Honoring an Impactful Career in Historic Preservation

In June 2025, Christine Curran retired from her position as Heritage Division Administrator/Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer after serving in that role for ten years. In this position, Chrissy oversaw the operation of the Federal and state programs that comprise the Heritage Division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), including the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Oregon Main Street, the programs of the Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries, and eight external grant programs.

It is hard to encapsulate the impact Chrissy’s twenty-five years of service with the historic preservation office have had on our state. Focusing on the numbers, Chrissy has mentored and managed 34 staff members, signed 122 National Register nominations, signed 28 programmatic agreements, awarded 187 Oregon Heritage and Main Street Excellence Awards, and signed 863 grant agreements. However, focusing solely on these numbers would do little to capture the entirety of Chrissy’s career and legacy.

As a third-generation Oregonian, Chrissy has deep roots in the state. Her maternal great-grandfather helped build Timberline Lodge, and her grandfather worked in the Kaiser shipyards during World War II. Her civil-engineer father served as Timberline Lodge’s unofficial watermaster, and her paternal grandfather was a structural engineer for the city of Portland, working on the Morrison Bridge.

In her own words, “From Astoria’s Liberty Theater to Alpenrose Dairy; from the pelota fronton court in Jordan Valley to Bonneville Dam (where I got married), when it came to Oregon’s cultural resources, the stakes always felt very high to me.”

Chrissy has carried Oregon’s voice at a national level through her work with the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers and in other venues, where Oregon stands out in its commitment to sovereign tribal nation partnerships, its vast expanse of federal land, its unique combinations of architectural styles, and its tapestry of geographically and culturally diverse regions. Chrissy has spread the word among her colleagues that Oregon is, indeed, not a place where it rains all the time; that it does have some really old things; and that one size does not fit all when it comes to national initiatives, tribal relations, legislation, and advocacy.

This distinctly Oregon approach has been at the center of Chrissy’s work throughout her career. She believes that the importance of decisions made about people was just as crucial, if not more so, than the decisions made about cultural resources. Whether it was mentoring new staff, being willing to take a chance on a fresh idea, or simply making room for personal conversation, she never forgot that it is the relationships we cultivate that have always been the reason any one individual can claim a positive and long-lasting impact.

As the first woman to serve as the Heritage Division Administrator/Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer in Oregon, she has certainly ushered the Oregon SHPO into the 21st century, providing a fresh path for diverse voices at the leadership level.

From Chrissy: “Somebody recently characterized me as a 'bridge' between the first generation SHPO and the second generation SHPO. I’ll take that. To be a vehicle for continuity, stability, and knowledge about what makes Oregon special, to be able to pass it on and pay it forward, is a very, very good thing to be remembered for.”

Congratulations on an incredible career!

 

Public Presentations

  • “Oregon Made: Discover Northwest Regional Modernism: A Presentation and Panel Discussion.” Restore Oregon Modernism Society, 2025. 
  • “The Modern Masters: From International Style to Northwest Regional.” Architectural Heritage Center, 2010; Lower Columbia Preservation Society, 2012; Oswego Heritage Council, 2014; Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, 2014.
  • Oregon’s State Parks and the National Register.” Oregon Heritage Conference, 2014.
  • “Buildings of the New Deal.” Oregon State Capitol, 2013.
  • “Managing Mid-Century Modern: Tools for Local Governments.” Oregon Heritage Conference, 2013.
  • “Built for Oregon by the WPA.” Oregon Encyclopedia History Night, 2012.
  • “The Architectural Legacy of the Harney County Cattle Kings.” Pacific NW Preservation Field School, 2012.
  • “Preserving Buildings of the Recent Past.” Clatsop County Historical Society, 2009; National Council on Public History Conference, 2010.
  • “Bonneville Power Administration Master Grid, 1939-1945.” Bonneville Power Administration, 2008.
  • “Oregon Centennial Exposition.” Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, 2007.
  • “J.D. Ross and the Skagit Project.” North Cascades National Park, 2006.

 

Selected National Register Nominations (15)

NHL – Hamilton Grange National Memorial (Sec. 8), Harlem, NY, 2013. 

Depot Bay Ocean Wayside (Sec. 7), Depot Bay, OR, 2012.

Paul Bunyan Statue (Sec. 7), Portland, OR, 2008.

Richard and Helen Rice House, Hillsboro, OR, 2006.

John and Magdalena Davis Farm (Sec. 7), Clackamas Co., OR, 2005.

Louis G. Pfunder House (Sec. 7), Portland, OR, 2005.

Laurelhurst Park, Portland, OR, 2000.

St. Raphael's Hospital, St. Cloud, MN, 1999.

Winona City Hall, Winona, MN, 1999.

Nokomis Knoll Residential Historic District, Minneapolis, MN, 1998.

Third Street Commercial Historic District, Winona, MN, 1998.

Westminster Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis, MN, 1998.

Winona Masonic Temple, Winona, MN, 1997.

Prospect Park Water Tower and Tower Hill Park, Minneapolis, MN, 1997.

A. S. Nichols Residence, Portland, OR, 1991.