Juliene Popinga, Visitor Services Manager at the Oregon State Capitol, demonstrates newly installed giant touch screens that allows visitors to do a virtual tour of Oregon tourist attractions and points of interest, and an interactive map of the Capitol building for self guided tours. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
For several years, the Oregon State Capitol Foundation has set up exhibits, tours, presentations and a welcome center for people visiting the Capitol.
The effort, called the Capitol History Gateway Project, is now being honored with a state Parks and Recreation Department award for preserving and sharing Oregon’s heritage, a news release said from the organization said.
The idea started a decade ago and was intended to make the Capitol “more accessible to citizens of increasing diversity and inform them about their government,” said Elisabeth Walton Potter, of Friends of Pioneer Cemetery, in a letter of support for the project’s nomination.
The first work done through the Capitol History Gateway in 2013 was installing semi-permanent exhibits in four large window cases in front of the capitol’s hearing rooms. The content changes twice a year and shares stories of people and communities otherwise not reflected in the building’s “1930’s-era artwork and symbolism,” the project’s nomination said. “By diversifying the narratives that visitors experience when entering the Capitol, the exhibits reflect a more holistic history.”
Yvonne Putze, chair of the Salem Cultural & Heritage Forum, said in a letter of support that the project has been an effective, interactive way for Capitol visitors to learn about other historic attractions in the region.
Putze said she was especially impressed how well the team developing and managing the project has worked with other organizations “to better capture the shared and unique historical components.”
“The Capitol is uniquely positioned to capture the story of Oregon and welcomes vast numbers of visitors that may otherwise not engage with those of us who are represented within this notable project. After nearly a decade of planning and development what a joy it is to see where the initiative has led,” she said.
The Capitol Welcome Center, funded by the foundation through the Capitol History Gateway Project, recently opened in the capitol building and provides an interactive look into Oregon’s history and cultural communities.
The project is one of three recipients of the 2022 Oregon Heritage Excellent Awards.
The winners will be honored at a virtual event April 28 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m as part of the 2022 Virtual Oregon Heritage Conference. Videos will be available on the State Historic Preservation Office’s website after the event.
“This year’s award recipients represent projects that serve as inspiration and models for preserving Oregon’s stories, especially the lesser told and untold stories,” said Katie Henry, coordinator for the Oregon Heritage Commission, in the news release. “These projects offer unique opportunities to engage with and learn about Oregon’s diverse heritage and help expand current interpretation.”
-Ardeshir Tabrizian
