Historic preservation committee selects "Windows from the past, views to the future" theme and finalizes May schedule

A volunteer committee planning events for Historic Preservation Month settled on a theme — summarized as "Windows from the past, views to the future" — and agreed on a calendar of tours, workshops and an awards ceremony in late May.

Committee members said the theme is intended to be flexible for downtown displays, walking tours and interpretation that link historic buildings to future uses and sustainability. The group discussed using Harding School as the likely site for the awards ceremony and considered Whiteside Theater, the museum downtown and other local venues as alternatives or complements.

Members reviewed a draft event calendar that includes multiple walking tours, neighborhood and campus tours, a downtown scavenger hunt and a slate of workshops focused on window restoration and paint-removal techniques. Several days in May were named as target dates: tours and workshops are slated across the month, and the committee agreed informally on evening programming around May 25 for the awards ceremony.

Organizers discussed logistics and promotional details: the Whiteside Theater representative said the theater marquee can display 22 characters per line and typically runs three lines; the committee discussed keeping marquee text short and using a website URL on the third line. Committee members asked staff to produce a single promotional banner for Harrison Boulevard that will be usable in future years.

The group also planned how different events could be run to manage attendance: some workshops will be general, drop-in demonstrations (for example at the Willamette Grange), while other, more technical training sessions will be held off-site at a restoration shop where sign-ups and caps on attendance can be enforced. Committee members discussed handouts, hourly sign-up structures and a possible split between a general event at the Grange and a full-day, in-depth workshop at a specialist's shop.

Tour programming under consideration included heritage-tree and architectural driving routes, a trolley-based heritage-tree route and coordinated downtown and campus routes. Organizers noted that some planned sites are on private property or have limited parking and that organizers must confirm access and any permits before scheduling public stops.

Speakers and programming ideas were discussed for the awards event, with suggestions ranging from local preservation leaders to presentations on the role of preservation in downtown economic development and the history of local institutions such as the Grange. Committee members agreed to pursue several speaker leads and to identify at least one alternate if a primary speaker is unavailable.

Next steps assigned during the meeting included confirming bookings with Harding School and other venues, finalizing the May calendar for publication, preparing a promotional banner and confirming limited-capacity sign-ups for the hands-on window workshops. The committee scheduled a follow-up coordination meeting for March 22 to finalize outstanding items.