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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 22, 2003)
HUGH PRICHARD Hope Abbey restored. A STORY OF HOPE A remarkable success story is unfolding in east Eugene. Against great odds, a group of citizens has been quietly working for more than 10 years to save and restore a unique landscape and a historic building. Performing hands-on labor and raising donations has been slow, challenging work. But this group of de- termined volunteers is succeeding at a level that surprises even them. In 1913, Ellis Lawrence designed Hope Abbey. It was the young architect’s first build- ing in Eugene. He went on to design many stunning buildings on the UO campus, includ- ing the Knight Library, the art museum, Mac Court and several other familiar campus land- marks. But while his university buildings became well-loved treasures, Lawrence’s Hope Abbey, just seven blocks from campus, be- came dilapidated and forgotten. Over the years, it was so badly vandalized that all 70 of its windows had to be bricked shut. It was cov- ered in graffiti and full of water in winter. To make matters worse, it stood in an equally de- teriorated setting: 10 acres of overgrown and untended land. The surrounding neighbor- hood had turned its back on the eyesore. Efforts had been made over the years to stop the decline, but the task seemed impossi- ble until the early 1990s, when a small group of people met to brainstorm. From that meeting, Kay Holbo emerged to lead the transformation. • The debate over renaming Centennial Boulevard for Martin Luther King Jr. is running a twisted course. We hear local neo-Nazis are circulating anti-King hate fliers around town, and Springfield is balking at renaming their half of the boulevard, preferring instead to attach King’s name to the yet-to-be-built PeaceHealth palace parkway. The Eugene Planning Commission heard compelling testimony on the subject and voted unanimously in favor of the Centennial name change, preferring it to renaming Ferry Street Bridge. Local African American historian Mark Harris notes that the construction of the bridge in 1949 bulldozed Tent City, forcing evac- uation of a cohesive black Eugene neigh- borhood. But regardless of history, con- servatives on the City Council are expected to dig in their heels next week. We could see a fiery showdown when the topic hits the council agenda at 7:30 pm Tuesday, May 27 at the council chambers on Pearl. Be there early if you want to be heard. On this Memorial Day weekend, you can see for yourself what a group of determined citizens with a clear vision can accomplish. The most stunning sight will be light pour- ing into the interior of Hope Abbey for the first time in more than 40 years. All of the windows have been replaced and 13 have been restored with stained glass and the original metal work. Laboriously reconstructed copper-clad en- trance doors open into a space that has been cleaned and painted. Original light fixtures have been restored by the same company that supplied the originals. There is still much work to be done, but the transformation is dra- matic. Outside, the landscape is also being trans- formed. Guided by a detailed plan, work pro- ceeds to restore native plants, remove invasive non-natives, and renovate the plots and walk- ways. Self-guided walking tours with excel- lent signage and information have been in- stalled to help visitors explore the flora and history of this 10-acre retreat. The history plaques provide a fascinating glimpse of old Eugene. Hope Abbey and the surrounding Eugene Masonic Cemetery at East 25th and University will be open from 10 am to 4 pm this Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Veterans’ graves will be honored and Taps will be played at noon each day by a veteran who lives adjacent to the cemetery. — Hugh Prichard • Walgreens, the 4,000-store drug chain, has been scouting our growing metro area for years, and word is the company is buying up commercial property at already congested 18th and Chambers. The great little local hamburger joint, coffee dive and optical shop on the southwest side will be flattened, replaced with a concrete box and drive- through pharmacy within screaming dis- tance of redundant Bi-Mart and Albertson’s. Walgreens has 26 stores in Oregon, and reportedly wants five stores in Eugene/Springfield. A typical store is 14,500 sq. ft. This is a test of our city planning goals and nodal development (see cover story this week). We predict Walgreens will send in a legal team to fight any restrictions, such as requiring a second story of apartments and offices over the store. • The Eugene plasma drive to support schools is getting national play in a MoveOn ad campaign (see www.stopbud- getdisaster.com), but we hear Cox Cable FOE GATHERS Bob Stacey, new executive director of 1000 Friends of Oregon, will give the keynote speech at the Friends of Eugene (FoE) annual meeting in Eugene at 7 pm Thursday, May 22, at the First United Methodist Church, 1376 Olive St. The event is free and open to all. The 1000 Friends legal team represented FoE and other local petitioners in their suc- cessful challenge to the City of Eugene’s ap- proval of the West Eugene Parkway. FoE President Kevin Matthews will open the public program with some highlights of FoE efforts over the last year, and brief com- ments on future directions for the local 1000 Friends affiliate. Stacey will address the significant chal- lenges facing Oregon’s land use system today, and talk about continuing efforts to protect Oregon’s quality of life through the conserva- tion of farm and forestlands, protection of nat- ural and historic resources and promotion of more compact and livable cities, especially in Lane County. More information: www.FriendsofEugene.org CORRECTIONS/ CLARIFICATIONS Regarding last week’s cover story on Faith in Action, it appears we were misin- formed regarding the history of Two Rivers Interfaith Ministry. The Rev. Dan Bryant tells us “TRIM was actually formed in the fall of 1994 in the office of Greg Flint at First Congregational after the Lane Ministerial Association, which was created the year be- fore, ceased to function. (And LMA emerged out of an informal group of ministers that met monthly for lunch at Grace Lutheran Church for many years.) As I recall, there were four or five of us who wrote the mis- sion statement and started the organization on that day. It is possible we may have dis- cussed OCA, but opposing their ballot mea- sures was not the focus of the group. I be- lieve it was actually the Religious Response Network which was formed in the late ‘80s in response to the campaigns of OCA.” Bryant says TRIM supported some of the ef- forts of RRN, but the two groups were sepa- rate. temporarily banned the Bush-bashing ads in Arizona, saying they were in “poor taste.” One observer notes, “what’s really in poor taste is George Bush pushing a millionaire tax break which will mean cuts in education while parents are forced to sell their plasma to fund their public schools.” providing a more formal way for local scientists to weigh in (when invited) on complex issues facing our City Council and County Commission. We have incredible scientific resources available at UO and in our larger community. Let’s put this brain power to work to improve our decision making. • The Federal Communications Commission is poised June 2 to autho- rize sweeping rule changes that could ease restrictions on how many TV sta- tions, newspapers, radio stations, and cable providers can be owned by one company. Concentration of ownership (see our cover story on Clear Channel April 24) is already interfering with diversity in media content. We urge everyone to ask Congress and the FCC to fight media deregulation. For more information, visit www.moveon.org • County Commissioner Anna Morrison is not likely to support the county joining the city in taking a stand against the USA PATRIOT Act. More than a dozen citizens from all over Lane County testi- fied before the commission May 13. After the meeting, Morrison told EW that our “devastating economic times” is her first priority, and “to focus on something we have no control over or to divert limited staff resources is not acceptable at this time.” During the impassioned testimony on how local civil liberties are in peril, Morrison reportedly did not look up once, but instead was engrossed in a document on forest thinning practices. • An Independent Science Review Board may finally get off the ground this spring or summer. We’ve always like the idea of MAY 22, 2003 7
