We Advocate

As Oregonians continue to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic and the physical displacement caused by recent wildfires, now is the time to demonstrate how preservation and adaptive reuse can play important roles in helping our communities bounce back and become better, stronger, and more resilient.  Through the Restore Oregon Policy & Advocacy Committee (PAC), we work to ensure that heritage places are acknowledged for their substantial economic and social contributions. Preservation drives the rebirth of rural Main Streets, employs highly skilled artisans and contractors, passes forward our diverse cultural heritage, shelters low- and no-income individuals in affordable housing, and measurably responds to the climate crises through adaptive reuse.  

In addition to offering a direct and meaningful response to the most critical challenges facing Oregon today, historic preservation resonates with people in a personal way. Every Oregonian from every socioeconomic station, ethnicity, or community knows of a gathering place, corner store, theater, barn, or park that speaks to them because of their association with it. Grassroots organizing around these places can unify people, bridging differences and overcoming our past year of isolation. 

In the past, historic preservation often focused on the legacy of well-to-do European-Americans. But the Oregon Story is so much more than that. For every John McLaughlin House or Jackson County Courthouse, there is an equally important Billy Webb Elks Lodge or Kam Wah Chung that embodies the dreams, hardships, flaws, nobility, persecutions, and accomplishments of the diverse people and cultures who have shaped this place we all love. All historic places are essential to telling the complete and equitable story of our state and rebuilding after these most trying of times.