritage * OPRD]

In this Issue
1. Community of Fossil rallies to preserve a treasure on Exchange
2. Oregon City receives three new National Register listings
3. Oregon Holocaust Resource Center and Oregon Jewish Museum set to merge
4. Oregon Jewish Museum seeks Holocaust educator


COMMUNITY OF FOSSIL RALLIES TO PRESERVE A TREASURE ON EXCHANGE

The Fossil Grade School Gym began its history as a Works Project Administration project in 1936. Learn what motivated the community of Fossil to work collaboratively toward restoring this historic structure on Heritage Exchange<http://oregonheritage.wordpress.com/2014/06/25/community-rallied-for-a-community-treasure/>.


OREGON CITY RECEIVES THREE NEW NATIONAL REGISTER LISTINGS

The McLoughlin Promenade, Municipal Elevator and Carnegie Library – all located in Oregon City – are Oregon’s latest listings in the National Register of Historic Places.

Constructed on land donated by Dr. John McLoughlin in 1851, the McLoughlin Promenade became a historic park site along the edge of Oregon City’s prominent bluff. It consists of three major parts:  a 2,300-foot-long basalt stone and concrete pathway that runs along the bluff; the Grand Staircase, which traverses the bluff; and Singer Falls, a man-made waterfall with five separate tiers that takes Singer Creek from the top of the bluff, down the cliff face, to the historic downtown. Completed in 1939, the Works Progress Administration assisted with the construction of the Promenade during the Great Depression. The Promenade was recently restored and a new art installation added at the base of the Falls in 2011. These facilities, along with the spectacular views from the Promenade, ensure the continued popularity of this site with visitors and residents alike.

Pedestrians can also travel from the top of the bluff to the historic downtown via the Oregon City Municipal Elevator, also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Municipal Elevator is a 130-foot-tall, public elevator tower rising from an underground tunnel to connect with the city’s second level atop a bluff to the east. The elevator is a modern, reinforced concrete structure designed by Gordon E. Trapp and constructed by the Portland engineering firm of James & Yost in 1955. Designed to be futuristic in style, this unique structure incorporates minimal ornamentation. Possibly its most spectacular feature is the panoramic views from the observation platform. A unique series of prints installed on the platform walls provides changing, historical views of the downtown and the Willamette River that complements the 300-degree view.

Funding from steel magnet Andrew Carnegie built Oregon City’s Carnegie Library in 1913. It is one of over 1,500 libraries built throughout the country by the philanthropist. Designed in the American Renaissance style, this handsome, brick-clad structure has served Oregon City nearly continuously from its construction to the present. A restoration in 2010 removed an addition to the building, bringing it back to its original appearance. It is one of eleven Carnegie libraries in Oregon listed in the National Register.

Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the nomination of the McLoughlin Promenade, Municipal Elevator and Carnegie Library at their October 2013 meeting. The three are now included in 29 individual listings in the National Register, maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. For further information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings, visit the Oregon Heritage website<http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/NATREG/Pages/index.aspx>.


OREGON HOLOCAUST RESOURCE CENTER AND OREGON JEWISH MUSEUM SET TO MERGE

The Oregon Holocaust Resource Center (OHRC) and the Oregon Jewish Museum (OJM) will merge to become the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education on July 1. As a unified organization programs, exhibits, films, lectures, and concerts will continue to cover a wide range of topics relating to Jewish art, culture and heritage. Education programs will embrace the Jewish experience and explore the lessons of the Holocaust. The organization will be the steward of the Oregon Holocaust Memorial, located in Washington Park, and of the Archives and Artifact Collection documenting the Oregon Jewish experience, currently housed at the Oregon Jewish Museum.

The merger with the OHRC is a logical extension of OJM’s commitment to broaden and deepen public knowledge and to understand and make accessible the distinctive cultural experiences of Oregon's Jewish community. In discussing the impetus for the merger, Director Judith Margles explains, “We all feel the painful and immediate reality that we approach the time when Holocaust survivors and other eyewitnesses will no longer be among us. Reshaping our mission – to interpret the experience of Oregon Jews, to explore the lessons of the Holocaust and to foster intercultural conversations – further emphasizes our distinctive role as a public repository of memory.”


OREGON JEWISH MUSEUM SEEKS HOLOCAUST EDUCATOR

The Oregon Jewish Museum is seeking a part-time Holocaust Educator. This new position is an outstanding opportunity for a highly motivated individual who is a self-starter, has excellent communication skills and is able to think boldly. The Holocaust Educator will work with an advisory committee to develop and guide a long-term Holocaust education plan that will become a foundational program in the merger of the Oregon Jewish Museum and the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center, which takes place on July 1, 2014.

For further details about this position and application instructions, visit the Oregon Jewish Museum website<http://www.ojm.org/app-news/the-oregon-jewish-museum-seeks-a-part-time-holocaust-educator>.

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Oregon Heritage, part of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, provides technical support and services to people and organizations documenting, preserving, interpreting and sharing Oregon's heritage. Keep up with the latest heritage issues and trends at Oregon Heritage Exchange<http://oregonheritage.wordpress.com/> and follow us on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/OregonHeritage>.

Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission. Do you have an issue or item you would like to share? Email us<mailto:heritage.info at oregon.gov>.
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