9 historic buildings receive Oregon’s highest preservation honor. Here are their stories

Nine Oregon restoration projects have been selected to receive Restore Oregon’s prestigious DeMuro Awards for extraordinary craftsmanship and excellence in historic preservation.

The winning projects benefit communities from Medford to Dayton, Corvallis to Portland.

The projects range from an $850,000 restoration of a one-room schoolhouse to $269 million to modernize a high school campus.

Whether driven by volunteers or large professional teams, these renovations “clearly display how Oregon is showing up to do innovative adaptive reuse across the state,” said Nicole Possert, Restore Oregon’s executive director.

The recently completed projects have made a positive impact on their city’s economic development and contributed to Oregon’s climate sustainability goals, Possert said.

“These awards illustrate that preserving our cultural heritage and existing buildings make a difference for the places and communities they serve,” Possert told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “All of these projects helped Oregon reduce our carbon footprint and preserve community identity and uniqueness.”

Projects like renovating downtown Portland’s Joyce apartment building are proof that historic preservation can be a front-line solution to much-needed housing, said Possert. “We hope to see more reuse and conversions of commercial buildings for housing,” she said.

The DeMuro Awards are the state’s highest honor for the preservation, reuse and revitalization of architectural and cultural sites. The award is named after the late Portland developer and preservationist Art DeMuro, who redeveloped the White Stag Block in Old Town and other historical properties.

In addition to the project awards, Christine Curran was chosen to receive the 2025 DeMuro Impact Award in recognition of her more than 30 years of historic preservation work.

Shortly before she retired as deputy at Oregon’s State Historic Preservation Office this year, Curran successfully worked with Restore Oregon to reestablish the Special Assessment for Historic Properties program. The program was signed into law in May by Gov. Tina Kotek.

Winning projects were selected by a jury of professionals in historic preservation, architecture, planning, engineering and other fields.

Project teams will be honored Oct. 24 at the Restoration Celebration reception hosted by the nonprofit Restore Oregon preservation organization.

The event will be held at The Redd on Salmon Street, a reimagined 1918 ironworks, showroom and warehouse in Portland’s Central Eastside Industrial District. Tickets to the fundraiser and silent auction are $115 and can be purchased at restoreoregon.org.

More than 120 projects across Oregon have been recognized with DeMuro Awards since 2013.

Here are highlights of 2025 DeMuro Award winners:

1879 schoolhouse in Canby

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After old oak trees fell and crushed the 1879 Mark Prairie Schoolhouse near Canby during the February 2021 ice storm, historical society members and professionals performed disaster recovery and restoration efforts to rebuild the modest clapboard structure long used as a rural meeting hall.

The budget was $850,000, with Emerick Construction handling the installation of new trusses, a roof and rebuilt walls.

Original windows and siding were repaired, and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) features and modern code requirements were completed before a May open house celebration.

The enhanced community and cultural center now offers information about the Ahantchuyuk (“Pudding River” band) of the Central Kalapuyan tribe, the John Mark family of Missouri who arrived here in 1847, and other historic and natural resource information.

“After persevering through four long years, we’re honored to be recognized with a DeMuro Award, proud of the authentic restoration this small Mark Prairie Historical Society accomplished, and delighted to welcome the public back on site,” said Peggy Sigler, a volunteer who served as the restoration project manager.

Read more: This 1879 one-room Oregon schoolhouse has a new life as a wedding and event space

1910 OSU rehearsal building in Corvallis

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Oregon State University’s Rehearsal Classroom Building was originally a 1910 heating plant and later used as a firing range for the university’s rifle and pistol teams. After nearly 100 years as a target range, there was significant damage to all interior surfaces, and the windows had long been bricked in.

Holst Architecture designed the building’s conversion into a choral and arts facility adjacent to a new performing arts center. Ensemble performances, student recitals and sonic installations are also presented in the acoustically enhanced, seismically reinforced building.

The project budget was $4.8 million, and the work was completed last year.

1911-1913 Merchant Block in Dayton

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The Merchant Block project in Dayton involved the rehabilitation and seismic upgrades of three vintage buildings: the 1911 Stuckey Building, the 1913 Harris Building and the 1913 Bank of Dayton Building.

The project budget, which included the installation of 136 solar panels, was $16.5 million, and the work was completed this year.

The brick buildings influenced the design of a new boutique hotel, the Inn at Dayton, by Paul M. Falsetto Architect and built by R&H Construction.

1912 Joyce in Portland

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The Joyce apartment rehabilitation project in downtown Portland replaced deteriorating features and upgraded the 1912 building for continued use as permanent supportive housing. Since the 1960s, the former hotel has been providing low-cost housing, often serving people with the greatest need.

The Joyce on Southwest Harvey Milk Street was an essential shelter for Portland’s LGBTQIA+ community facing housing discrimination or instability.

The Portland Housing Bureau acquired the building in 2016, using funds from the city’s Housing Bond. Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH) was the developer and Carleton Hart Architecture led the design team.

There are now 66 units above the ground floor that has a community room with a large kitchen as well as an office, meeting room and clinic space.

The project budget, including a comprehensive seismic retrofit of the unreinforced masonry structure, was $14.1 million, and the work was completed in 2023.

1917-1929 Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland

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Benson Polytechnic High School’s modernization project in Northeast Portland preserved and seismically upgraded four landmark buildings, while Bassetti Architects designed four new buildings for academic and career and technical education (CTE).

Original bricks, benches, plaques and the iconic Benson Bubbler from 1917-1929 were preserved. In the commons, a salvaged drone plane from Benson’s previous aviation program hangs above the student gathering space.

The Portland Public Schools’ project budget was $269 million, and the work was completed last year.

Read more: 6 down, 3 to go as another renovated high school opens in Portland

1919 John Gumm Building in St. Helens

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The 1919 John Gumm Building in St. Helens, now a vibrant civic hub, was an elementary school until 1999. In 2021, Emerick Architects and Bremik Construction were hired by Columbia County to create office space, a climate-controlled museum and an auditorium for public meetings.

The long-vacant building needed extensive structural and seismic upgrades, accessibility improvements such as a three-level elevator, and integration of modern systems, while preserving historic elements, said Restore Oregon.

The project budget, including energy-efficient insulation, was $10.5 million, and the work was completed in 2024.

1925 Historic Brooklyn Railroad Roundhouse Turntable in Portland

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The restoration of the 1925 Brooklyn Turntable, a crucial component of Southern Pacific Railroad’s hub at the Brooklyn Yard, is a testament to the enduring legacy of railroads and the Golden Age of Steam in American history, according to Restore Oregon.

The turntable was used to rotate locomotives, allowing them to be directed onto different tracks or into the roundhouse for maintenance and repairs. After 75 years of operation, it was decommissioned.

The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation undertook the reconstruction for its museum, working with Hennebery Eddy Architects.

The project budget was $5 million, and the work was completed last year.

1930 Holly Theatre in Medford

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The 1930 Holly Theatre in downtown Medford shows that preservation can be transformative when driven by design excellence, technical expertise and an unwavering commitment to the community, said Restore Oregon.

The $13 million restoration project was completed in late 2024, and the historic movie palace reopened to ticket holders in March.

The Spanish Colonial Revival building is still the largest and most ornate theater in the region, serving as a gathering place for movies, live performances and community events.

In March 1940, contralto and Black civil rights activist Marian Anderson, who was denied performing in the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Constitution Hall in segregated Washington, D.C., a year earlier, stood on the Holly stage and faced a sold-out audience of 1,200 people, about 10% of Medford’s population at the time.

After decades of neglect, the building was vacant for more than 30 years before the property was purchased in 2012 by the nonprofit JPR Foundation, which also operates the 1935 Art Deco Cascade Theatre in Redding, California.

Outlier Construction led the ambitious project to restore or replicate all of the Holly Theatre’s historic artifacts, as well as complete seismic, accessibility and structural improvements.

The renaissance of old movie palaces is on the rise as cities see the economic value and enhanced civic pride of revitalizing downtowns. In 2020, Restore Oregon added historic theaters as a category of threatened resources to be supported.

Read more: Famous showman takes the stage as Oregon movie palace unveils $13M renovation

1937-1938 Milwaukie City Hall

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The Works Progress Administration-era former Milwaukie City Hall is now a commercial and cultural hub in downtown Milwaukie. pFriem Family Brewers and Keeper Coffee are key tenants.

The Late Modern, two-story building, constructed from 1937 to 1938, stands as a lasting testament to New Deal-era infrastructure, designed to foster economic recovery, civic pride and job creation, said Restore Oregon.

GTO Development’s project budget was $5 million, and the work designed by Brett Schulz Architect was completed this year.

— Janet Eastman covers design and trends. Reach her at 503-294-4072, jeastman@oregonian.com.