The DeMuro Award: Celebrating Excellence in Preservation, Reuse, and Community Revitalization

The DeMuro Award: Celebrating Excellence in Preservation, Reuse, and Community Revitalization

Winning projects demonstrate how historic preservation can create affordable housing, incubate new businesses, and combat climate change through re-use.

We are excited to announce that twelve historic projects from across Oregon have been selected to win a prestigious 2019 The DeMuro Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation–the state’s highest honor for the preservation, reuse, and revitalization of architectural and cultural sites, and their impact on the community. The DeMuro Awards Ceremony will take place during the Restoration Celebration Gala on Friday, November 1, 2019.

Selected for extraordinary design, craftsmanship, creative problem-solving, and community impact, the 2019 DeMuro Award-winning projects are: 

Almr Apartments and Retail Spaces, Portland

A terrific example of compatible infill design, this multifamily, mixed-use project created 57 new apartments within the historic Alphabet District, echoing the neighborhood’s Scandinavian roots. The project also also saved a 100-year-old heritage American Elm tree.

Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

Emerick Architects

Urban Development Partners

DCI Engineering

Colas Construction

 

Altsource Headquarters (1923), Portland

Rather than demolish an old, industrial eyesore, this building was reused and expanded with a flair. It now hums with life and light, a landmark for the neighborhood and inspiration for employees of this home-grown Portland company.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

Siteworks Design Build

Grummel Engineering

Samata Consulting Engineers LLC

Otak, Inc.

Place Studio

Northwest Sustainable Properties

Mad Ave, LLC

Bateman Seidel

 

Fairmount Apartments (1905), Portland

One of the only remaining buildings from the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, the Fairmount was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. In 2016, the property underwent an extensive restoration and renovation — all while preserving the historic exterior. Fairmount Apartments have approximately 80 modern apartment units of varying size.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

MFA Architecture and Planning

Urban Development + Partners

WDY, Inc.

 

Firehouse 17 Restoration & Addition (1912), Portland

An icon from the days of horse-drawn fire engines was restored (including the fire poles!) and converted to a warm and efficient residence with all the modern amenities.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

Roman Design LLC

Karla Pearlstein

Miller Consulting Engineers

Earth Engineers

Greenline Fine Woodworking

Restoring History LLC

Hunter Davidson Mechanical

Western Accents Painting

Frahler Electric

Regency Plaster

Fred Shearer & Sons

Anctil Plumbing

Rioseco Woodworking

Hawthorne Tile

Monitor Woodworking

Conrad Stonecutter

Portland Painting and Restoration

A-1 Painting

Michael and Sons Construction

Mimi Near Mosaics

Formed Objects

 

 

Historic Central Hotel (1929), Burns

After sitting empty and deteriorating for over 20 years, an intrepid husband-and-wife team brought a piece of local history back to life, restored a sense of pride, and provided much-needed lodging along Burns’ Main Street.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

Forrest and Jennifer Keady

Harney County Chamber of Commerce

A list too extensive to include all the awesome people that helped make this happen

M & N Building (1924), Astoria

Formerly listed among Restore Oregon’s Most Endangered Places, the M&N Building went from sad and sinking fast, to shored up and transformed into restaurants and retail spaces, transforming a block of Astoria’s historic downtown.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

Michelle & Marcus Liotta, Historic Renovation LLC

Jared Rickenbach, Michelle Dieffenbach and Greg Allen of Rickenbach Construction

John Goodenberger

Nick S Clark Masonry Inc.

Wadsworth Electric

JP Plumbing, Astoria

P&L Johnson Mechanical Inc.

NW Natural

Pacific Power USDA Rural Development

Restore Oregon

City of Astoria

Lincoln Hall Renovation & Addition (1912), Portland

Home to the Portland State University’s School of Music and Theater and numerous community arts organizations, interior spaces of this former high school were adapted for new uses and a soaring public entrance added, while retaining the building’s historic soul.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

Bora Architects

Portland State University

KPFF Consulting Engineers

Howard S. Wright

Peter Meijer Architect

Interface Engineering

Stantec

NNA Landscape Architecture

The Shalleck Collaborative

Code Unlimited

Mayer/Reed

Brightworks

Sherman County Courthouse Rehabilitation & Expansion (1899), Moro

Rehabilitation returned this beloved landmark to its original glory, including a new cupola that replicates the storm-damaged original, while a thoughtfully designed annex complements the historic building and provides additional government and community services space.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

Hennebery Eddy Architects, Inc.

Sherman County

Wenaha Group

Kirby Nagelhout Construction Co.

Meier Inc.

Walker Structural Engineering LLC

Lango Hansen Landscape Architects PC

Sora Design Group LLC

Interface Engineering, Inc.

The Shalleck Collaborative

Code Unlimited

Mayer/Reed

Brightworks

Silas Beeks House Restoration (1848), Forest Grove

A rare Pioneer-Era house was saved from demolition and a pain-staking, top-to-bottom restoration kept historic authenticity front and center, retaining every possible bit of historic material and finding creative solutions to provide modern amenities.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

Roman Design LLC

Karla Pearlstein

Miller Consulting Engineers

Greenline Fine Woodworking

Restoring History LLC

Jon Leon LLC

Western Accents

Old Portland Carpenters

A-1 Painting

Monitor Woodworking

The Shalleck Collaborative

Code Unlimited

Mayer/Reed

Brightworks

The Redd on Salmon Street (1918), Portland

The Redd on Salmon Street project transformed a historic 1918 ironworks and a former showroom and warehouse into a cohesive 76,000 square foot campus that is a working hub for the regional food system and a place where innovative ideas take hold.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

Ecotrust

Urban Patterns

Walsh Construction Co.

KPFF Consulting Engineers

 

U.S. Customs House | WeWork (1898), Portland

After several failed attempts by previous developers, this Beaux-Arts landmark was gloriously repurposed as shared office space, incorporating modern features and function while preserving historic spaces.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

Lorentz Bruun Construction

Peter Meijer Architect

GBD Architects

Vista Investment Group

KPFF Consulting Engineers

Eastern Real Estate Group

 

Woodlark Hotel (1907/1912), Portland

The historic Cornelius Hotel was saved from destruction by knitting it together with the adjacent Woodlark Building. After overcoming numerous seismic and structural challenges, a new Portland landmark emerged.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:

OFFICEUNTITLED

NBP Capital

Pence Construction

Kramer & Company

MCA Architects

Kurt Fischer Structural Engineering

American Heating, Inc.

Prairie Electric

MSI Mechanical Systems, Inc.

Humber Design Group

Versatile Wood Products

Official Manufacturing Company

Smith Hanes Studio

Oculus Inc.

Firestop Company

Chosen Wood Window Restoration

Honoring the DeMuro Award Winners at the Restoration Celebration

In addition to the DeMuro Awards, Restore Oregon works to save at-risk historic resources through Oregon’s Most Endangered Places program, manages conservation easements protecting 44 historic properties, delivers a variety of educational programs, provides technical assistance to property owners, and advocates for funding, tax incentives, and policies that support preservation and adaptive reuse.
The DeMuro Awards Ceremony took place during the Restoration Celebration Gala on Friday, November 1, 2019, at the iconic Sentinel Hotel in Portland, Oregon.