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For the new exterior of the Brigadier General James B. Thayer Oregon Military Museum, Portland architect Don Stastny chose a metal siding that evokes the artifacts inside.

鈥淭o me, it was inspiration taken from a lot of military equipment,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t has a certain calmness to it, but a certain strength to it too.鈥�

The STASTNY: Architect LLC co-founder has spent the past two years designing a $14.6 million project to remodel and expand a 1950s armory building at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas into a new home for , and build an adjoining park and memorial gardens. The project also includes creation of a covered outdoor space to display tanks and other military vehicles and restore the two oldest buildings at Camp Withycombe, which was established in 1909.

Crews from Portland-based Precision Construction Co., a division of Hoffman Construction Co., last month started work on the project’s first phase. Project backers are still seeking $7.1 million in donations through a led by the Historical Outreach Foundation to complete improvements to the former armory building and park as well as create the planned exhibits.

The museum has been closed to the public since 2009, when its previous home at Camp Withycombe was torn down to make room for the 41st Infantry Division Armed Forces Reserve Center. That same year, the museum’s artifacts 鈥� in total, more than 14,000 鈥� relating to Oregon’s military history were transferred to the armory building.

The 40,000-square-foot building provided ample space for the collection; however, because of an aging heating and ventilation system and other deficiencies, the structure needed an extensive renovation for the museum to reopen, said Alisha Hamel, executive director of the Historical Outreach Foundation.

鈥淚t was not a good environment for artifacts,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he bones of the building are amazing. We just need to make the environment of the building into a museum.鈥�

The former armory building also lacks a lobby able to accommodate school field trips and visits from large groups, Hamel said. Project plans call for an approximately 4,500-square-foot building addition with a large lobby.

The foundation, a nonprofit that supports preserving and sharing military history, since 2011 for the renovation project. In September, KISS band member Tommy Thayer, son of the museum’s namesake, James Thayer, organized a benefit concert in Lake Oswego that raised $1 million for the project. Nearly $8 million has been secured.

Stastny became the design architect though his work with the Oregon Military Department creating a set of design standards for the state agency’s capital projects. With more than 40 years as a practicing architect, he also has extensive experience designing museum projects.

鈥淚 know how the Oregon military works and I’ve been working with museums my whole career,鈥� he said.

Last summer, Stastny started working with THA Architecture to finalize the project designs. The Portland-based firm is serving as the architect of record.

鈥淥ur effort has really been to keep the spirit of what Don has come up with,鈥� THA project architect Derek deVille said. 鈥淚 think the goal of this project is to make it much more efficient to run the museum. The building wasn’t designed to be a museum. It really lacked a front door and I think that’s what Don realized early on.鈥�

The armory building may not have been designed to be a museum, but the structure was a great jumping-off point for the project, Stastny said. Other than various upgrades and the addition of a metal facade over the precast concrete structure, changes to the existing building will be minor, he said.

鈥淲hat this old armory building gives us is a tremendous resource,鈥� he said. 鈥淏y using the old building we develop a tremendous repository function.鈥�

The former armory’s expansive indoor spaces are especially ideal to display large artifacts, such as military vehicles and cannons, Stastny said.

鈥淚t’s the kind of artifacts you wouldn’t normally find in a museum,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e use the drill hall, which gives us the option to have major artifacts under a covered roof.鈥�

When the project is complete, museum visitors will pass on the way to the main entrance through a plaza and garden honoring Oregon’s military veterans, deVille said.

鈥淚t will be a place for reflection as well as storytelling,鈥� he said.

Near the garden, Camp Withycombe’s oldest buildings, the Quartermaster Storehouse and Battery A Horse Barn, will be restored to look much as they did when they were built in the early 1900s, deVille said.

The extensive history of Camp Withycombe and Oregon’s military will be celebrated via the project, Stastny said.

鈥淭he whole idea of the museum is as much for educational purposes as memorial purposes,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his whole idea of citizen soldiers 鈥� they become such an integral part of the American military story. In many ways, it’s a memorial to them, but it’s also kind of a 鈥榯hank you’ for what they’ve done.鈥�

Work on the museum’s outdoor portion is scheduled to finish in August 2015. The entire project is anticipated to wrap up by summer 2018.

Brigadier General James B. Thayer Oregon Military Museum

Location: Camp Withycombe, 15300 S.E. Minuteman Way, Clackamas

Cost: $14.6 million

Construction start date: November 2014

Anticipated construction completion date: summer 2018

Owner: Oregon Military Department

Developer/fundraiser: Historical Outreach Foundation

Design architect: STASTNY: Architect LLC

Architect of record: THA Architecture

Landscape architect: PLACE Studio

Civil engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers

Structural engineer: ABHT Structural Engineers

Mechanical and electrical engineer: Interface Engineering

General contractor: Precision Construction Co.

Other associates: Listen Acoustics (acoustical)