Odd Fellows Building, 1907 (V.Green coll.) October 15, 2015 Episode.
The real secret to historic preservation is to continue to use the historic resources through the generations. We "in the trade" bandy about words like restoration, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse as ways to preserve these treasures, but, in reality, it is just plain USE that keeps a building viable--sometimes even vibrant! Case in point, look to the Odd Fellows Building/Grand Theater in downtown Salem. This building was a vibrant, integral part of the life of early Salem, continuing through the 1950s. It fell into disrepair and was very neglected, but then community members Carole Smith and Eric Kittleson, resolved to bring it back to its glory days and made this project the priority of their lives for many years, but are now looking forward to a new project.
The real secret to historic preservation is to continue to use the historic resources through the generations. We "in the trade" bandy about words like restoration, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse as ways to preserve these treasures, but, in reality, it is just plain USE that keeps a building viable--sometimes even vibrant! Case in point, look to the Odd Fellows Building/Grand Theater in downtown Salem. This building was a vibrant, integral part of the life of early Salem, continuing through the 1950s. It fell into disrepair and was very neglected, but then community members Carole Smith and Eric Kittleson, resolved to bring it back to its glory days and made this project the priority of their lives for many years, but are now looking forward to a new project.
We were joined in the studio by Cindy and Joe Meduri, owners of Meduri Farms, who are the relatively new owners of this large, conjoined property. Joe and Cindy are California transplants who have grown very deep roots into the mid-Willamette Valley soil and communities. Their children are involved in the family business in Dallas, with Horses of Hope Oregon, and Enlightened Theatrics, both here in Salem, and the Meduris passionately support their endeavors. Their plans for the Grand Theater building go beyond improving the theater and restaurant areas, but extend into the future as an "academy" of sorts, offering educational opportunities for various arts, as well as becoming a collaborative hub for nonprofits in our area. Cindy stated her belief that it is our role as parents and grandparents to expose children to arts in all forms, especially live theater and music, as much as we educate them about other parts of life, and that becoming actively involved in their community is a large part of that life.
We heartily agree! We look forward to seeing what other exciting projects this energetic family takes on to broaden and strengthen our community.
We heartily agree! We look forward to seeing what other exciting projects this energetic family takes on to broaden and strengthen our community.
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