- History Center
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- Event Venue
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The Schoolhouse has everything you need for an enjoyable event. | Photo by Erin Nelsen
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We are thrilled to announce that The Mark Prairie Historical Society has received a prestigious honor! Restore Oregon has selected our restoration of the Mark Prairie Schoolhouse as one of nine historic projects across Oregon to receive a 2025 DeMuro Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, the state’s highest honor for the preservation, reuse, and revitalization of architectural and cultural sites.
The historic Mark Prairie Schoolhouse joins more than 120 projects across Oregon that have been recognized with DeMuro Awards since 2013. Winning projects are selected by a jury of top professionals in the field of historic preservation and related disciplines, including architecture, planning, and engineering. Restore Oregon’s jury selected these award recipients based on each project’s positive impact on its community and for how it inspires others to keep and reuse historic places to strengthen the vibrancy of their communities through economic development, housing creation, and climate resilience.
The 2025 DeMuro Awards demonstrate a statewide impact and the wide range of historic preservation projects that are rich in history, craftsmanship, and charm, yet also among the most sustainable. The reuse of buildings and materials is a readily accessible tool to reduce carbon emissions while maintaining a commitment to housing and equity. Reusing the structural system of an existing building typically saves between 50% and 75% amount of the embodied carbon. The DeMuro Awards help Oregonians understand that preservation isn’t a relic of the past, but a beacon to a sustainable future. Rather than demolishing Oregon’s historic architecture and adding it to the landfill, viewing it as a renewable resource can help us meet sustainability goals, create affordable housing, and inspire economic development.
Since 2011, the DeMuro Awards have promoted historic preservation and reuse in Oregon by spotlighting and celebrating outstanding rehabilitation projects. The award honors the legacy of Restore Oregon friend and Board member, Art DeMuro, whose career embodied vision, persistence, creativity, excellence, and sound economics.
Art DeMuro played a vital role in many important historic properties in Portland, including the Minnesota Hotel, Telegram Building, Northwest Fence & Wire Works, Ladd Carriage House, Mason Ehrman Building (PDC headquarters), Fire Station No. 7, and the White Stag Block. He considered the White Stag Block, the Portland home of the University of Oregon, to be his crowning achievement in historic preservation.
