CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGff^ Information for Parks, Federal AgendfS ^J Indian Tribes, States, Local Govemmerrok^id^ the Private Sector "^^

VOLUME 18 NO. 5 JWS

The University as Partner

Cultural Resources PUBLISHED BY THE VOLUME 18 NO. 5 1995 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Contents ISSN 1068-4999 To promote and maintain high standards The University as Partner is the first issue of CRM guest-edited by students for preserving and managing cultural and faculty of a university. The editor of CRM hopes this issue, and the involve­ resources ment of the students in its production, will serve as a model for other historic DIRECTOR preservation programs and that we will see other university articles or thematic Roger G. Kennedy issues in the future.

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Kntherine H. Stevenson The University as Partner 3 EDITOR Matt Meacham and Donald Peting Ronald M. Greenberg PRODUCTION MANAGER Soupstones, Nails, and Boiled Axe 4 Karlota M. Koester Henry C. Kunowski GUEST EDITORS Matthew Meacham New Paradigms for Preserving Old Buildings 7 Donald Peting Lisa Sasser ADVISORS David Andrews Editor. NPS Rustic Architecture 10 loan Bacharach Period Design in the Columbia River Gorge Museum Registrar. NPS Randall I. Biallas E. Gail Throop Historical Architect. NPS fohn A. Bums Architect. NPS Interpretive Interventions 13 Harry A. Butowsky Kenneth Helphand Historian. NPS Pratt Cassity Executive Director, Hands on the Landmarks, Part I 18 National Alliance of Preservation Commissions James Wentworth Muriel Crespi Cultural Anthropologist NPS Craig W. Davis Hands on the Landmarks, Part II 20 Archeologist NPS Mark R. Edwards George Bleekman III Director, Historic Preservation Division, State Historic Preservation Officer. Georgia Bruce \V. Fry The CRM Index Database Project 24 Chief of Research Publications Matt Meacham National Historic Sites. Parks Canada John Hnedak Architectural Historian, NPS The Eugene Masonic Cemetery 25 Roger E. Kelly Archeologist NPS Partnerships in Rural Cemetery Preservation Antoinette \. Lee Ken Guzowski and Richa Wilson Historian. NPS John Poppeliers International Liaison Officer The Hope Abbey Mausoleum 28 for Cultural Resources. NPS Brit Allan Storey An Example of Early-20th-Century Community Mausoleums Historian. Bureau of Reclamation Richa Wilson and Ken Guzowski Federal Preservation Forum

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Preservation of the Pete French Round Barn 30 Stephen A. Morris David Pinyerd and Donald Peting Certified Local Governments (CLG) Coordinator, NPS Kay D. Weeks Technical Writer-Editor. NPS Living Architecture 33 CONSULTANTS Differing Native and Anglo Perceptions of Preservation Michael G. Schene Leland M. Roth Historian, NPS Wm. H. Freeman Design, Imaging. Production-freeman Publishing Services

Statements of fact and views are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect an opinion or endorsement on the part of the editors, the CRAI advisors and consultants, or the National Park Service. Send articles, news items, and correspondence to the Editor, CRM (400), U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resources, P.O. Box 37127,Washington, DC 20013-7127; (202-343-3395, FAX 202-343-5260, Internet: [email protected]).

2 CRM N^ 5—1995 Matt Meacham and Donald Peting The University as Partner

artnerships, a rewarding technique Kunowski and Lisa for accomplishing difficult tasks Sasser, both of whom during times of diminished presented papers at resources, have been increasing the conference, have acrossP the nation. This thematic issue of CRM new articles that docu­ focuses on cultural resource management part­ ment their reflections nership projects in which the University of upon the new verb form, "to partner." E. Gail Oregon has played a pivotal role. The projects Throop moderated discussions at the conference, occur at three geographic scales—local, regional, and her article fulfills the same role here—to make and national; within three chronological set­ the bridge between theory and application, moving tings—past, present, and future; and include the issue to the Columbia River Gorge National three distinctive groups of people—current and Scenic area described in part by the next article. former students, faculty and staff, and people in The Columbia Gorge is one of the places with local, state, and federal agencies. Some of the which the University has been a partner in pro­ articles describe projects, and others are derived jects at the national scale, and Kenneth Helphand from presentations to the Pacific Northwest relates how a design studio investigated aspects of Conference entitled Forging Partnerships: the historic Columbia River Highway. Principles and Practice, held in July 1994 in The next two articles describe projects that Portland, Oregon. This thematic issue is to a are local in the sense they are closer to "home" great extent a spin-off of that activity that cele­ but still of regional and national significance, as brated the achievements of cooperative efforts. students and former students describe the restora­ Cover photo; Deady The comprehensive array of articles will not tion of National Historic Landmarks on the Hall, University of University of Oregon campus. Both articles refer to Oregon, Eugene, OR. surprise those familiar with the University of Photo courtesy Oregon's School of Architecture and Allied Arts. the partnerships that made the projects possible: University of Oregon Founded in the Beaux Arts tradition in 1914, the James Wentworth documents the process from the Archives. school quickly abandoned that mode of inquiry administrative point of view, and George and pioneered an integrated, cooperative approach Bleekman explains how and why the work was to learning about art and design. More recently, done. the interdisciplinary Historic Preservation Program The CRM has been around for nearly two is an outgrowth of that approach—it draws upon decades, and the last index, or guide, to the CRM the faculty and coursework from the related disci­ appeared nearly nine years ago. A chance remark plines of architecture, landscape architecture, to a University graduate student led to a volunteer planning, and art history for its core curriculum. effort indexing the entire set of articles—some The strength of this program is derived in large 1,100 or so. The project has also led to discussion part from the form and com­ about how the index and the CRM itself can take mitment of those academic advantage of the computer network. programs, and from the com­ The articles by Ken Guzowski and Richa mitment of the students, indi­ Wilson discuss a 19th-century cemetery that is viduals, and organizations out­ exceptional in historical significance but with bud­ side of the academic milieu. get and organizational issues that are all too famil­ Much of the coursework is not iar. Through a coordinated effort between local, merely theoretical, but involves state, and national organizations, the preservation hands-on practice in collabora­ of this historic resource has already proved suc­ tion with others. cessful in many ways. The Field School at the Pete The first few articles in French Round Barn is another example of how a this issue are derived directly University can assist in recognizing and protecting from the Partnerships confer­ artifacts, and can also help pass along skills and ence of last summer. Henry attitudes which are cultural resources themselves.

CRM N2 5—1995 3 School of The final article Architecture and brings the issue back Allied Arts c. early to the Partnership con­ 1950s. Photo cour­ tesy University of ference, where Lee Oregon Archives. Roth delivered a lec­ ture about Native American architecture. His intention was that conference attendees might gain some understanding about Native American ideas regarding their cultural resources and be able to form more effective partnerships based on mutual understanding and respect. That is a very worthy goal for us all—one that the interdisciplinary program in Matt and Don served as guest editors for this special Historic Preservation at the University of Oregon University issue of CRM. The guest editors wish to strives to implement and use as the basis for con­ thank Ron Greenberg for the privilege and honor of tributing to the community while learning to prac­ serving as guest editors, and acknowledge Bill tice as members of the larger community. Freeman for his excellent technical support. In addi­ tion to the student authors, this issue owes much to: Matt Meacham is a graduate student in Historic Nicole Sabourin, Magdalen Trebbien and Amanda Preservation at the School of Architecture and Allied Welsh, undergraduates in Historic Preservation; Arts, University of Oregon, and also holds a Master's Erin Hanafin Berg, Karin Link, Chris Ottaway, and Degree in Architecture from that School. Suzanne SanRomani, graduate students; and Julie Foster and Liza Kazebee, administrative assistants. Donald Peting, Associate Dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, is Director of the Historic Preservation Program and a preservation architect.

Henry C. Kunowski Soupstones, Nails, and Boiled Axe

n July of last year, during a week of al interests and constraints—primarily a shared perfect Oregon weather, representa­ mission to protect cultural resources and dimin­ tives from a dozen federal and state ishing funding and staff reductions. By combin­ agencies, and Indian Tribes gathered ing limited funds and professional staff, training, to discusIs the future of cultural resource man­ education, and resource protection could be agement in the region. Billed as a "first of its accomplished. As Roger Kennedy, Director of the kind," the Pacific Northwest Conference - Forging National Park Service, succinctly stated during Preservation Partnerships: Principles and Practice his conference keynote address, "We either hang sprang from a growing interest in the recent suc­ together, or we will hang separately." cesses of creating a unique stew of interorganiza- The catalyst and funding for the conference tional training and development partnerships. came from the National Park Service's Cultural These partnerships also grew from several mutu­ Resource Training Initiative. In addition to the

4 CRM NS 5—1995 NPS, principal sponsors were the Pacific is shared by all. One of the common themes that Northwest Region of the USDA Forest Service, the run through all of these stories is the perception University of Oregon School of Architecture and that there is nothing or little in the house or vil­ Allied Arts, the Bureau of Land Management, and lage to share, but when one unexpected ingredient the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department- appears, it is followed by several more. In the vil­ State Historic Preservation Office. Additional lage scenario members of the community bring sponsorship came from the Confederated Tribes of their own unique contribution to the stew. "It's a the Warm Springs Reservation, U.S. Army Corps wonderful soup the farmer said, it's a wonderful of Engineers, Oregon Department of soup the farmer's wife said...It is, and it will make Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the soup forever if you follow the formula we used...." National Trust for Historic Preservation. For cultural resource managers the same basic As stated in numerous previous resource partnership alchemy can be effective in achieving management articles on partnerships, the concept agency mission objectives. of partnerships is not new, but has been rediscov­ Public agencies may have a little more diffi­ ered over the last few years. A broad overview of culty contributing to a community stew when the the subject written by Ervin H. Zube appeared in water comes from the Bureau of Reclamation CRM Vol. 15, No. 8, 1992. Ron Greenberg served through a local water district, the kettle is owned as editor of the conference proceedings for the by the General Services Administration, the fire 1991 Albany, New York conference, Partnerships wood is brought by the U.S. Forest Service, the in Parks and Preservation. Four years after this cabbage and carrots are regulated by the and other conferences and articles on partner­ Department of Agriculture, and the soupstones are ships, can we lay the "P" word to rest? Let's see. under testing by the Food and Drug From his observations of the Albany confer­ Administration, while the entire affair is on prop­ ence, and my own recent experience with the erty regulated by the Bureau of Land Management. Portland, Oregon conference, I agree with Mr. As daunting a prospect as this may be, there is a Zube's statement that characterizes partnerships history of public/private actions and policies that as including ". .common visions and goals, trust do facilitate this type of cooperation. and harmony, and shared ownership. Effective For public agencies responsible for cultural communication and cooperation are essential." resource management, partnerships have evolved These elements make up the basic ingredients and from park- or site-specific agreements in the late- are common to any successful partnership. 19th centurv' to public policy as reflected in the However, all partnerships are unique and require Historic Sites Act of 1935. This Act established their own mix and proportions of ingredients, and several broad program areas, including the yes, some partnerships fail. For those looking for a Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic cook book or case study approach to the subject, American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER). It stop here, because none will be offered. Most if also created the opportunity for direct partnerships not all articles on the topic deal with project-spe­ with non-federal agencies. Section 2e) of the Act cific partnerships, and since all are unique, there states "Contract and make cooperative agreements is more to learn from their common principles with States, municipal subdivisions, corporations, than from specific cases. The intent of this article associations, or individuals, .to protect, preserve, is to discuss creating cultural resource program maintain, or operate any historic or archaeologic partnerships. To better understand the concept of building, site, object, .for public use,. .." This sec­ partnerships, it is useful to start with a few basic tion of legislation legitimized and institutionalized ingredients from folklore: soupstones, nails, and what many had recognized as good public policy boiled axe. toward the stewardship of significant parks and "Surely you have enough grouts to make sites. some Kasha for me.... No, I don't have anything in While this policy was set in the context of the house with which to make it.... Give me an axe,th e "New Deal" era of government, it also set the and I'll show you how to make Kasha." And so stage for subsequent legislation which would fos­ begins the tale of making something from nothing ter the concept that the federal government could in Baba Yaga's Geese and Other Russian Stories. achieve broad policy objectives through coordinat­ The tale is told a hundred different ways as it ed planning on a state, regional, or local level. moves from culture to culture. Sometimes this This objective first appeared through the 1959 alchemy involves an axe, as in this tale, or nails, amendments to the Housing Act of 1954 which but most often it is stones. The tale can involve a provided for intergovernmental planning coordina­ few individuals, or it may include an entire town. tion. Although the National Historic Preservation The end result is always the same, a lavish feast Act of 1966 (NHPA) established the modern foun­ created from apparently nothing but a few stones dation for preservation, it also established a proto-

CRM N2 5—1995 5 col and procedure to protect cultural resources, State Historic Preservation Officer, the SHPO has but did little to foster program planning and coor­ been working with its partners to implement sever­ dination. The next element of federal coordination al cooperative projects and preservation programs, policy appeared in the Intergovernmental such as the Pete French Round Barn Coordination Act of 1968. The purpose of this Act Rehabilitation, Youth Camp at Silver Falls State was to "strengthen State and local government and Park, Sumpter Gold Dredge State Park, and the improve the relations between those governments light stations at Heceta Head and Cape Blanco. and the Federal Government [through] closer When a region's SHPOs cooperate, this can bene­ cooperation and coordination of policies, [and] fit the operations of a federal agency with multiple activities. .." states to address. This is the case with the Region The 1992 amendments to the NHPA changed 1 U.S. Forest Service MOA between the Idaho and the way resource preservation-related undertak­ Montana SHPOs, or proposed Oregon and ings are viewed, planned for, and encourage Washington SHPO agreements with various feder­ greater trust and cooperation. In part, these al agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance amendments also broadened and delegated certain Corporation and Columbia River Gorge National responsibilities to tribal governments, and Scenic Area, and the South/North Light Rail changed the relationships of key stakeholders Corridor. The Oregon Parks and Recreation responsible for implementing the NHPA. The Department/SHPO is currently discussing several amendment provided an essential instrument to partnerships that include the University of Oregon develop opportunities to evolve the traditional role Preservation Program, U.S. Forest Service, and relationship the State Historic Preservation National Park Service, Oregon Historical Society, Office (SHPO) has with federal agencies, that of a Certified Local Governments, and other public/pri­ "permitting" through compliance with Section 106 vate partnerships. The current types of partnership of the NHPA agency. This opportunity primarily programs and projects include annual historic presents itself in the new responsibilities placed preservation and cultural resource education and on federal agencies in the amendments to Section training for staff and students, interpretation pro­ 110, particularly sub section a)(2) which requires grams, internship developmental placement, model federal agencies to establish a preservation pro­ PAs, and direct SHPO consultation on a range of gram. In essence, the process is moving from a undertakings. SHPO site-by-site review of federal undertaking to All State Historic Preservation Offices are in comment on preliminary determinations of the process of developing or implementing National Register eligibility and levels of effect, to statewide Historic Preservation Plans. Federal and a process where resource protection is planned up­ other governments have an opportunity to create front through a program of identification, evalua­ long-term preservation programs that are integrat­ tion, and protection. As Robert D. Bush, Executive ed. The Oregon SHPO is moving in new program Director of the Advisory Council on Historic directions that are oriented to provide direct con­ Preservation (Council), stated in his 1992 letter to sultation in establishing preservation program federal, state, and tribal preservation officers, development and implementation. In the long "Over the long term, the Council views the term, Section 106 compliance might be a sec­ requirements for Federal agency preservation pro­ ondary consideration if federal agencies are well grams as an opportunity to better integrate historic prepared to meet their Section 110 responsibili­ preservation planning into agency decision-mak­ ties. The Oregon SHPO is working toward partici­ ing." When these new directives are viewed pating in the types of relationships that capitalize through the perspective of extant intergovernmen­ on opportunities that a diverse and interdiscipli­ tal cooperation legislation, specifically those relat­ nary partnership foster. These kinds of complex ed to technical assistance, or "pro-active" mitiga­ ingredients make for a rich and satisfying soup tion under Section 110(2)(g), partnership that all members of the community can appreciate opportunities are created. and enjoy. Whether agencies have direct property stew­ ardship responsibilities, serve as pass-through, or Henry C. Kunowski is on staff with the Oregon State block grant funding sources, these partnerships go Historic Preservation Office, Parks and Recreation beyond the normal Programmatic Agreement (PA) Department. He served as a member of the screening and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Since committee and moderator for the 1994 Pacific Robert Meinen's appointment in 1992 as Director Northwest Conference on Preservation Partnerships. of Oregon's Parks and Recreation Department, and

6 CRM N2 5—1995 Lisa Sasser New Paradigms for Preserving Old Buildings

n the book How Buildings Learn, preservation projects. Administrative overhead is Stewart Brand makes the point that reduced by providing an alternative to the "balka­ "individuals typically learn much faster nization" of assessment, design, and treatment than whole organizations."1 He offers partitioned among agency divisions with little con­ as a guidelinI e what robotics engineers call "sub- tact with the resources or the people actually per­ sumption architecture"—pushing the power to forming work on them. respond to the bottom of the organization. If this The real focal point of agency reinvention sounds remarkably like the call of government efforts is improving service to the client. For reinvention task forces to "empower" workers by preservation specialists, the resource itself is ulti­ giving them the tools to recognize and solve mately the "client." A survey of structures built by problems at the resource level, it should come as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on Forest no surprise that individual workers had already Service lands in Washington and Oregon revealed grasped this principle and applied it to their that by the mid-1970s only 1,400 structures efforts to develop more effective ways to preserve remained of the 4,000 built between 1933 and historic structures. 1942. At current estimates, approximately 65 are Creation of the Historic Structures lost each year through demolition and neglect. The Preservation Team in Region Six of the Forest good news is that these figures have been revised Service had its origins in 1991, with the determi­ downward from the 1988 estimate of 76 structures nation of one Forest Service employee to save the a year since the creation of the Region Six Historic Tollgate Shelter, a badly deteriorated campground Structures Team. shelter on the Mt. Hood National Forest, built in Consider the effect that this rate of loss of 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. John historic structures would have if reported as mor­ Platz, a structural engineer, recognized that the tality in the population of an endangered plant or condition of the Tollgate Shelter was not simply animal species. Just as the environmental move­ the result of deferred maintenance, but an acute ment has broadened its frame of reference from lack of the specific preservation skills necessary to the protection of individual species to embrace the understand and treat structures pre-dating stan­ concepts of biodiversity and management at the dardized contemporary materials and construction ecosystem level, historic preservation has evolved practices. In Missoula, Montana, Ken Duce and beyond protecting only individual landmark struc­ Milo McLeod, respectively Forest Architect and tures or historic districts. Architectural historian Forest Archeologist on the Lolo National Forest, Bernard Rudofsky subtitled his book on vernacu­ lobbied intensively for the creation of a Forest lar architecture, The Prodigious Builders, as "notes Service Region One Preservation Team to address toward a natural history of architecture with spe­ the same fundamental problems. Bernie cial regard to those species that are traditionally Weisgerber, a graduate of the NPS Williamsport neglected or downright ignored."2 In such a natur­ Preservation Training Center, was hired in 1992 to al history, the thousands of structures built by the head the Region One team, and creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps are a perfect example Region Six team was officially authorized in 1994. of an "ecosystem" of the built environment. What these programs represent is a vision of Owned and managed by a number of federal and an integrated, "systems" approach to assessment, state agencies across a broad geographic range, preservation, and maintenance of historic struc­ they share a remarkably consistent design philoso­ tures. It is an approach that considers people as phy based on "harmonious adaptability to local well as structures, through training in preservation characteristics and natural environments."3 philosophy and methods. It is entrepreneurial in Western log structures from the late-19th and the ability to organize, perform, and assume the early-20th centuries—ranches, cabins, and town risk for successful (and cost-effective) outcome of settlements—occupy a similar "ecological niche."

CRM N2 5—1995 7 As with other endangered species, the suc­ kept constantly in mind, its application cess of efforts to save rustic and vernacular struc­ consists chiefly of erecting only such tures depends on answers to the following ques­ structures as are absolutely essential to tions. What value do they have, what use are they, fulfill specific requirements and then and what are the costs? Use and value in historic only of designs which harmonize with, preservation are related in the same sense as sig­ or, to express it differently, are the least nificance and integrity. Intangible qualities of objectionable to Nature's particular meaning and experience are reflected at some environment.4 level in a functional artifact. In 1938, W. Ellis Contemporary structures of steel and T-l 11 Groben, consulting architect for the Forest Service, plywood may serve a utilitarian purpose, but con­ addressed the qualities that Forest Service build­ trast profoundly with the effect intended by CCC- ings should possess: era designers: No matter how well buildings may be Successfully handled, [rustic] is a style designed, with but few exceptions, they which, through the use of native materi­ seldom enhance the beauty of their nat­ als in proper scale, and through the ural settings. They are, however, avoidance of rigid, straight lines, and required and necessary to satisfy defi­ oversophistication, gives the feeling of nite uses which arise to meet human having been executed by pioneer crafts­ needs, in spite of their encroachment men with limited hand tools. It thus upon Nature's pristine beauty. achieves sympathy with natural sur­ 5 While this idealistic attitude is roundings and with history. very commendable and worthy of being World War II ended the large-scale work- relief programs that made labor-intensive log and masonry con­ struction feasible on public lands. Interest in rustic architecture Tollgate Shelter, declined after the war, Mt. Hood National and design principles Forest, constructed in 1936 by the driven by new and Civilian cheaper construction Conservation methods became stan­ Corps. Drawing by dard. Ironically, many Paul John surviving structures Neidinger, Williamsport were on the brink of Preservation succumbing to Training Center. decades of neglect by 1992, when virtually all of them became eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Driven by the require­ ments of Section 106 and Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act, a number of agencies were suddenly faced with having to devel­ op a completely new approach to treating structures that had become, in many instances, dangerously unsound.

8 CRM N^ 5—1995 If the current movement to reinvent, re-engineer, and down­ size government sometimes recalls the ancient Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times," it also provides an opportunity to consider how people are making this process work from the ground up. Institutions and government Lost Lake agencies at all levels are respond­ Winter/Summer ing to the same pressures—to do Shelter, Mt. Hood more with less, and to do it more National Forest, effectively. Forest Service Director constructed In Jack Ward Thomas characterized 1993-1994, by the USDA Forest his agency's options as "grow or Service Region Six die," and offered the corollary, Historic Structures "grow and live" as the challenge Team. Drawing by to be met. Paul John Neidinger, With virtually all public Williamsport institutions facing the same chal­ Preservation lenge, certain principles are Training Center. becoming established as a blue­ print for change. "Empowering" individuals through improved In the use/value/costs equation, preservation training, responsibility, and law and policy weighted the scales in favor of accountability makes smaller workforces more pro­ preservation. At the same time many land use ductive. Partnerships focus collective interests and agencies found their traditional missions changing, capabilities. Eliminating layers of administrative with recreation assuming an increasingly impor­ overhead places more resources at the point of tant role. An emerging focus on principles of sus­ effect. Adoption of "whole systems" approaches to tainable design also added impetus to the idea of resource management replaces artificial distinc­ retaining and recycling existing buildings. tions which distort understanding of the environ­ Rustic and traditional vernacular buildings ment, function, or process involved. Preservation and landscapes have always been a powerful force teams like those in Forest Service Regions One in shaping public perceptions and agency image. and Six represent this new paradigm and have the However, while most of these resources have the potential to significantly impact the treatment of potential to be reclaimed and maintained in use historic resources. without loss of historic identity and integrity, many have been allowed to deteriorate because Notes the costs of repair were assumed to be prohibitive. 1 Stewart Brand, How Buildings Learn: What Happens Others received inappropriate repairs which, After They're Built (New York: Viking, 1994), p. 189. because of lack of understanding of period con­ 2 Bernard Rudofsky, The Prodigious Builders (New struction techniques, actually worsened existing York: Harcourt, Brace, lovanovich, 1977). problems. 3 T.W. Norcross, Acceptable Plans: Forest Service These conditions are due, in part, to a wide­ Administrative Buildings (USDA Forest Service, spread perception that historic preservation con­ 1938) introduction. sists of "restoring" buildings, and inevitably 4 ibid, foreword. requires a full-blown design effort, endless compli­ 5 Laura Soulliere Harrison, Architecture in the Parks, ance reviews, and major structural interventions. National Landmark Theme Study. (National Park By contrast, the preservation team approach Service, Department of the Interior, 1986), p. 8. begins with the premise that "preservation is maintenance," and that treatments are based on a Lisa Sasser is a historical architect in the National thorough understanding of historic materials, Park Service, Washington, DC. structural characteristics, and building methods.

CRM W 5—1995 l> E. Gail Throop Rustic Architecture Period Design in the Columbia River Gorge

he rustic style of architecture is each agency developed an idiom that was particu­ represented in many structural arti­ lar to administrative areas that might reflect mod­ facts nationwide. It is important to els and building materials traditional to that geo­ Detail of retaining understand a style, and the ideas, graphical region. In the Pacific Northwest, the wall, beacon Rock shareTd vision and work, and common history style is often termed "Cascadian," in reference to State Park head­ that lie behind it, to successfully appreciate and the mountain range that provided local design quarters. Photo by Matt Meacham, manage the artifacts derived from it. It is the inspiration. 1995. intent of this article to refresh the definition of The basis of rustic architecture was a design rustic architecture, and to describe how the style philosophy founded on an ethic of nonintrusive- was expressed by the USDA Forest Service in the ness. Key to this ethic were the concepts of subor­ Pacific Northwest Region (in the states of Oregon dination, retirement, and assimilation. Important and Washington). The rustic recreational devel­ factors in the achievement of "accessories to opments in the Columbia River Gorge are used nature" were predominantly horizontal lines, low as examples to illuminate the policy and program silhouette, organic forms, and scale, proportion changes within the agency during the period of and texture of the building materials. the Great Depression. Simpler, smaller in scale, The Forest Service Depression-era recre­ and less familiar than Timberline Lodge on Mt. ational structures, including ski lodges, community Hood or the Stockade at Sunrise in Mt. Rainier kitchens, trail shelters, amphitheaters, and scenic National Park, these recreation facilities embody overlooks, most closely adhered to Albert H. the characteristics of rustic architecture. Good's definition of "rustic design": they appeared Styles in architecture are seldom the creation to "have been executed by pioneer craftsmen with of a single individual, but rather the outgrowth of limited hand tools." particular social and economic periods. The rustic Of log, pole and masonry construction, the style of architecture is closely associated with the structural members were carefully proportioned to Great Depression, for maturity and eloquence of the natural setting. Log uprights corresponded in its expression was achieved at that time. Rustic diameter to the measurements of the surrounding was appropriate to rural environments, but neither trees. The desired effect was lost if the natural Visitor registration rude nor artless. Successfully handled, the style materials were too unblemished in their appear­ station at Eagle achieved sympathy with natural surroundings and ance: logs with knots and whorls were superior to Creek, Columbia intimacy with landscape. The rustic style was vari­ clean poles. Foundations and masonry walls were River Gorge. Photo ously expressed nationwide, in the constructions styled to appear as "rough rock footings" or natur­ by George Bleekman III, 1993. of all federal land-managing agencies. Further, al outcrops. The use of rock presented certain problems. Boulders often gave the appearance of instability and their use was infrequent; irregularly-shaped rock was preferable. Placed along their horizontal axis, uncoursed rubble stone resembled nature's bedding patterns, and more closely tied the struc­ ture to the ground. Roof design was another challenge: roof pitch had to be compatible with potential snow load and other climatic conditions without estab­ lishing too great a vertical emphasis that would dominate the scene. Too, roofs had to achieve a proper proportion with the often massive nature of upright support members and footings. Oversized

10 CRM N2 5—1995 Administrative and a scenic overlook. As designed and built, the headquarters, site occupied a large contiguous parcel of land at Beacon Rock State Park. Photo by the confluence of Eagle Creek and the Columbia Matt Meacham, River with each use area located separately. 1995. Subsequent interstate highway construction and the introduction of a national fish hatchery have disturbed the unity of the parcel, but each of the different use areas remains intact, and the original cohesion is apparent. The structural components are a community kitchen, comfort station, informa­ tion station, suspension bridge, and a community overlook building. The architecture is an interest­ ing blend of the "refined rustic" associated with Forest Service administrative sites, and the rough- hewn "rugged rustic" assigned to recreation facili­ ties. The community kitchen and the information station appear to "have been executed by pioneer craftsmen with limited hand tools." They are of log (and pole) post and beam construction, with ran­ dom rubble masonry. The comfort station, affec­ tionately known as "Big John," is of frame con­ verge members helped resolve this problem as did struction, with large dimension timbers, the use of heavy shakes instead of shingles. rough-sawn siding, and random rubble masonry Prior to the election of President Franklin veneer. The Overlook Building combines frame Delano Roosevelt, the Forest Service pursued a construction with some round log roof members cautious conservative recreation site development and rather formally finished rubble masonry piers. policy. That policy held that the recreation role of The built features retire into the mature forest set­ the national forests was to provide space for recre­ ting, while the changes in contour within the site ation. The New Deal ushered in changes in the are both accentuated and assimilated with drylaid magnitude and scope of the Forest Service recre­ masonry retaining walls that almost appear to be ation program which in turn produced significant natural. and far-reaching changes in its recreation policy. With regard to the emergency programs and their Wahkeena Falls is a smaller site, originally products, regional foresters were instructed to give comprising a campground with adjoining picnic more attention to the "social" functions of the area. Structural features include a community forests. Permanent recreation improvements were kitchen and a set of stone-veneered toilet build­ to be encouraged. Not only would the Forest ings. Again, there is a blend of rural and urban Service supply needed recreation structures but influences: log and random rubble masonry shelter also it would strive to design and locate those juxtaposed with frame and fitted stone toilets. facilities in aesthetically pleasing ways. Public ser­ What is more noteworthy is the formality of the vice would be paramount. masonry in the convertible campstoves, steps, and other built landscape features, particularly in com­ The Depression-era recreational develop­ parison with the great informality of the stonework ments at Wahkeena Falls and at Eagle Creek in the at Eagle Creek. The cut-and-fitted quality of the Columbia River Gorge represent the achievement masonry lends an entirely different feeling to the of those social, service, and aesthetic goals. The facility at Wahkeena Falls. Lacking the design doc­ sites clearly reflect the comprehensive planning uments, it is not possible to tell whether the typical of the period. The structures embody the masonry treatment is an accurate execution of the (Forest Service) Pacific Northwest Region's partic­ intended design or the preferred pattern of the ular expression of the rustic style of architecture. The Columbia River Gorge offered significant design challenges with forested settings, rock out- croppings, and little flat ground. The respective design solutions for Eagle Creek and Wahkeena Picnic table in campground. Photo Falls responded to these conditions in similar ways by Matt Meacham, but with differing interpretations. At both sites, the 1995. features and furnishings lie easy on the land and seem to grow from it. Eagle Creek is a large and complex site, including a picnic area, a campground, a trailhead,

CRM Nfi 5—1995 11 individual craftsman building ly appropriate to rural environments. It was pic­ the stoves. turesque, romantic architecture that recalled the Beacon Rock State Park American past, was wholly integrated with the is a Depression-era complex landscape and responsive to the environment. The composing the state park idiom was developed as a solution to the problem administrative headquarters, a of providing facilities for the public, in national large comfort station at the parks and forests, and in state parks, that did not Beacon Rock Trailhead, and a compete with natural or scenic values. Rustic community kitchen in the pic­ helped to create an image, and to convey an ethic nic area adjacent to the of conservation. It strongly influenced public Hamilton Mountain Trailhead. expectations about the appropriate character and The park is located in appearance of recreational and administrative Washington, on State Highway buildings in parks and forests. In the eloquence of 14, west of Bonneville Dam. its expression and in its divergence from the trend Created by Washington State toward functionalism in urban architecture, rustic Parks, perhaps with the design made an important contribution to 20th-century assistance of the National Park Service, the American architectural thought. Comer of comfort Beacon Rock complex offers an interesting compar­ station at Beacon Rock State Park, ison in the expression of the rustic style of archi­ References near Beacon Rock tecture. USDA Forest Service. 1933. A National Plan For troilhead and The three major structural components of the American Forestry. "The Forest For Recreation and a headquarters. Photo by Matt Beacon Rock complex are spatially organized by Program for Forest Recreation." Robert Marshall Meacham, 1995. function and separately located within the park (Collaborator). U.S. Government Printing Office, boundaries. The small administrative buildings are Washington, DC. simply-detailed frame construction with random USDA Forest Service.1937. Improvement Handbook, rubble veneer. The comfort station is of horizontal Division of Engineering. U.S. Government Printing log and stone, and the community kitchen is log Office. Washington, DC. post and beam construction, with low solid railings U.S. Department of the Interior. National Park Service. and large "window" openings. The structures differ 1935. Park Structures and Facilities, edited by Albert substantially in materials and textures, and thus H. Good, Branch of Planning. Washington, DC. do not reveal a cohesive architectural character. Taylor, A.D. (Consulting Landscape Architect). 1935. However, they all clearly relate to a single design Report to the U.S. Forester's Office on Trip of theme, and each connects to its individual setting Inspection Through Some of the National Forest and the requirements of the site. The architectural Areas in Regions 2, 4, 6, and 1. interpretation is very responsive to the environ­ Taylor, A.D. (Consulting Landscape Architect). 1936. ment of the Columbia River Gorge, but the point of Report to the Chief, Forest Service on Trip of Corner of comfort view shows a subtle difference from that of the station at Beacon Inspection Through Some of the National Forests in Rock State Park Forest Service designers. Both expressions are sen­ Regions 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. picnic area. sitive and articulate and present appropriate solu­ Throop, Elizabeth Gail. 1979. Utterly Visionaty and Compare style of tions to the problems posed by the landscape. Chimerical: A Federal Response to the Depression. An masonry to photo Examination of Civilian Conservation Corps above. Photo by The rustic style represents an early-20th-cen- Matt Meacham, tury movement in American architecture. Based on Construction on National Forest System Lands in the 1995. a philosophy of nonintrusiveness, it was particular­ Pacific Northwest. M.A. Thesis. Portland State University, Portland, OR. Throop. Elizabeth Gail. 1989. "National Forests. .Use and Development for Recreation in the West." Paper presented at Proceedings of Western History Association, Tacoma, WA. Tweed, William C. 1980. Recreation Site Planning and Improvement in National Forests: 1891-1942. USDA Forest Service. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.

E. Gail Throop is the Regional Historian in the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Regional Office, and the Program Manager for Developed Recreation. She served as Sponsor's Representative to the Partnership Conference.

12 CRM NB 5—1995 Kenneth Helphand Interpretive Interventions

andscape preservation is also the insight and ideation. This article describes act of contemporary design. In the examples of combining methods most often reuse and redesign of places, there associated with the realm of contemporary land­ are no new sites, for all are his­ scape artistry with those of landscape interpreta­ toric. LInterpretation, the explication of places tion. This uncommon chemical combination and phenomena is a fundamental aspect of might help us see opportunities in the design of preservation. Typically it is viewed as a final sites not readily apparent. The ideas build upon Memorial sign in design layer, that offers explanation or routing, the author's concept of Magic Markers and San Francisco, CA. Photo by the but at its best it offers an added engagement Ronald Fleming's PlaceMakers. Magic Markers author. with the place. However, design itself is also is a proposal for historical markers which go fundamentally an interpretive act. The determi­ beyond the limits of descriptive plaques and a nation of programmatic elements and composi­ didactic sensibility. They are intended to culti­ tion in terms of form, scale, dimensions and vate in the viewer and visitor a sensibility of materials, all of these choices are acts of inter­ historical imagination, engaging them in the pretation. If conceived as such, they can add place in an unexpected fashion, offering a cer­ additional layers of meaning and richness to tain shock of recognition to their awareness of any design. There is also art that takes as its the place.1 In similar fashion, PlaceMakers theme or subject the interpretation of places focus on the role of public art to foster local and phenomena, art that explicitly and implic­ identity and a sense of where one resides in itly attempts to deal with or question the rela­ both space and time.2 tionship between the natural world and the For example, there are markers in the world of culture. Historically, this is one of the landscape which take the graphic conventions of fundamental themes and narratives of garden mapping into the landscape. Thus, as American history itself. and Canadian roads cut across the 45th parallel The cross-fertilization of disciplines often there are highway signs alerting drivers that leads to new insights, where the conscious over­ they are "Halfway between the North Pole and lap of method and idea can act as a catalyst to the equator." Lines demarcate local, state and international borders, and the prime meridian in Greenwich, England can be stepped across. There are vertical sections such as flood markers which mark the levels of floods. In northern California some of these are found high atop telephone poles. There are maps and pic­ "Halfway between the North Pole and torial images placed on site the Equator." Photo which depict past events in by the author. direct comparison to the exist­ ing site. There are time lines and chronologies that one can walk. In 1984, University of Oregon students painted bar graphs of the federal budget on the main walkway through cam­ pus. The graphic depiction,

CRM KM 5—1995 13 and time land­ scapes. Conventional histor­ ical markers often deal with the dynamics of nature and culture, and Federal Budget, University of certain artists Oregon, 1984. explicitly deal with those interactions, particularly within the urban land­ scape. In 1980 Eric Arctander painted two parallel lines at the tip of Manhattan. Entitled "Nieuw Amsterdam" this full-scale map depicted the original which went on for blocks, showed the dramatic shoreline of the end of the island. Walking discrepancies in the allocation of economic though Battery Park, cutting across streets and resources. through buildings it dramatized the landscape Artists in the past generation have been history of the filling in the harbor. Alan Sonfist creating works which heighten our spatial and has created a series of "Time Landscapes" such temporal awareness and consciousness. There is as his 1978 version in Lower Manhattan, which a resonance between their work and that of is a landscape restoration of the pre-Colonial landscape architects which is equally directed at forest. Buster Simpson's 1991 "Host Analog" in understanding our position in space and the Portland, Oregon is a landscape displacement. A transformation of spaces over time. The vocabu­ downed Douglas fir tree from the forested lary of marking and interpretation can be Cascade mountains was installed in front of the expanded through techniques such as mapping, city's convention center. There, an irrigation sys­ modeling, lines on the land, on-site sections, tem provides mist to continue the tree's natural site visualization, chronologies, displacements, "Nieuw function as nurse log for future plant growth. Amsterdam" by Over time a fragment of the forest is emerging in Eric Arctander, the urban landscape. The 1991 "Shore 1980. Viewpoints" by Gloria Bornstein and Donald Fels were a series of markers placed adjacent to an official set of historical points of interest markers along the Seattle waterfront. The text of the new markers was a commentary on the old, thus the process of understanding the "official" depiction of history (dating from the late '50s and early '60s) was placed in direct contrast with revisionist and alternative viewpoints. The waterfront began to function as source material for a museum without walls in a landscape research library. In 1994, a landscape architecture design studio at the University of Oregon investigated a mile-long segment of the Old Columbia River Highway (from Tanner Creek to Eagle Creek), abandoned since 1937. It is currently in the process of conversion by the Oregon Department of Transportation into a recreational and bicycle trail, a rare highway-to-trail project. With the intention of involving students in the act of design interpretation, they were asked to design

14 CRM Na 5—1995 "Host Analog" by a series of interpretive interventions Buster Simpson, which were executed in a weekend 1991. workshop. The question was how to intervene on this segment of the Columbia River Highway in such a way as to heighten the awareness, appreciation, and experience of the historic landscape character. The work was all temporary and dismantled after our visit and executed on-site at full scale. The methodologies included re- photography, framing, narratives, lay­ ering, revealing, and illumination, all intended to cultivate one's historic imagination and address fundamental "Shore questions of cultural impacts in a dra­ Viewpoints" by matic and protected natural landscape. of "frames" in the landscape. They focused one's Gloria Bornstein Chris Peterson's intervention combined attention on the grand and spectacular views of and Donald Pels, the gorge, as the highway was designed to do, 1991. archeology and surgery. In a section of the high- but also on landscape fragments, such as the bark of a tree. Accompanying each picture was a question for viewers directed at understanding the changing landscape over time, such as ques­ tions about trees which had matured, the giant lake created by the construction of the Bonneville Dam, and the gorge's geologic histo­ ry- Other interventions included staking out the original road configuration with poles and surveyors tape where it had been obliterated, stenciling old Model T tracks on the earth, the etching of hand prints by the careful removal of moss from highway guardrails, the rope "mar­ riage" of the highway to surrounding trees (inspired by the marriage of rocks in the Japanese landscape), the installation of stone walls, inflated bags compressed beneath the new roadbed as it rode over the original surface, and way now under a foot of soil he made an inci­ the installation of pieces of old cars which visi­ sion into the earth which revealed the almost tors could sit in and imagine driving down the pristine roadway beneath. The earth was treated as alive, with sterile sheets hold­ ing back its "body" to expose the underlying tissue. Sarah Cantine fabricated a series of boxes which told the story of the high­ way from the perspective of an imagined female user of 75 years ago. Each box displayed an arti­ fact such as white gloves, a watch, a mirror, book, and tooth­ brush. Their placement in the landscape, on railings or the roadbed, forced the viewer to "Indsion'by Chris both carefully examine the site Peterson, 1994. and the boxed artifacts while mentally constructing an imag­ ined narrative of the owner. Yutaka Tajima installed a series

CRM Nfi5—1995 L5 road. For the participants the impact of the event and the works was dramatic. The design of the interventions encour­ aged an approach to interpretation which was subtle, multi-layered, and even a bit enigmatic, as they added an additional layer to this landscape's tem­ poral collage. All of the interventions broke down the artificial and spurious division between "natural" and "cultur­ al" history and preservation.

Notes 1 Helphand, Kenneth, "Magic Markers." Yearbook in Landscape Architecture: Historic Preservation, Richard Austin, et. al., eds., New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1983. pp. 95-102. 2 Fleming, Ronald Lee and Renata Von Tscharner. Placemakers. Cambridge: The Townscape Institute, 1981.

Kenneth Helphand, FASLA, is Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Oregon.

"Boxes" by Sarah Cantine. Gloves on a stone guardrail; book in a box; hand mirror in a box.

16 CRM N^ 5—1995 "Frames" byYutaka Tajima, 1994.

CRM N& 5—1995 17 James Wentworth Hands on the Landmarks, Parti

he University of Oregon has a tain them, they have gradually deteriorated to a critical point. During the 1950s and 1960s, Detail of restored unique opportunity in the realm balustrade, north of historic preservation. The much deteriorated material was simply facade.Villard Hall. University is steward for several removed as part of efforts to "neaten up" the Photo by George historiTc buildings, two of which are National buildings. Now as public and administrative Bleekman ///. Historic Landmarks (NHLs). It also has a com­ sentiment has warmed toward historic struc­ prehensive graduate program in historic preser­ tures, more thought and effort are being put vation in the School of Architecture and Allied into caring for the built cultural resources on Arts. Over the years the Western Oregon cli­ the campus and unusual methods are being Villard and Deady mate has taken its toll on the elaborate wooden pursued. halls. Photo cour­ components on the exteriors of these buildings. Funding has always been frugal within tesy University of Oregon Archives. Despite occasional good faith efforts to main­ Oregon's State System of Higher Education (OSSHE), and until quite recently many pro­ grams, such as maintenance, suffered in order to benefit the academic programs. Not an uncom­ mon problem, deferred maintenance at the University has begun to take its toll. Many buildings, including some of the newer ones, were experiencing failures in exterior envelope and other critical building systems. OSSHE finally realized that it needed to care for its cap­ ital resources or risk a true crisis. Capital repair priorities were established and the most impor­ tant needs addressed first. Deady and Villard halls, both NHLs, were high on the list. As much historic fabric was lost due to deterioration and some from intervention, complete restorations were agreed upon. Long the advocates for attention on the these buildings, members of the faculty of the Historic Preservation Program were eager to see restoration efforts begin on Deady and Villard. A workshop was offered whereby students would work on the design and produce working draw­ ings for the restoration of the east porch of Villard Hall. The class was offered in 1987 and was successful. Students produced a usable set of documents and benefited from working on an actual project. Faculty then went one step further and planned to involve students in the actual work of the restoration. As the Physical Plant was now interested in having the work done and had the funding, it was agreed upon that a class would be offered, led by a professional preserva­ tion carpenter, Gregg Olson, under the direction

IS CRM N2 5—1995 ing, the northeast tower. This involved a lot more work of several types so the scope of involvement changed accordingly. Physical Plant craftsmen were added to the team, both to lead in executing the work and to learn from Olson. The intent was to expand their skills and knowledge relating to historic preservation and enable them eventually to carry on the work Southeast tower of unassisted. Students and tradesmen worked Villard Hall before and learned side by side. In 1991 the northwest restoration. Photo tower and north facade were restored, again led by George Bleekman III. by Olson and involving both students and Physical Plant craftsmen including Steve Parker, Tom Johnson, and Bill Mirabella. In 1993, focus shifted from Villard over to Deady Hall, which was the first building of the University. Restoration efforts began on the building's east tower, and this time coordination and construction were executed entirely by the Physical Plant. In spring 1994 students again assisted in the construction as the west tower project was begun. The class was led by mem­ bers of the Physical Plant under my direction. An architecture graduate of the University, I learned from Olson during work on Villard's of the HP faculty, with materials provided by the northwest tower. Outside help was sought, and Plant. This unusual relationship proved success­ two preservation carpenters, Jonathan Smith ful as the students participated in the actual and George Bleekman III, and a sheet metal woodworking while assisting Olson. Two years worker with considerable restoration experi­ later, in 1989, the collaborative approach was ence, Art Corliss, were hired. Smith and tried again on a much larger piece of the build- Bleekman were also finishing up graduate degrees in historic preservation from the University so their employment had the obvious /vnother example of a partnership advantage of further expanding ties to the between the Historic Preservation Program Historic Preservation Program as well as and local organizations focused on historic together bringing about 25 years of experience paint analysis on the University of Oregon with restoration to the team. campus. In 1990 the University offered a class, led by historic preservationist Jill Once the Deady towers were finished in MacDonald, and the Physical Plant allowed late 1994, work shifted back over to Villard. them to use the Collier House, a former presi­ Another class during spring 1995 again dent's residence, as a study vehicle. The exten­ involved several students in the work. This time sive restoration report produced by the class the class was led by both Bleekman and me and revealed a significant polychrome color included a model apprenticeship framework. scheme was originally used. When restoration Plans are underway for expanding the scope of work was later executed, the report was imple­ future classes to include more study into and mented and the building repainted according practice with historic woodworking and sheet to the original scheme. The success of this pro­ metal techniques, taking advantage of a consid­ ject led the Plant to pursue further paint analy­ erable collection of antique tools owned person­ ses in conjunction with the Historic ally by members of the team. This is an exciting Preservation Program. In 1994 another paint prospect that goes far beyond merely executing analysis class was offered, this time funded by the work and maximizes the opportunities the Physical Plant, and resulted in eleven inherent in such a unique partnership between buildings being studied. These historic paint academia and facilities maintenance. reports will be used by the Plant in the future as these buildings are repainted according to James Wentworth holds a Master's Degree in their original or most significant paint Architecture from the University of Oregon and cur­ schemes. rently serves as preservation project manager at the University of Oregon Physical Plant.

CRM N9 5—1995 10 George Bleekman III Hands on the Landmarks, Parti

ne of the most appealing aspects of two National Historic Landmarks on the of a career choice in Historic University of Oregon's campus, and was the sec­ Preservation is the multi-faceted ond building to be built on campus (Deady Hall, nature of the field. For some, the 1876, was the first building on campus, and is the attractioOn lies in advocacy, leading the fight to other Landmark). Villard Hall, one of Oregon's Entablature and bracket showing save our historic resources. For others, the fasci­ finest architectural gems, was designed by noted paint failure,Villard nation is in survey work and the identification of Oregon architect Warren Heywood Williams and Hall. historic resources. But for me, the thrill is in the is a late example of the second empire style, one restoration: putting the life back into a building of the few remaining academic buildings of that that many would say should be discarded. style left on a western American campus. We, as Restoration is a tangible endeavor, for one sees restoration professionals, bear the responsibility of the results on a daily basis, and it is immensely passing landmarks like Villard Hall on to future gratifying. Good restoration is a combination of generations. This means that our intervention detective work, careful analysis, and conscien­ must preserve its historical integrity and crafts­ tious craftsmanship, woven throughout the pro­ manship, because that is what we are passing on. ject. I believe it is the most visible aspect of his­ Named after Henry Villard, a railroad tycoon toric preservation, because it is the beautifully and early benefactor of the University, Villard Hall restored building that the public sees and appre­ is a rather squat, three-story brick building fin­ ciates. Those in the preservation field know how ished with stucco molded to simulate stone, and a important advocacy and "behind the lines" wooden mansard roof with tower pavilions on preservation are, but for the general public the each of the four corners. Although the interior has end result is all they really know about, or proba­ suffered much alteration, the exterior is intact bly even care about. except for an addition on the west side connecting Villard to the adjacent Robinson Theater, and the As project supervisor and lead carpenter on removal of the lower cornice balustrade on the the restoration of Villard Hall, I recognize the Villard Hall. Photo east, south and west facades. Ornate wooden carv­ courtesy University enormous responsibility it takes to undertake such ings, turnings and mouldings decorate the building of Oregon Archives. a restoration. Villard Hall, finished in 1886, is one and are finished in sand paint meant to simulate stone, and the cedar shingles are painted dark grey to simulate slate. The restoration of Villard began seven years ago in a piecemeal fashion, when restoration contractor Gregg Olson and a group of architec­ ture and historic preservation students restored the east porch. Two years later the restoration continued with Olson and another group of students restoring the north­ east tower, and four years ago the north-west tower was restored. The current phase of restoration began in

20 CRM N^ 5—1995 November of 1994 with the east wall, southeast the most damage. Much of the cedar trim and tower and south wall, and will continue with the moulding is badly deteriorated, and the original southwest tower and west wall. The current cedar shingles on the mansard roof are in dire restoration team is made up of Project Manager need of replacement. In addition, the original terne James Wentworth, myself, three Physical Plant plate roofing on the gutters, parapet and mansard restoration carpenters, Steve Parker, roof has failed, allowing water to enter the building JR Vanderburg, and Jeff Urban, and sheet metal and accelerating deterioration (the terne-plate had worker Art Corliss. In addition to this core restora­ been coated with bituminous roofing tar that con­ tion team are architecture and historic preserva­ tributed to its deterioration and failure). Because tion students who are able to gain valuable of this, the gutters and supporting structure are "hands-on" experience under the direction of the badly rotted, as well as many of the brackets and restoration team. This experience is made possible mouldings on the entablature. The brick and stuc­ by a unique partnership between the Physical co behind the entablature are also deteriorating Plant and the University of Oregon Historic and spalling. While some of this damage to the Preservation Program that allows up to 10 stu­ building can be attributed to age, the majority of dents per term to work and learn alongside the the damage to the building could have been pre­ restoration team. This unique partnership gives vented with proper maintenance, most notably the students a rare opportunity to participate in the presence of a regular painting schedule. Any wood­ restoration of an NHL, as well as to develop en portions of a building, especially one exposed restoration skills and principles. to the severe wind and rain that we have in Because of a poor maintenance history on Oregon, will fall into rapid decay without protec­ Tower bracket the part of the university, Villard is in a serious tion; i.e. paint, stain, or varnish. It is imperative before restoration. state of disrepair. Although the masonry and stuc­ that buildings receive a regularly scheduled paint Below: Same corner job; even the best paint job will last ten years at with new bracket co are for the most part quite stable, it is the trim. wooden portions of the building that have suffered best. The restoration began with the erection of scaffolding with five different levels that allowed total access to all portions of the building undergo­ ing restoration. The upper portion of the scaffold­ ing was wrapped in a modular weather enclosure made of reinforced waterproof vinyl resistant to UV degradation. This weather enclosure allows the restoration to proceed year round, and because the enclosure is modular, it can be re-used on future restorations. Once the enclosure was up and the building protected, the lead paint could be removed from the building. The original coating of paint on the wood­ work was sand paint, meant to simulate stone. With subsequent layers of paint added by paint crews over the years, the lead paint was approxi­ mately 3/32" thick. Because of the intricate nature of the woodwork, the only option for stripping the paint was with heat guns. Although alternate meth­ ods such as torch and chemical stripping were con­ sidered, they were discounted because of the detri­ mental effects they would have on the building. Torch stripping was rejected because of the chance of fire, and chemical stripping was eliminated because of environmental hazards as well as the salts left in the woodwork. While heat stripping with heat guns is very labor intensive, as well as very slow considering the difficulty in removing the sand paint, it is still cost effective when one factors in the end result: intricate woodwork saved and ready for repainting. As long as the proper safety precautions are taken to minimize the risk of lead exposure to workers, i.e., the wearing of full Tyvek

CRM N2 5—1995 21 matched the grain of the original piece. All milled replacement pieces were first treated with Woodlife Preservative, and then primed. The pieces needing repair were cleaned and prepared for consolidation and filling with epoxy resins. The products used for these procedures were Abatron Liquid Wood for consolidation, and Abatron Epoxy Filler for the replacement of missing wood. Although these are non-reversible processes, the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. The original piece is saved, with the original craftsmanship still intact. If, for some Bullseye showing reason, the epoxy fails in the future, the original lead paint failure. Below: Bullseye and piece is still there to replicate. Many milled pieces parapet with new on the building were crudely cut with axes when metal plate. installed, and by saving them with consolidant/fillers we are able to pass this informa­ tion on to future generations. Once the lead paint removal and demolition were complete, the meticulous rebuilding of the structure could begin. Like all other forms of con­ struction, restoration is a linear process, with work completed in sequence, and the key to a successful restoration is the proper scheduling of these sequences. The rebuilding began with the entabla­ ture/lower cornice and gutters since much of the future work depended on having the gutter metal installed. The gutter is supported by both the entablature brackets, as well as 4' lookouts that run horizontally into the masonry structure. Nearly half of the lookouts were badly deteriorated and were replaced in kind with Douglas Fir. Much of the original fir tongue and groove soffit sheathing was also deteriorated and was replaced in kind with stock milled in our shop. Most of the gutter boards were in reasonable condition, and those that were not were again replaced in kind with milled tongue and groove. The deteriorated and missing brackets in the entablature were repaired and replaced in-kind with cedar and re-installed using plated deck screws instead of nails. This was done to both facilitate future removal, as well as add some seismic stability to the brackets. Before the restoration, the brackets had an occasional ten­ dency to fall off the building. body suits, respirators, and gloves, the process is still the best for removing lead paint. The gutter originally sloped slowly from the Once the paint was stripped from the build­ center of the south facade to a downspout on the ing, demolition could begin. The terne plate was east facade, a run of about 60'. Because the gutter removed on the parapet and the gutters, exposing settled and sagged over the years, the slope was the deteriorated structure. The woodwork was zero in some places, and even negative in others. also removed and stamped with numbers corre­ Because of the need to have a continuous and suf­ sponding to its location on the building. As it was ficient slope, a plywood cricket was built over the removed, the woodwork was separated into three original gutter sheathing. This cricket allowed an classes: (1) badly deteriorated and needing to be additional three inches to the height, and resulted replaced; (2) damaged but repairable with epoxy in a slope of 1/8" per foot run. The impact of the fillers and patching; (3) those pieces in good con­ higher profile of the gutter was mitigated by adding dition. A list was made of those pieces of wood­ a cant strip that sloped up from the front edge of work needing replacement, and those pieces were the gutter to the beginning of the cricket. These subsequently milled and shaped, with stock that additions may seem drastic to some, but all of our

22 CRM N2 5—1995 structure that attaches to the mansard roof, allow­ ing the balustrade to hang from the structure and keeping the balustrade out of the gutter. When completed, the top rail of the balustrade will be capped with stainless steel flashing. Work will continue on the building until the restoration is complete. After the balustrade is fin­ ished, the upper cornice of the tower and mansard roof will be completed. The tower will be roofed with stainless steel terne plate, and by early June, the building will be ready for paint, and if properly planned for, paint preparation can be spread throughout the course of the restoration. All replacement pieces are treated with Woodlife and primed on all surfaces before they are placed on the building, and all the original woodwork is Restored north intervention is reversible, easily discernable from treated with Woodlife after scraping or sanding dur­ facade ofVillard the original gutter that lies beneath it, and is ing each phase of the project. All upper and verti­ Hall. impossible to see from anywhere except on top of cal joints are caulked with Vulkum Urethane caulk the building. The gutter metal was then installed, (with the bottom joints left open to allow water to Photos by George escape). A urethane caulk is far superior to an Bleekman III. using long sheets of break-formed (to minimize seams) stainless steel terne plate. acrylic latex, especially in exterior applications. With the completion of the gutter, work could Although a urethane caulk is harder to work with, proceed on the parapet and the mansard roof shin­ the extra time spent is well worth the effort. By tak­ gling. Although the parapet is very exposed to ing the time to prep as you go, you are spared the inclement weather, deterioration was limited to the lengthy process of prepping an entire building at skirt boards and the ornamentation over the south the end of a long restoration. The building will and east bulls eyes. The skirt boards on the para­ receive two coats of an alkyd primer, and then two pet were badly weathered and replaced in-kind top coats. The trim will be painted with sand paint, with 1x12 clear cedar, and the keystones and and the shingles a dark grey to simulate slate. The flanking scrolls over the bulls eyes were also sand paint is applied by spraying on a layer of replaced in-kind with cedar. The top of the parapet paint, and then spraying the surface with a low was then flashed with stainless steel terne plate. pressure sandblaster. This gives a much different The shingles used for the re-roofing matched the appearance than one would get if the sand were original cedar shingles in both width and length. mixed into the paint and then applied. Before placement on the building, the shingles The final touch to the restoration will be the were hand dipped in WoodLife Wood Preserve, installation of the cast iron cresting around the top allowed to dry for three days, and then dipped in a of the tower and mansard roof. The cresting was Fuller O'Brian alkyd primer. Great care was taken carefully removed and numbered during the early to dry the shingles before dipping, which facilitates part of the restoration. The broken pieces were paint adhesion. The shingles were then hung on repaired by cutting out pieces of cast iron from the building, duplicating the original courses, bathtubs, and then welding the pieces to the crest­ which had been marked as the old shingles were ing. After repair the cresting was sandblasted and pulled off. then powdercoated with a color matching the origi­ At this writing, work is continuing on build­ nal black (powdercoating was chosen over a cat­ ing with the re-introduction of the balustrade, alytic epoxy because of the durability of the pow­ which had badly deteriorated and was removed in dercoating). The cresting will be installed and we the 1930s. The balustrade runs along the lower will celebrate the end of a very satisfying and cornice of the mansard roof, and ties the four tow­ meaningful restoration project. Yet the celebration ers together by continuing the parapet lines across will be short lived because the scaffolding will soon the roof. Broken into three equal segments by two move around the building, signifying the beginning large pedestals, each run of the balustrade features of another phase. It is something we all look for­ a boxed top and bottom rail trimmed with cedar, ward to, both students and crew alike. and turned cedar balusters spaced 4" apart. The two pedestals will support large urns, although at George Bleekman holds a Masters Degree in this point the original material of the urns is Architecture from the University of Oregon, and is unknown and will require further study in order to currently writing his thesis for the Masters Degree in replicate them. Supporting the balustrade is a steel Historic Preservation.

CRM N^ 5—1995 23 Matt Meacham The CRM Index Database Joint Project with the NPS

n addition to working on this thematic people available), most of the tasks were accom­ issue of CRM, members of the Historic plished; some tasks have been deferred, and notes Preservation Program (HPP) of the made on how to accomplish them when resources University of Oregon have been become available. involveId in developing an index database for Data Definition and Inclusion CRM. In February of 1994, students began index­ As noted in the overview below, the way the ing all the articles published from 1978 through data was perceived and entered changed over 1994. time. Another issue was the human factor of per­ Description and Review of the Index Project ception and judgment: while most articles clearly When first conceived, the index was envi­ fit into definite subject areas, different participants sioned as being a comprehensive document, listing entering data and assigning the subjects might per­ all articles, reviews and news items contained in ceive an article differently and quite reasonably CRM by subject and keyword in addition to the assign other or additional subjects to an article. expected author/article title/location references. This issue was resolved by using a standard (and Originally, we only considered simply listing the limited) list of subjects, and having the subject data in a static word processing document, but entries reviewed by at least two other persons. quickly realized that entry of the data into a data­ Resolving the subject issue was fairly base would make it possible to eventually distrib­ straightforward, but the problem of determining ute the index as an electronic, interactive stand­ and assigning keywords for a given article was alone document. The index could even be much more complex. The problem with assigning formatted for inclusion on academic library data­ keywords has two major components: bases such as First Search, the Expanded • determining if the article actually con­ Academic Index (which indexes about 1,500 jour­ tains the appropriate keyword(s) or if nals), or CARL UnCover (indexes about 14,000 the article can be more accurately repre­ journals). sented by keywords not found in the Given the advantages of entering the data article; and into a database, we chose Claris Filemaker Pro for • deciding what is the best process for its ease of use and cross-platform compatibility. searching and determining the appropri­ Filemaker also confers the ability to distribute the ate keyword(s) either by visually scan­ index in a "run-time" format, where a user would ning the article and assigning words; or not need to have the application to use the data­ automating the process as much as pos­ base; a version of the application with limited sible—scanning the article into text files functionality would be included with the index and performing searches for keywords. database. After receiving two full complements of Given the complexities of determining key­ CRM, we started work on entering data, and words, we decided to concentrate on the more designing and testing the database. basic and achievable tasks of simply getting the The project had several phases which over­ articles entered, subjects assigned, and the entries lapped and influenced each other: checked for accuracy. That task is complete. • the definition of the data, Status of the Index • the functionality of the database, Despite the absence of keywords and refer­ • entering the data, ences to sources other than articles, the index is • layout and presentation of the data, substantially and functionally complete at this • proofing the entered data and time. All the articles from 1978 through 1994 have • testing and confirming the functionality. been entered and can be listed in a variety of for­ Despite the complexity of the task and con­ mats, including by subject, author, date, or many strained resources (computing power, time, and combinations of those formats. The index as cur-

24 CRM NB 5—1995 rently configured can be used immediately to gen­ erate listings by author, date, etc. The ability to Overview of the Index search by keyword is important enough that it 1 he database contains the information should not be abandoned, but should be about the articles in CRM. The database is approached deliberately—and finished when more extendible—other categories of information resources and expertise are available. (such as authors' biographic data, address, The index was shipped to the National Park illustrations, etc.) can be added to the records. Service in February 1995, and the means and The layout of information in the main data­ schedule of publication and distribution are cur­ base file can be changed to accommodate new rently being explored. categories of information. For instance, the file Acknowledgements initially contained space for only one author The CRM Index was compiled and designed per article; the layout of the database was re­ by members of the Historic Preservation Program configured to accommodate multiple authors. at the University of Oregon, including Jennifer Subsequent records then had the capability to Barnes, Christine Curran, Janice Catlin, Julie list either single or multiple authors. The lay­ Foster, Erin Hanafin, Karin Link, Matt Meacham, outs listed above represent different ways of Rebecca Ossa, Chris Ottaway, Don Peting, Dave configuring and displaying the data according Pinyerd, Nicole Sabourin, Suzanne SanRomani, to a given category; other configurations are Michelle Schmitter, Amanda Welsh, Richa Wilson, also possible. The database can be used on and Ed Yarbrough. CRM editor Ron Greenberg computers supporting either the Microsoft and design and production consultant Bill Windows or Apple Macintosh interfaces. Data Freeman lent their insights, constructive criticism, can be exported to other applications, such as and encouragement. other databases, word processors, or desktop publishing/page layout programs.

Ken Guzowski and Richa Wilson The Eugene Masonic Cemetery Partnerships in Rural Cemetery Preservation

hose of us who work in cultural dential development that surrounded the cemetery. resource protection are becoming Over time local residents came to think of the more dependent on cooperative cemetery as a private park where they could stroll, Stone grave marker showing typical relationships with other organiza­ walk their dogs, and enjoy the ever-changing ecol­ problems of tions,T public entities, and private groups to ogy of the site. Unfortunately, an unsavory ele­ spoiling, erosion, accomplish varied historic preservation goals. ment of local society also discovered the opportu­ and invasive plant Since September of 1993, the City of Eugene has nity to conduct nefarious acts of vandalism. growth. been an active partner in a community effort to Because the cemetery never embraced perpetual protect, restore, and maintain the vandalized care practices, which became popular in the 1940s and deteriorated Masonic Cemetery in Eugene, and 1950s, vandalism was not assuaged by main­ Oregon. This 10-acre hillside cemetery was tenance. For decades monuments and grave mark­ established in 1859 and contains burial plots ers have been toppled, broken, and stolen. The and markers for many of Eugene's pioneer fami­ Hope Abbey Mausoleum was particularly subject lies. A walk through the cemetery brings to light to serious abuse. Its magnificent bronze doors the names of past citizens which read like a became torn and shredded from pry bars, while street map of the city. the poured concrete walls of the mausoleum took When the cemetery was established it was on layer after layer of paint to cover the endless located in the outskirts of town. Following World graffiti (see sidebar). War II and the explosive growth of that era, the In 1993, City Councilor Barbara Keller, a slopes and flatlands of this area filled in with resi­ neighbor of the cemetery and ward representative,

CRM N2 5—1995 25 Concerned citizens petitioned their friends and neighbors to help organize a community workshop and clean-up parties. Seventy-five people gathered to firm their resolve at the first public workshop which was held in January of 1994. Media cover­ age of the workshop galvanized additional support from the community. Meanwhile, city staff worked to assist the Masonic Cemetery Steering Committee with research, promotion, and grant writing. Plans were Information finalized for a VIP tour to pull in local and state brochure, The Eugene Masonic politicians to support the goals of the organization. Cemetery Historic Preservation Week activities for 1994 Association. began with a ceremony in the cemetery. The mau­ soleum was opened to the public after it was swept and scrubbed by volunteers. A local florist donated elaborate bouquets of lilac and spirea for the occasion. In April, the National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded the city its grant request to hire a consultant to conduct a condition analysis and develop a preservation/maintenance plan for the cemetery and mausoleum. The Eugene Masonic Lodge #11 pledged $1,000 as part of the match for the $2,000 grant. Citizens sponsored and began to attend regular monthly work parties at the cemetery. A second public meeting served to bring in additional donations and volunteers. Every volunteer project is only as good as the people involved. During the organizational phase of the citizens' committee, Kay Holbo became the champion of the cemetery restoration project, applying her years of experience in fundraising, volunteer work, and cemetery restora­ tion. Kay and other committed volunteers worked closely with the steering committee to establish a non-profit corporation, registered in Oregon as the Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association. The goals of the Association are assisted by the efforts of many agencies, organizations, indi-

saw the pressing need to address the vandalism in the cemetery. Through her influence, the Eugene City Council adopted a resolution to provide funds for city staff assistance for one year. The staff was to help establish a citizens' committee that would spearhead the restoration and maintenance efforts at the Masonic Cemetery. Beginning in October of 1993, three city staff members worked to organize a series of monthly meetings where citizens met The Gray family and voiced their concerns, goals, and plans for the monument is one cemetery's future. Representatives from the Lane of many markers in the Eugene County Historical Society, the University of Masonic Cemetery Oregon's Historic Preservation Program, the local requiring re-attach­ genealogical society, and members from the ment. Eugene Masonic Lodge gathered to support this grassroots preservation project. Sub-committees were formed and information was gathered.

2o CRM N^ 5—1995 Currently, the Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association is conducting a fundraising campaign to ensure that restoration and maintenance work will continue. Numerous activities continue to cul­ tivate support for the cemetery's preservation. These include public meetings with lot owners and families of those buried in the cemetery and mau­ soleum, the donation of a database recording lot owners and interment records by a local Mason, distribution of a promotional brochure designed by volunteers, and an information booth at the

Historic preserva­ annual Eugene Celebration. The Association will tion graduate stu­ host an "obelisk raising" at the Fielding McMurray dent Dave Pinyerd plot to recognize the man upon whose land the drills holes in a cemetery was founded in 1859, and to symbolize grave marker to the citizens' commitment to ending vandalism in allow insertion of nylon pins and this historic place. During the summer of 1995, polyester-based the Masonic Cemetery will be featured as part of adhesive. the local garden tour titled "Seven Gardens and a Cemetery." Amateur and professional horticultural- ists will have the opportunity to study and better understand the landscape, which contains both wild and formal elements in its design. With the survey currently being conducted by University of Oregon preservation students, more information is being discovered about the viduals, and institutions. With the funds from the extant monuments and individual plots in the National Trust and the Eugene Masonic Lodge, cemetery. In conjunction with the database and two representatives from the University of ongoing genealogical research, this allows an Oregon's Historic Preservation Program were hired understanding of those interred in the cemetery to complete a preservation/maintenance plan for and the roles they played in early Eugene history. the cemetery and mausoleum. The Oregon State Historic Preservation Office awarded the Eugene Planning Division a $5,000 matching grant to con­ duct a comprehensive survey and inventory of the burial plots and cemetery markers. This contract was awarded to a preservation consultant who entered into a creative partnership with the University of Oregon's Historic Preservation Program to teach a course in cemetery preserva­ tion during the Spring academic term of 1995. City Planner Ken Guzowski serves as the coordinator of these consulting projects, participating in meet­ ings of the Oregon Historic Cemetery Association and representing the cemetery as a member in the

The damp climate Association for Gravestone Studies. The Eugene in Oregon's Native Plant Society, in conjunction with Salix Willamette Valley Associates, presented the Association with an encourages growth extensive list of common and rare plants located of lichen and moss in the cemetery. A local botanist scheduled a on grave markers. native plant identification course at the nearby Lane Community College. The Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association contracted with the Eugene Granite and Marble Works (established in 1890) to begin repairs of vandalized grave markers. Following a supportive editorial in a local paper, donations increased to a point which allowed the Association to contract services for maintenance.

CRM N2 5—1995 27 The City of Eugene has learned that by form­ ing partnerships with the Oregon State Historic The Hope Abbey Preservation Office, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the University of Oregon's Historic Mausoleum Preservation Program, Lane Community College, the Eugene Masonic Lodge #11, the Lane County Historical Society, and a committed group of vol­ An Example of unteers, the goal of preserving, restoring, and Early-20th-Century maintaining Eugene's oldest cemetery is rapidly being approached. With the cooperation of these Community Mausoleums

Richa Wilson and Ken Guzowski

he Hope Abbey Mausoleum is a signifi­ Tcant resource located within the Eugene Masonic Cemetery. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as Oregon's only example of monumental Egyptian Revival architecture, this structure represents typical problems experienced with community mau­ soleums built during the early-20th century. At that time, community mausoleums were promot­ ed by entrepreneurial mausoleum companies as the most desirable interment method. Located across the United States, these companies sought to incorporate innovative crypt ventilation meth­ ods and construction techniques, even pursuing patents which were often subsequently denied or invalidated. Typically, mausoleum companies contracted with a cemetery association to erect the structure, reimbursed themselves from the first sales of the crypts, and turned over the mausoleum to the cemetery association after their profit had been realized. These companies were blamed for con­ structing showy buildings to impress the communi­ ty and leaving the cemetery associations with inadequate funds for maintenance and repair. Much debate occurred during this time among cemetery managers regarding the method of con­

Numerous zinc groups and individuals, the Eugene Masonic struction, materials, ventilation, waterproofing, monuments in the Cemetery Association has gained the credibility and perpetual care of the community mausoleum. cemetery remain and strength to raise funds and accomplish the The managers had good reason to be concerned. in excellent condi­ daily tasks necessary to restore the site to its for­ Unless the mausoleum was taken over by a for- tion with the profit business, many of these buildings suffered exception of miss­ mer grandeur. ing panels. severe deterioration due to the lack of perpetual Ken Guzowski, the historic preservation planner for care funds and now constitute a challenging the City of Eugene, provides staff assistance to the opportunity for preservation. Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association. In 1912, the Eugene Masonic Lodge signed a Photos by the authors. contract giving the Portland Mausoleum Company Richa Wilson is a graduate student in Historic rights to build a community mausoleum in the Preservation at the University of Oregon. She is co­ cemetery and to sell crypts at a minimum cost of author of the preservation plan for the Eugene $200. The contract also stipulated that the "right, Masonic Cemetery and Hope Abbey Mausoleum. title and interest" of the tombs would be conveyed to the Company or to the purchasers of tombs. The For more information, contact Ken Guzowski contract stipulated that for each crypt sold, the at the Eugene Planning Division, 503-687-5481. Company would pay the Lodge $10 to be placed in a fund for maintenance and repair of the mau-

28 CRM NO 5—1995 The Hope Abbey Mausoleum, designed in 1913 by Ellis Lawrence, is Oregon's only example of monu­ mental Egyptian Revival architec­ ture.

soleum. The Lodge could charge for use of the years since, efforts have been made to address the receiving vaults and the chapel, using the collect­ vandalism, deterioration, and lack of mainte­ ed funds for maintenance of the cemetery and nance. During World War II the Hope Abbey grounds immediately adjacent to the mausoleum. Mausoleum Crypt Owners Association Inc. was Noted Oregon architect Ellis Lawrence saw formed and took responsibility to clean the build­ the opportunities in the mausoleum business for ing, install water, and hire a caretaker. In the his architectural firm. He invested $1,500 in the 1960s and 1970s, efforts by local citizens sought Portland Mausoleum Company stock, with the to protect the mausoleum from vandalism and fra­ Distinctive features assurance that his firm would be retained as ternity hazing by replacing damaged windows of the mausoleum, architects. In 1913, after some misunderstandings with concrete block and repairing broken crypts such as the precast regarding this agreement, his firm began preparing faces. Stop-gap measures attempted to address the concrete entrance pylon and flanking plans and specifications for a 250-crypt mau­ severe problems caused by deteriorated roofing, urns, the bronze soleum to be located in the Eugene Masonic inoperable drains, and water penetration through doors, and the Cemetery. Before Lawrence was hired to design the concrete walls. amber-colored the Hope Abbey Mausoleum, an advertisement by Despite these periodic preservation glass windows, suf­ the Portland Mausoleum Company featured a fer from vandalism attempts, the mausoleum fell into further disre­ and a lack of classically-inspired mausoleum that bears a strik­ pair. As a result, some family members began maintenance. ing resemblance to the illustration found on their moving their loved ones to local memorial parks letterhead. Lawrence instead which represented current trends in funerary prac­ chose an Egyptian Revival tice and were more desirable for their tidy appear­ design for the Mausoleum, a ance, continual maintenance, and personal atten­ style typically associated with tion. funerary architecture. The Since 1994, repair and preservation efforts mausoleum, with its entrance at the Hope Abbey Mausoleum have been one of pylon, cavetto cornice, disc- the goals of the non-profit Eugene Masonic and-wing motif, and lotus Cemetery Association. A condition assessment, blossom urns, represents a treatment proposal, and cost estimates were devel­ style rarely found in Oregon. oped as part of a recently-completed preservation Finished in 1914, the plan. Backed by the strength of the partnerships Hope Abbey Mausoleum formed between local groups and agencies, the became a popular place of National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the interment for many well- Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, the known citizens of Eugene. By future of the Hope Abbey Mausoleum looks the early 1940s, however, the brighter than ever. structure was already in a state of deterioration. In the

CRM NO 5—1995 29 David Pinyerd and Donald Peting Preservation of the Pete French Round Barn

he Pete French Round Barn is a his cattle. The P Ranch had begun—the name com­ remnant of the pioneer cattle indus­ ing from the "P" brand that Porter had sold French. try in Eastern Oregon. It was the By the mid-1870s, the P Ranch was earning a creation of Pete French, a cattleman good income from its American Shorthorns. Cattle who migrateTd up from California. Being the only were driven to market 200 miles to the railhead at round barn to have survived to the present day in Winnemucca, Nevada. The drive of several hundred Harney County, it is the most imposing reminder head would take about three weeks, usually taking of the pioneer era in the county. Presently, the place in the late fall. barn is being restored by Oregon State Parks and On February 1, 1883, Peter French married is the focus of the University of Oregon's first Ella Glenn, Hugh Glenn's daughter. On February annual Preservation Field School. 17th, Hugh was shot in the head by Huram Miller, Pete French a recently discharged bookkeeper. Glenn's estate In 1872, Pete French was a 23-year-old fore­ was valued at over a million dollars; unfortunately, man to Dr. Hugh Glenn, a wheat baron based in his debts were nearly as large. French continued to Sacramento. Glenn saw Oregon as an opportunity manage the Oregon operation, selling larger num­ to expand his operation, so he sent French north­ bers of cattle to help with the Glenn family debts. ward with six Mexican vaqueros and 1,200 head of He kept the operation going during lean times and cattle. In the Blitzen Valley, French ran into a even managed to expand it. In 1894, the Glenn prospector named Porter. Porter had several head heirs decided to incorporate the French-Glenn part­ of cattle that he herded while prospecting. He had nership into the French-Glenn Livestock Company, found little gold in the valley and was ready to pack giving the presidency to French. it in, so Porter seized the chance and sold the herd On December 26, 1897, French was shot and along with his branding iron to French. killed by a disgruntled settler. EC. Lusk, secretary of The Pete French The land French settled was the drainage for the French-Glenn Livestock Company, was named Round barn, 30 executor of French's will and effectively became miles south of the Donner und Blitzen River—cattle heaven with burns, Oregon, was "grass as high as a man's stirrups," according to ranch manager. He was also the executor of Glenn's built c. 1884 and is one of Pete French's biographers. Until French estate and he gradually paid off the debts of both listed on the arrived in 1872, the area had been ignored as estates. He also gradually sold off the assets of the National Register of swamp land. French worked around the problem by company. The P and Diamond Ranches went to Historic Places. Oregon Senator Henry Corbett in 1906. Photo by Rebecca draining, fencing, and by keeping a careful eye on Ossa. Part of the French-Glenn holdings was the Barton Lake Ranch, today the location of the Peter French Round Barn. The ranch was eventually bought by John Jenkins in the early 1920s. John Jenkins had found his way to Eastern Oregon from Wales as a railroad surveyor. Over time, he bought up homesteads in the area and formed the core of the present Barton Lake Ranch. Today, grandson Dick Jenkins runs the Barton Lake Ranch, operating on over 100,000 acres. Pete French Round Barn During his life, Pete French constructed three round "barns" on his land in Eastern Oregon. Today, only the round barn at Barton Lake remains. Its barn label is a misnomer in that the building was not built as a barn but as an indoor corral. Its

30 CRM m 5—1995 The paddock area purpose was to give Pete French's of the Pete French vaqueros something to do during Round Rarn.Young work horses would the bitterly cold winter months. pull a cart around The indoor corral provided a shel­ the track as a way tered space in which to break of getting used to work horses. It consists of an inte­ the tackle. The rior basalt stone corral 60' in open sides at the center of the pic­ diameter and 2' thick. The corral ture used to lead is surrounded by a paddock area to outdoor corrals. 15' wide which is enclosed by an Photo by David outer wall of board and batten. Pinyerd. Horses were penned in pie wedge stalls within the stone cor­ ral radiating out from the center post. A continuous manger ringed the inside of the stone wall. In addition to 14 windows there are two gated entrances through the masonry wall. Like Back in March 1992, State Parks had identi­ the windows, the doors are framed with 6"x20" pon- fied the round barn as a "property of interest" as derosa pine. part of their 2010 Plan. There was quite a bit of The roof is supported at four points: a 29' tall interest in the barn—Harney County, the center post, a ring of interior posts, the frame work Department of Transportation, and the Forest on top of the masonry wall, and a ring of posts Service all expressed desire to own the property. At forming the outer wall. Knee braces radiate from all about the same time Ron Brentano, chief field rep­ of the posts, giving the roof an umbrella-like quali­ resentative, and Chet Orloff, executive director, of ty. All posts are juniper; the sawn lumber is pon- OHS had talked about deeding the property to State derosa pine. Parks. State Parks had the strongest desire to The 2' diameter center pole doubled as a receive the easement on the property, and a deal "snubbing" post with which to pull horses from was struck. With a wary eye, before the transaction their stalls and then to restrain them. The north took place, State Parks had both a physical and gate leads through the stone wall, across the pad­ engineering assessment performed on the structure. dock, and outside. The gate to the east on the open The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), a side of the building once led to outdoor corrals that division of State Parks, chipped in for the physical have long since disappeared. The roof is sheathed assessment which was performed by John Platz of with over 50,000 western red cedar shingles. the U.S. Forest Service. Barn Management With the condition ascertained, State Parks The Jenkins family was concerned about the pursued the transfer. OHS was willing to convey the preservation of the round barn as it fell into disre­ easement but didn't want to lose the barn altogeth­ pair. The family had been using it to store grain and er, so a memorandum of agreement is currently hay. So, in 1969, Dick Jenkins' father and uncle being drawn up to allow OHS to still have a hand gave an easement to the Oregon Historical Society in the interpretation of the site. (OHS). The easement was for 2.5 acres immediately Restoration surrounding the barn with the provision of no com­ As with most structures, shedding water is the mercialization, hunting, or camping on the grounds. biggest challenge to the round barn. French posi­ In 1973, OHS put together the funds to brace tioned the barn on a slight rise to keep it dry; how­ the sagging roof and to replace all of the cedar shin­ ever, the hill isn't quite high enough. (You can just gles. Since then, lack of funds has prevented OHS make out the high water mark at waist level on the from doing any maintenance on the barn. Over the door jamb in the picture of the paddock area.) The past 20 years, Dick Jenkins and the Harney County water mark was left behind from the mid-1980s Historical Society (HCHS) have been the sole flooding that put half of Harney County underwater. source of upkeep. Volunteer work parties from the The constant exposure to soil and moisture has HCHS have cleaned up after tourists and hunters caused the nearly impenetrable juniper posts to rot visiting the barn. Dick Jenkins, the owner of record at their bases. and closest neighbor, is by default the caretaker of In May 1995, John Platz's Heritage Structures the property. During flooding in the mid-1980s, he Team started work on the barn. With $45,000 from brought his tractor over and installed a subditch in State Parks, Platz has begun to stabilize the struc­ an attempt to stem the rising waters of the nearby ture. In three six-day sessions, he plans to first sta­ Dry Lake Reservoir. bilize the interior posts, next stabilize the exterior

CRM N^ 5—1995 31 posts, and finally to The field school at the round barn will consist restore the roof. His of two two-week courses to be held from June 12 crew, joined by six through July 9, 1995. The first course will be members of State Parks Masonry and Wood Technology and will be held as trainees, has already from June 12th through 25th. The course will be a started work. On the mix of classroom and hands-on training using the interior posts they ongoing restoration of the round barn as a case raised the roof of the study. Lisa Sasser, Assistant Chief Historical barn several inches, Architect of the National Park Service, will lead the sawed off the rotten restoration of the masonry portion of the structure ends of the juniper during the first week. John Platz will guide the stu­ posts at grade, poured dents during the second week in the restoration of concrete bases, inserted the wooden structure and cladding. drift pins, and soaked The second course deals with Historic Site the ends in linseed Issues and will be held from June 26th through July preservative. Platz then 8th. Seminars on vernacular architecture, historic set the posts back archeology, and rural landscapes will be the focus. down on the new con­ Emphasis will be on the people, places, and land­ crete, concealed at scapes of the Oregon high desert region. Leland grade. Roth and Howard Davis, professors at the So far the work is University of Oregon, will hold seminars on the progressing ahead of architecture of the region. David Brauner from schedule. The plan is to Oregon State University will lead a five-day educa­ save the exterior ring of tional archeological dig at the site. Chet Orloff will Temporary bracing juniper posts for the Preservation Field School's discuss the interpretation of the site. supports an interi­ training workshop. One of the wonderful aspects of forming part­ or post while the nerships is the opportunity for participants to spon­ concrete cures Preservation Field School below it. Photo by In the spring of 1994, Henry Kunowski, with taneously share innovative ideas that had previous­ David Pinyerd. the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office; John ly been only dreams. We built upon the mutually Platz; and Don Peting, Director of the Historic beneficial circumstances of each partner's involve­ Preservation Program at the University of Oregon, ment in preservation to help preserve a structure. were meeting about the organization of the 1994 Pacific Northwest Conference. The conversation drifted over to John Platz's current work on the assessment of the Pete French Round Barn and the restoration Henry Kunowski had planned. Don Peting had been kicking the idea around of a preservation field school, suggested the idea of using the round barn as a location for a field school, and just that quickly, a field school was begun. David Pinyerd Education is a driving force behind the State (above) and Don Historic Preservation Office—Kunowski had part­ Peting measuring nered with the University before on various educa­ the "umbrella" roof structure of the tional projects. The SHPO had also joined with the Pete French Round U.S. Forest Service on three prior restoration pro­ barn. Photo by jects. The partnering concept has now blossomed Rebecca Ossa. into an annual Pacific Northwest Preservation Field School that will be held each summer in various locations throughout the region. Support will con­ tinue to be provided to the University of Oregon by State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service for the field schools. This year the field school will be based at the Malheur Field Station with the Pete French Round Barn restoration as its focus. Plans are already underway for a 1996 field school at the Heceta Head Lighthouse on the Oregon Coast with the lighthouse keeper's residence as the focal point.

32 CRM NO 5—1995 The preservation of the Pete French Round Barn has in turn served as a catalyst to produce a field HABS Drawings school that will give students the tools to preserve other resources in the future. 1 rior to any restoration work on the barn, it was decided that it would be a good educational exercise to document the building References in an "as is" condition. Before any restoration French, Giles. Cattle Country of Peter French (Portland. it is appropriate to record the current condi­ OR: Binfords and Mort, 1964). tion; however, there is rarely time and money U.S.D.A. Forest Service Region Six Heritage Structures to do anything more than limited photography. Team. Pete French Round Barn Condition Here is where university partnerships play an Assessment, April 1994. important role—they have the skilled labor Walton, Elisabeth. "Pete French Round Barn," pool, accompanied by low costs, to tackle such National Register of Historic Places Inventory- a job. Nomination, July 1971. Armed with a $600 grant from the Wood, Elizabeth Lambert. Pete French: Cattle King SHPO, a group of eight students from the (Portland, OR: Binfords and Mort, 1951). University of Oregon spent four weekends measuring every nook and cranny of the barn Donald Peting is directing the University of Oregon's to the nearest 1/8"—no small task given the first annual Summer Field School. enormous irregularities of the vernacular struc­ ture. The group conformed to Historic David Pinyerd is presently GTF (Graduate Teaching American Building Survey (HABS) standards Fellow) for the Historic Preservation Program at the and is producing a highly accurate set of ink- University of Oregon, and coordinator for the Field on-mylar drawings. The group plans on enter­ School. ing them in this year's Peterson Prize competi­ tion, a contest for the best HABS drawings by a student group.

Leland M. Roth Living Architecture Differing Native and Anglo Perceptions of Preservation

istoric preservation might seem facts. The problem was that their perception of straightforward—-the retention, what needed to be done was entirely different restoration, or rehabilitation of a from that of Anglo administrators and officials. Walpi Kiva. building important to a people's A person's reaction to a problem, or one's cultureH. All too frequently, such Western values answer to a question, all depend on the person's regarding preservation and restoration are perspective. And a person's point of view is assumed by those in positions of power to be shaped by experience, background, training, even absolute and universal. This has been most espe­ the way a person was raised. The Native American cially the case with regard to preservation of world is not the same world as that perceived by Native American artifacts and sites. Anglo- the typical Euro-American or anyone born into American society and its government officials— and brought up in conventional Western culture. whether local, state, or federal—have a centuries- Grasping the profundity of this difference is crucial old tradition of assuming that they know best. to understanding Native building traditions. Native peoples, presumed to be ignorant and Since initial contact, Euro-Americans have uncultured, were given little or no voice in the vigorously and unceasingly tried to make over the retention and preservation of their cultural arti­ Native peoples in their own image. Children six or

CRM N2 5—1995 33 seven years of age were removed from their par­ from what it signifies. In the Native view, the ents and extended families and transported to the object itself is both thing and essence. There is no Carlisle School in central Pennsylvania or similar distinction equivalent to that in the Anglo- boarding schools, they were stripped of their famil­ American world between a utilitarian tool and a iar traditional clothes, their hair was cut off, and valued work of art. In the Native view, a pipe or a forbidden to speak their native language they were rattle or a medicine bag or a dwelling are all forced, under penalty of severe corporal punish­ equally sacramental; the tool is an object of value ment, to conform to the white man's notion of spiritually empowered to do the work it must do. what a human being ought to be. One official Similarly, the house is spiritually empowered to do Corn dance, jemez insisted that it was necessary to kill the Indian to the work it must do—to nurture, protect, and heal. Pueblo, New Mexico. Courtesy save the man. Similarly, wherever possible, Native One good example is the Navajo hogan, a Library of Congress. peoples were forbidden to build in their ancestral physical embodiment of the Blessingway song ritu­ al which recounts the perfect harmony incorporat­ ed in the creation of the world. Built in the form of a rough circle, the hogan embodies the essence of Navajo spirituality and opens its door to the east to greet the rising sun. The Blessingway song-cere­ mony—which begins with the creation story and recounts how first holy people were given instruc­ tions on how to build the original hogan—is a song of healing and restorative powers. To have any therapeutic effect it must be conducted within a traditional and ritually-consecrated hogan. There is very little sense of spirituality in the way most Euro-Americans customarily value their landscapes or build their structures. Indeed, in the Western view of things no piece of land is particu­ larly sacred. In contrast, in the Native view, the landscape itself, through its mere existence and by ways, in which they used materials and forms its very inherent character, may be a sacred realm, shaped over centuries, adapting their structures to a nexus of power that has no equivalent in the setting, climate, ritual, and a relatively non­ modern Western notion of things. In Western lan­ destructive way of living on the land. After the guage it is customary to speak of "unimproved" Euro-Americans swept over them, they had to landscapes, as if any human construction on the learn to live in square, white man's houses, bereft land is by definition making the landscape better. of any spiritual meaning for them—houses that Nature, in this view, is inherently deficient. In the were, for them, empty, lifeless, dead architecture. Native view, the introduction of any man-made I have introduced the adjective "spiritual" alteration whatsoever may vitiate or destroy that with respect to Native ancestral architecture, and power. perhaps of all other concepts this is the most cru­ The Western or Euro-American view esteems cial; it distinguishes most importantly the Native the rights and privileges of the individual, and the view of the world as distinct from the conventional absolute private possession of things and land, as Western or Euro-American view. The Native world is alive with spiritual presence; all things are alive and bound together in a complex network of connections. Among the hundreds of tribes and nations, the concept of the circle Snake Rock and of life and of the interconnected- kiva, Walpi Pueblo, Hopi,AZ,c. 1895. ness of all beings and things sur­ Photo byfohn K. faces again and again. Hillers, courtesy Euro-Americans tend to American Research Collection, Museum sharply differentiate between an of New Mexico. object that is symbolic and that which it signifies, so that the sym­ bol is abstracted and hence intel­ lectually and spiritually removed

34 CRM N^ 5—1995 Thoughts on Mt. Shasta

Mt. Shasta from Michelle A. Schmitter and Leland M. Roth the west. Photo by Tim McCoy. A. story concerning the Mt. Shasta Historic District in the State of California appeared in the February-March 1995 issue of Preservation News which included a compelling illustration of differences between Native American and Euro-American perceptions and cance of a historic property is "derived from values. An avalanche destroyed the Mount the role the property plays in a community's Shasta Ski Bowl facility in 1978, and in the historically rooted beliefs, customs, and prac­ years since there has been discussion of tices." For example, "a location associated with rebuilding the skiing facility in a safer area. the traditional beliefs of a Native American Local Native Americans protested, for the site group about its origins, its cultural history, or selected by state and federal officials was an the nature of the world; and a location where area held sacred by local Native peoples and Native American religious practitioners have used since time immemorial for ceremonial historically gone, and are known or thought to purposes. Forest Service employees then exam­ go today, to perform ceremonial activities in ined the proposed site; finding no archaeologi­ accordance with traditional cultural rules of cal or physical evidence of Native American practice." occupation, they concluded that no historic Traditional cultural properties may be diffi­ properties were in danger. Native American cult to recognize and often hard to define in groups insisted the issue be reexamined. The terms of their physical boundaries. In addition, matter is still in dispute today, and although Western cultural standards differ from those of the Forest Service has modified its position and Native Americans, and evaluation based on tan­ indicated it hoped to designate the mountain gible evidence alone cannot sufficiently gage the as a historic property, individual private Anglo significance of a property associated with a cul­ property owners have objected. Their ture largely grounded in oral traditions. spokesman, a real estate developer from the Ethnographic research has confirmed the town of Mount Shasta, has said "we feel that a importance of Mt. Shasta in the history and cul­ designation based on mythology and cosmolo­ tural traditions of Native Americans. The moun­ gy, without tangible historic objects, is inappro­ tain is (and historically has been) a sacred land­ priate. .." In other words, if Indians didn't scape for the local tribes—Wintu, Shasta and Pit build there, then the place is not sacred, a mil­ River. lennium of oral tradition to the contrary Ongoing discussions over the Mt. Shasta notwithstanding. On the 18th of January 1995, dilemma illuminate individual and group differ­ Representative Wally Herger (R-CA) introduced ences regarding what constitutes preservation a bill in the House which seeks to amend the and perhaps, more specifically, the effects of National Historic Preservation Act. The bill preservation-based action. In this case, the clear aims to prohibit the inclusion of certain sites delineation of significance has come up hard on the National Register which do not contain against the often unstated assumptions that artifacts or other physical evidence of human define and underlie the Euro-American defini­ activity that have unique significance in history tion of property. or prehistory. In addition, the bill specifically seeks to prohibit the designation of Mt. Shasta. As the State of California, the National Resolution of the controversy over the March Park Service, and others grapple with the Mt. 11, 1994, determination confirming eligibility Shasta debate, preservationists can reacquaint of the Mt. Shasta Historic District as a tradi­ themselves with the notion that preservation is tional cultural property (under section 106 of not only about buildings, sites, structures, the National Historic Preservation Act) will objects, and districts, but that it is ultimately prove significant in setting a precedent for about people. Native American communities con­ defining intangible Native American cultural stantly struggle to preserve their past traditions values in respect to the National Register of for their future generations, and it is important Historic Places. The National Register Bulletin that we acknowledge their efforts by working in 38 states that the traditional cultural signifi­ partnership to preserve and protect those places which give life and value to their culture.A

CRM Nfi 5—1995 35 being infinitely more important than the well-being about a person's responsibilities to his or her com­ Santa Clara maps and sustenance of the community. This also differs munity, to other living creatures, or even to our from P. Nabokov, from the Native view which forgoes a measure of own subsequent generations. Native peoples cus­ Native American individual privacy in favor of the support and nur­ tomarily speak about their responsibility to their Architecture. Courtesy Rina ture of the family and of the community which children of the seventh generation. Swentzell. becomes the extended family. Hence, large com­ Such profound differences in thought under­ munal Native dwellings, as lie Native architecture, village planning, and land­ found among the Iroquois con­ scape use. The Native and Euro-American cultures federated nations, the south­ came into collision in 1492, and they remain so in western Pueblo peoples, and many ways today. They can and must co-exist, but the tribes living along the knowledge, acceptance, and forbearance are Pacific Northwest Coast, often absolutely essential. The two key concepts in dramatically united the family Native building, perhaps, are, first, the sacramen­ and reinforced bonds of kinship tal nature and power of architecture, and second, and responsibility. the connectedness of life in all things, animate and Today we hear much inanimate, in equal measure. about the loss of family values Some American architects probably under­ and of the plight of the home­ stand this animism in architecture much better less among the Euro-American than their clients or their buildings' users, for they community, concepts that would like to quote architect Louis I. Kahn, who spoke of be unimaginable in the pre-con- "what a building wants to be," of how a brick tact Native community. It would aspires to be a cathedral, and how in making a have seemed impossibly cruel to building the architect makes a life.2 In a parallel the Native mind that modern way, the Native American sees architecture as a Western government has, on the physical manifestation of connections to a spiritu­ one hand, crafted myriad laws al world; a building possesses a life and, like other which prevent people from living entities, a building experiences a life cycle building their own dwellings, that encompasses creation, maturity, decline, and and then, on the other hand, a return to the earth. these same governmental agen­ A recent brochure distributed by the cies build so few dwellings for National Trust for Historic Preservation makes those who have no means of some thought-provoking observations on these obtaining or making their own. ideas, for it combines a view of an ancient Native In traditional Native American village complex, apparently Taos, New Mexico, societies, building materials with a quote from Richard Moe, President of the abounded everywhere and regu­ National Trust, which reads: "Historic preservation lations restricting sheltering does more than save our past. By working togeth­ oneself were few. In the tradi­ er, we can also use our unique heritage to bring a tional Native village, food and stronger sense of community to America." He necessities were shared among 1 makes an important point: that preservation is not the families. The individual just about freezing something in a never-changing had an estab­ state, but that it endeavors to sustain and expand lished place in the the life of the community. social unit, and It is significant that it is the Taos pueblo that belonged to a is shown in the brochure, for this is in many ways house in both a the most conservative of the eastern or Rio Grande social and archi­ pueblos. Unlike other pueblos, such as Santa tectural sense, Clara, where modern Portland cement stucco is rather than the sometimes used to refinish the adobe brick walls house physically so as to minimize maintenance, at Taos traditional belonging to the adobe plaster is reapplied by hand each fall, as individual. Euro- has been done there for at least four centuries. Americans speak Preservation is accomplished in both places, but proudly and at at Taos the annual replastering ceremony contin­ length about an ues to be celebrated. Preservation here is an on­ individual's sacro­ going ceremonial; in bringing the people together sanct rights, but in this re-enactment, the bonds of the community very little is said continually are re-established.

36 CRM NU -1W5 The substitution of modern Portland cement dialects, and perhaps hundreds of different reli­ stucco for the traditional but ephemeral hand- gious practices. And even within a single individ­ mixed adobe plaster in pueblos such as Santa ual tribe one could find liberal-minded progres­ Clara also touches on another preservation dilem­ sives, centrists, and orthodox traditionalists. ma. Rina Swentzell, born in the Santa Clara The Pacific Northwest is especially complex pueblo, tells a revealing story. When she was very in this regard, since so many highly divergent cul­ little, Rina watched for several days as a crack tures and tribes cross paths near the Columbia. slowly opened in the wall of a nearby adobe There is the coastal zone, stretching from Oregon house. She asked her grandmother why the family all the way up through the Alaskan panhandle, who lived there did not repair the crack. Her with its once-dense populations thriving on the grandmother told her not to worry about whether once-incredible bounty of the sea. To the south the house was fixed or not. "It has been a good were the distinct northern Californian tribes with house," grandmother said. "It has been taken care their own unique adaptations to upland forest, of, fed, blessed, and healed many times during its Pacific coast, and inland valleys. East of the life, and now it is time for it to go back to the Cascades stretches the dry Columbia Plateau earth." Not long afterward the house was allowed region generally encompassing the drainage basin to collapse, and soon after its materials were of the river from which it gets its name. To the reused in building a new structure in the same southeast extends the even more arid Great Basin place.3 high desert that encompass southeast Oregon, This rebuilding Nevada, and the lands between the Sierra and the raises an interesting Rockies. Each of these geographical and climatic conundrum regarding zones fostered highly specialized ways of living, preservation. The vil­ individualized cultures, and each zone was popu­ lages of Taos and lated by tens of scores of highly individualized Santa Clara, like all tribes, all with their different modes of building, the Pueblos, are different philosophical and religious concepts. We ancient; some, such as can readily see that the understanding one might Oraibi in Arizona and gain of a particular tribe in, say, the damp temper­ Acoma in New ate coastal forests of Oregon or the heavily wood­ Mexico, probably date ed uplands of the Siskyous of southwestern back a thousand Oregon, would be of little use in understanding the years. Yet they are needs and interests of the desert-dwelling Piutes of also living entities. They change and re-form them­ the Great Basin in southeastern Oregon, or even selves, and yet remain in many important ways the the needs and interests of the people who dwelt along the banks of the lower Columbia for several Dirty Shame wicki­ same. In some places, such as Acoma, change is up as reconstruct­ introduced very slowly on the mesa top, while in millennia. ed from excavation the Western-style Acoman family houses now Yet another crucial truth is that Native archi­ data from Jesse appearing on the valley floor, change is highly evi­ Jennings' tecture is an ancient architecture, based on ways Prehistory of dent in the electrical and phone wires and the of living in balance with a particular landscape North America. satellite dishes. In other places, such as Santa and on localized religious practices that reach Courtesy Mayfield Clara, change has caused the original dense village back several thousands of years. Euro-American Publishing to disperse, moving away from the tight clusters of culture has tried to change this architecture, Company. houses defining the plazas, to much looser aggre­ forcibly, within two or three generations, most gations of houses. The maps on the preceding page often without a thought given to what the original illustrate the gradual dispersal of homes. architectural forms meant or how they responded I should probably interject here another to local conditions. Oregon has the particular dis­ caveat. There is no such thing as "the Native tinction of having yielded not only some of the America" point of view or perspective. There are oldest footwear discovered in the Western hemi­ hundreds. We tend to lump people who represent sphere, but also remains some of the oldest habi­ "the other" into a single all-embracing category. tations. Sandals woven of yucca fiber were discov­ The truth is suggested by maps that show the more ered in the 1930s in a rock shelter near Fort Rock than six hundred tribes in the present-day United in central Oregon; testing done after the develop­ States at the time of European contact. The pat­ ment of 14Carbon dating revealed them to be over terns identify the broad regional groups of tribes 9,000 years old. Nearly as ancient, however, is the united by language and culture shaped by geogra­ brush wikiup uncovered in the Dirty Shame phy, climate, and fauna. Yet within each of these Rockshelter in South Eastern Oregon, built more 4 broad regions there were scores of separate tribes, than 5,000 years ago. each with their own diverse languages and

CRM Na 5—1995 37 to the underworld from which the people first emerged. It is a point of contact with mother earth and the spirits below, and shows, Rina Swentzell writes, the pueblo concept of the feminine princi­ ples of connectedness, inclusiveness, and flowing- ness. It is the spot that marks the central cosmic axis of that particular community, but as an archi­ tectural statement, Swentzell writes, it is practical­ ly nonexistent in Western terms. For the pueblo people, it does not need to be a monument; its sacredness is assured.6 In most Pueblos that plaza is unpaved, so that in dancing the celebrants make direct contact with the mother earth. These dances are expres­ sions of religious beliefs that developed over cen­ In Western cultures, much is made of the turies, and continue with relatively little change.7 Navajo hogan; hexagonal cribbed form of religious architecture and its appurte­ At San Ildefonso they dance in moccasins made of log. Photo courtesy nances, so that religious architecture stands out consecrated deer skin, but at other pueblos they The Arizona State decidedly from ordinary every-day architecture. In dance barefoot to make that contact with the earth Museum. fact, this deliberate differentiation is a measure of more direct and efficacious. Of course, the dance the way in which Western culture has isolated and raises dust, which could be viewed either as offen­ separated its religions from daily aspects of living. sive dirt in the air, or alternatively, as the breath of Among Native peoples, living, working, and reli­ mother earth and of the people. Indeed, as gious practices are so interwoven as to make Swentzell notes, in her native Tewa language, the seemingly ordinary daily activities synonymous word for "us" or "the people" is nung, the very with religious ceremonies. Even highly sacred same word used for "earth" and "dirt."8 In Anglo places may not be obviously set apart, since they parlance, to say a person is "dirt" is an insult; in function at an elemental level in daily life. They Tewa one speaks of the people and the earth as are used constantly. One example is the hogan, being one with each other. A few years ago, a well- which is both work place, dwelling, health clinic, intentioned parish priest at the Isleta Pueblo and setting for religious ceremony all in one. attempted to have the plaza paved with macadam Another example is the kiva entry in the Hopi so that when people arrived in their cars and mesa-top pueblo of Walpi which might easily be trucks and parked in the plaza for Sunday services mistaken for an entry into a dwelling. Only the they would not raise so much bothersome dust. greatly attenuated and untrimmed poles of the Uncompromising in his sanitizing zeal and uncom­ entry ladder indicate its sacred nature, symbolizing prehending the importance of that bare earth sur­ how the first people face, he created such dis­ climbed up to enter the ruption in the community present world.3 that he was eventually relieved of his post and Today, even in 9 reassigned. pueblos significantly affected by Western val­ The notion of ues and ways of living, preservation as a perma­ such as at Santa Clara, nent freezing in time of "House Where New Mexico, the plaza isolated objects has very People Always remains as a sacred place little relevance from the Want to Go," Haida Village of where dances are per­ Native point of view. Xa'ina. Photo by formed to restore the Such a concept conflicts Maynard, 1888. community while the with two important Courtesy the Royal sacred spirit-people, the Native views of the British Columbia Kachinas, are present world: the cyclical flow Museum. among the people. among living things, and Virtually invisible to the the need to sustain the uninitiated, somewhere life of the community. A near the center of the good example can be plaza, is a small rock seen in the traditional covering the nansipu, and sacred architecture representing the opening of the Haida people who

38 CRM N°- 5—1995 live on what Westerners call the Queen Charlotte regard to Native American peoples and their com­ Islands, off the coast of British Columbia, but what munities, I would argue that preservation must they themselves call Haida Gwai, the land of the first take into account the living nature of those Haida. communities, with an emphasis on the natural The wooden plank Haida house may look cycles of creation, service, decay, and return to the much like conventional Western buildings, with its earth. The best way to keep these communities broad facade and gently sloped gable, but it is a alive as vibrant social and cultural organisms is to very different thing. First, before building the allow them to experience this process of re-cre­ structure, elders would assemble in ceremony and ation and rebirth. As Rina Swentzell noted in a address the proposed site for the building, apologizing to it and requesting permission to disturb the earth to build the house. The ground would thus be consecrat­ ed. Then, in pre-contact times, the broad planks for the house would be begged or borrowed from the flanks of living red Taos Pueblo (North cedar trees, removed only after Building), New Mexico. Photo by prayers had been offered for the John K. Hitlers, gift of the wood from the living 1880. Courtesy the tree. Red like human flesh, it was Museum of New viewed as the flesh of the tree. Mexico. The house was "owned" (if we can use that word) not by one individual or nuclear family but by an entire family clan. Imbued with the living spirit of the clan animal—raven, bear, orca, or whale— the house structure itself was a protective, living thing. The people who lecture presented at the University of Oregon in resided within belonged to the house, rather than the house belonging to them. the spring of 1993, culture is not what we wish to be, or think we once were. When we try to make it People and communities have life cycles that that, it becomes a dead thing. Culture is what we ebb and flow. In time it may be appropriate and do and comes out of the way we live day by day.'' necessary that a community ebb away. The Haida It is alive and is continually being remade. people have left Sqangwai, Ninstints, at the south­ ern tip of Haida Gwai, and moved to newer vil­ Suggested Readings lages. The old house frames, the heraldic crest Ballantine, Betty, and Ballantine, Ian, eds., The Native poles, and the mortuary poles have been left in Americans: An Illustrated History (Atlanta, Ga., place, allowed slowly to return to the earth where 1993). 10 a new life can start and the cycle be restarted. Brown, Joseph Epes. The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk's Few Euro-Americans are accorded the privi­ Account of the Seven Rites of the Aglala Sioux lege of visiting this sacred site. Sqangwai can be (Norman, OK, 1953). viewed as something like a modern hospice, where Dooling, D.M., ed., I Become Part of It: Sacred death can be accepted at its own pace. At the end Dimensions in Native American Life (New York, of the last century, many artifacts from such seem­ 1989). ingly abandoned villages were stripped away; the Kehoe, Alice B. North American Indians: A life stories and cultural memories of whole villages Comprehensive Account, 2nd ed. (Englewood Cliffs, were carted off to distant Anglo museums. As in a NJ, 1992). hospice, at Sqangwai the cycle of life is allowed to Josephy, Alvin M., Jr. 500 Nations: An Illustrated pursue its own schedule of closure and new begin­ History of North American Indians (New York, ning. The end comes to all things in their allotted 1994). time, and the bones of the ancestors can remain at McAiiester, David P. and Susan W., Hogans: Navajo rest. Houses and House Songs (Middletown CT, 1980). Richard Moe's comments noted earlier Morgan, Lewis Henry. Houses and House-Life of the emphasize the role of preservation in sustaining American Aborigines (1881, reprinted Chicago, and enriching the life of the community. With 1965).

CRM NC 5—1995 39 Nabokov, Peter and Robert Easton. Native American Native religious rituals. In pre-contact times, per­ Architecture (New York, 1988). haps the kiva was made more visible, as remains of Newton, John et al., The Spirit World (Alexandria, Va., huge dominant kivas in such Anasazi ruins as Casa 1992). Rinconada, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, suggest. Taylor, Colin F., ed., with William C. Sturtevant. The 6 Swentzell, quoted in Warren, "On Her Own Terms," Native Americans: The Indigenous People of North 32. America (New York, 1991). 7 See Vincent Scully, Pueblo: Mountain, Village, Tedlock, D. and B., Teachings from the American Earth: Dance (New York, 1975). Indian Religion and Philosophy (New York. 1975). 8 Swentzell, quoted in Warren, "On Her Own Terms," 32. Notes 9 This was related to the author by Christopher 1 This practice among the Iroquois and other nations Wilson. was discussed by Lewis A. Morgan in Houses and 10 See George F. MacDonald, Ninstints: Haida World House-Life Among the American Aborigines Heritage Site (Vancouver, BC, 1983); and also by (Washington, DC, 1881; reprinted 1965); when MacDonald, Haida Monumental Art: Villages of the Morgan did his field research in the 1850s, many Queen Charlotte Islands (Vancouver, BC, 1983). elders remembered social practices before 1' Lecture given as part of the Symposium, Westernization. "Rediscovering American Architecture," May 7, 2 Such views are presented in Richard Saul Wurman, 1993, Eugene, OR. ed., What Will Be Has Always Been: The Words of Louis I. Kahn (New York, 1986). Leland M. Roth is the Marion Dean Ross Professor of 3 Rina Swentzell, quoted in Scott Warren, "On Her Architectural History at the University of Oregon. Own Terms," Historic Preservation 44 (November- This essay was originally prepared as part of the December 1992): 26-33, 84, 86. The author has Pacific Northwest Conference, Forging Preservation also heard Ms Swentzell recount this story. Partnerships: Principles and Practice, sponsored by 4 For the sandals, see Luther S. Cressman, The the National Park Service, Forest Service, The Sandal and the Cave: The Indians of Oregon University of Oregon School of Architecture, and sev­ (Portland, 1962; reprinted 1981): for the Dirty eral other state and federal agencies. The objective Shame Rockshelter Wikiup, see C. Melvin Aikens, was to share alternative points of view in the hope of Archaeology of Oregon, 3rd ed. (Portland, 1993): throwing new light on what preservation is and on 71-78. preservation policies and practices. 5 It must be admitted, however, that disguising the kiva entry in this way was also a deliberate strategy Michelle Schmitter is a graduate student in the on the part of the Hopi after Spanish priests and Master's Degree program of Arts Management, American governing officials attempted to eradicate University of Oregon.

U.S. Department of the Interior FIRST CLASS MAIL National Park Service Postage & Fees Paid Cultural Resources U. S. Department of the Interior P.O. Box 37127 Washington, DC 20013-7127 G-83

OFFICIAL BUSINESS PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300

VOLUME 18 • NO. 5 Cultural Resources Washington, DC