The DeMuro Award: Celebrating Excellence in Preservation, Reuse, and Community Revitalization
The DeMuro Award honors extraordinary historic rehabilitation projects and compatible infill development across Oregon – residential and commercial, urban and rural, private and public. The award is named in honor of Art DeMuro whose redevelopment of historic properties such as the White Stag Block set the standard for quality, creativity, persistence, and business acumen.
The DeMuro Award is the only state-wide award in Oregon recognizing the creativity, persistence, and craftsmanship required by outstanding restoration projects.
Congratulations to our 2018 winners!
Ermatinger House Rehabilitation and Strategic Plan (1843), Oregon City
One of the oldest surviving structures in Oregon, the Ermatinger House was home to Hudson Bay Company Chief Trader Francis Ermatinger, and provides a direct link to Oregon’s pre-statehood period and the founding of Oregon City. Long associated with the naming of Portland (the home is thought to be the site of the dinner party where the famed Lovejoy-Pettygrove coin flip occurred) the Ermatinger House has been fully-restored for use as a museum and is a key contributor to Oregon City’s active and growing heritage tourism scene.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:
William J. Hawkins III
Gardner Building (1901), La Grande
The Gardner Building, aka the Berry Building, was erected in 1901 by entrepreneur and railroad engineer, John Gardner. Located in LaGrande’s Historic Commercial District and recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building has housed many businesses on its ground floor over the past century. However, its second story sat vacant for over 50 years. Thanks to the vision and commitment of La Grande residents Dale and Ginny Mammen, the Gardner Building is now home to four inviting new apartments upstairs, and Community Merchants, an attractive modern general store which occupies the refurbished ground floor.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:
Dale and Virginia Mammen, Owners/Developers
Paul Bunyan Statue Restoration (1959), Portland
Built in 1959 for the Oregon Centennial, this 31-foot tall Paul Bunyan statue is a Kenton neighborhood landmark. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Oregon’s only designated Roadside Attraction has been featured on everything from travel ads to tee shirts. Although officially the statue has no owner, the Kenton Neighborhood Association has long been its steward. Thanks to their tireless fundraising efforts and months of painstaking restoration, a freshly refurbished “Tall Paul” stands ready to delight Kenton residents and visitors for decades to come.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:
Kenton Neighborhood Association
Pioneer Hall (1886), Turner
The Oregon Christian Convention is a 160-year-old organization whose mission is to connect Pacific Northwest churches for worship, gatherings and community events. Its site was established in 1878 via a land donation by Louis H. Turner, George H. Turner and Cornelia Turner Davis, in memory of their parents who were prominent Marion County pioneers. Pioneer Hall is one of several buildings onsite, and although not ornate, it is a unique piece of functional historic architecture. Post-restoration, it retains its original style and functions as both a landmark and gathering place for the local community.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:
Redmond City Hall and Civic Center (1922), Redmond
For over 13 years, the City of Redmond operated out of a former Safeway grocery store which provided space, but lacked character and community identity. The purchase of a vacant public school building inspired a forward-thinking vision for a new City Hall which preserved the historic integrity of the building’s fabric, created great work spaces for city employees, and provided a welcoming civic facility for the community. Original woodwork, doors, windows and stairs were refurbished whenever possible and decades of yearbook photos were incorporated into murals throughout the building, preserving the architecture, memories and spirit of the former school.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:
Roosevelt High School Modernization (1921), Portland
Located in Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood, the revitalized 17-acre Roosevelt High School campus consists of an original 1921 brick structure, a 1930s auditorium, and three modern additions. Partially restored and partially redesigned to address inefficiencies, the campus now connects with a centrally located commons which bridges old and new by linking historic structures with expanded program spaces. The renovated main building offers community-based services, and features a state of the art media center located in the school’s original auditorium space.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:
BRC Acoustics & Audiovisual Design
JBK Consulting and Design, Inc.
Salem Railroad Baggage Depot (1889), Salem
Located along Highway 22 in the heart of Oregon’s capital, the National Register-listed Salem Railroad Baggage Depot is one of the last remaining Queen Anne railroad structures in Oregon. Originally designed as a holding area for rail passenger luggage, the building has been fully-rehabilitated following years of neglect and decay. It now serves as a Greyhound bus station and multimodal transportation hub for bicycle, train and bus passengers traveling locally, regionally or nationally.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:
Oregon Department of Transportation
John Schnaderbeck, PE
Andy Medcalf Construction Company
Historical Research Associates
Softstar Shoes Workshop (1949), Philomath
Softstar, an Oregon-based manufacturer of handcrafted leather footwear, recently expanded operations in an unexpected way: by restoring a 1940s roller rink! Previously known as the Phil-O-Rink, this wood-trussed structure served as a community skating rink for a quarter century before closing in the 1970s. Vacant since the 1990s, the spacious barrel-vaulted building has been fully and sustainably repurposed and now offers both tours of its manufacturing facility and a peek at its roller rink past via exhibits which dot and enhance Softstar’s retail space.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:
Alan Ayres, Owner / Designer / Contractor
Tricia Salcido, Softstar Shoes
Larkin Holavarri, Softstar Shoes
Towne Storage Creative Office (1915), Portland
The new Central Eastside headquarters of software manufacturer Autodesk is nestled within the handsome brick walls of a 103-year-old warehouse building. The structure’s reimagining took 16 months and began with demolition of the building’s interior. Seismic upgrades included installation of concrete shear walls, new steel brace frames and a series of micropiles reaching 130 feet underground. Other improvements included window rehabilitation and replacement, new roofing, restoration of original masonry/concrete, creation of new entrances, restoration of the building’s historic water tower, and the addition of both a new 6th floor and an expansive 4,000 square foot roof deck.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible:
University of Oregon Chapman Hall Rehabilitation (1939), Eugene
Designed by the University of Oregon’s first Dean of Architecture, Ellis Lawrence, Chapman Hall blends many architectural styles, including Egyptian Revival and Art Moderne. Originally home to the campus bookstore and English and Modern Home Economics departments, the terra cotta and brick structure was rehabilitated through exterior repairs and repointing, seismic reinforcement, and energy upgrades allowing it to meet LEED Gold standards. A reorganized interior now includes classrooms, seminar rooms, offices and community space, while also retaining many historic features such as the Main West Stair, a 1942 wall mural by E.R. Scott, and the original Modern Home Economics Department fireplace.
Congratulations to the entire project team that made this project possible: