November 12, 2015 Episode.
If you are a recent college graduate yet unemployed, what do you do with your spare time? Why, volunteer for a major project with your nearest jurisdictional agency, of course. Willamette University students Kirsten Straus, sporting her new Classical studies degree, and friend Sean Edging, with his environmental studies degree, did just that--and then won an award for their efforts!
If you are a recent college graduate yet unemployed, what do you do with your spare time? Why, volunteer for a major project with your nearest jurisdictional agency, of course. Willamette University students Kirsten Straus, sporting her new Classical studies degree, and friend Sean Edging, with his environmental studies degree, did just that--and then won an award for their efforts!
The award was the Salem at Your Service Award given to them for their work on researching and producing the Grant Neighborhood Architectural Guide, as part of the City's Heritage Neighborhood Program. Kirsten, Sean, and another intern, Tiffany, walked the neighborhood taking a count of styles of homes in this neighborhood and then researched the historic context of those building styles in Salem's history.
The predominant building period for this neighborhood is the 1920s, and the predominant housing style the Bungalow, a style influenced by homes in India which had low roofs and wide porches. The Oregon Bungalow is unique in that it has a central porch rather than the typical, assymmetrical porch off to one side. This style was the first house where a middle-class person would have his own bedroom. The style is typically 1.5 stories, with 2 bedrooms, separate living and dining rooms, a full kitchen, a full bathroom, and a bonus area upstairs. Grant also has its share of Colonial and English Cottage housing styles. The variety of styles makes this a very architecturally interesting area of our city. Grant was a working-class neighborhood, with local shops and services often employing its residents. It remains a very cohesive, family-friendly area to live.
Kirsten is still working on historic projects, finishing up a fine-tuning of the historic cemeteries database at SHPO, along with helping with video production for the All-Star Forum's "Capital Cornerstones" project. She hopes to find a position as a public historian. Sean is working on an interpretive sign project for the Minto Island Park, anticipating the opening of the new Peter Courtney pedestrian bridge. The project will describe the Kalapuyan, European, and industrial use history of this park area. He hopes to find employment as an urban or regional planner for a government agency.
Wherever they find themselves in the future, Kirsten and Sean will prove an asset to their employers. Their dedication and enthusiasm has certainly been of benefit to the City of Salem, and will also serve them well in the years to come.
Wherever they find themselves in the future, Kirsten and Sean will prove an asset to their employers. Their dedication and enthusiasm has certainly been of benefit to the City of Salem, and will also serve them well in the years to come.
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