Nine projects in Oregon have been recognized by Restore Oregon with DeMuro Awards for excellence in historic preservation. The projects were selected by a jury of professionals in the field of historic preservation and related disciplines, including architecture, planning, and engineering.

The 2025 DeMuro Award honorees are:

• The Benson Polytechnic High School modernization in Portland was completed last year. The $269 million project, spanning over 379,000 square feet, has preserved and seismically upgraded four landmark buildings while introducing four new academic and CTE buildings organized around secure outdoor courtyards and a central commons. The project team included Bassetti Architects, Portland Public Schools, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Andersen Construction, Mayer Reed, PAE Consulting Engineers, and others.
• For an update of the Merchant Block in Dayton, three vintage buildings were rehabilitated. The $16.5 million project was completed this year. The project team included Paul M. Falsetto Architect LLC, Twin Towers LLC, TM Rippey Consulting Engineers, R&H Construction, IDEA, and others.
• The Joyce in Portland was rehabilitated and upgraded so that it can continue to serve as Permanent Supportive Housing. The $14.1 million project was completed in 2023. The project team included Carleton Hart Architecture, Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Bremik Construction, DCI Engineers, Vega Civil Engineering, and others.
• The adaptive reuse of the John Gumm Building in St. Helens was completed last year. In a $10.5 million project an elementary school was converted into a vibrant civic hub, symbolizing thoughtful preservation, innovation, and public stewardship, Restore Oregon stated. The project team included Bremik Construction, Emerick Architects, Columbia County, Schutte Consulting Engineers, Lower Columbia Engineering, and others.
• The $5 million restoration of the historic Brooklyn Railroad Roundhouse Turntable in Portland was completed last year. After 75 years of operation, the turntable was decommissioned in 1999, and the roundhouse was demolished in 2012. However, the turntable was preserved and donated to the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, which undertook the project. The team included Roger L. Woehl, Hennebery Eddy Architects, the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, KPFF, Omega Morgan, and others.

• Milwaukie City Hall in Milwaukie was transformed this year via a $5 million adaptive reuse project. The historic building of the Works Progress Administration era is now a commercial and cultural hub. The project team included GTO Development, Brett Schulz Architect PC, City Hall Holdings LLC, Kurt Fischer Structural Engineering, Owen Gabbert LLC, and others.
• The $5 million restoration of the Holly Theatre in Medford finished last year. The venue stands as a living symbol of Medford’s past and future, hosting concerts, film screenings, and civic events that draw thousands, according to Restore Oregon. The project team included Outlier Construction, Oregon Architecture, JRP Foundation, Firestop Co., Cannon Management, and others.
• The Oregon State University Rehearsal Classroom Building in Corvallis received a $4.8 million adaptive reuse project last year. The building, originally a heat plant and later a firing range, was preserved in conjunction with the construction of an adjacent performing arts center. The project team included Holst Architecture, Oregon State University, Froelich Engineers, Acoustic Design Studio, Hoffman Construction, and others.

• The 1879 Mark Prairie Schoolhouse in Canby is in better shape now. After two large oak trees fell on the building in 2021, a recovery and restoration project was launched to create a cultural destination offering historical, indigenous, and natural resource interpretation for both locals and visitors, according to Restore Oregon. The $850,000 project wrapped up this year. The project team included the Mark Prairie Historical Society, JE Design & Construction, Froelich Engineers, and Emerick Construction.

The award-winning projects will be celebrated from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 24 at the Redd in Southeast Portland. Tickets are available on Restore Oregon’s website, at .

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By Ethan Rohrbach
Cascade Policy Institute

The modernization of is nearing completion.

Originally budgeted for $202 million in 2016 and funded by a voter-approved bond in 2017, the scope of the project was subsequently expanded along with the cost. The revised budget, partially paid for through another bond in 2020, was $410 million.

Part of the problem is that the school is oversized. Benson enrollment last year was 823, but the new school was designed for 1,700. Enrollment has decreased by almost 50 percent over the past 30 years, and there is little chance that it will grow significantly. Many of the classrooms will simply be mothballed.

The next school up for , and the Board plans to make the same mistake. The target enrollment is 1,700, but there were only 481 students in May. The construction budget has grown from $311 million in 2020 to $491 in 2024. Since the District doesn’t have the money, the Board plans to ask for an additional $125 million in May of 2025, as part of a much larger bond request of $2.9 billion.

School board members are required to manage public funds as a “prudent person” would, but overbuilding schools by 100 percent or more is the opposite of prudent behavior.

Ethan Rohrbach is a research associate at , Oregon’s free market public policy research organization.

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