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Windows on the Past



Located in Heritage Park, this colorful mural is composed of historic and contemporary photos from ethnic and cultural groups who lived in the Walla Walla Valley from 1850-1950. They are reproduced in porcelain enamel on steel panels and inlaid on the historic façade of Henry Osterman's 1902 Odd Fellows' Temple.  

The Art Director and production artist is Walla Walla artist Jeanne McMenemy. The Research interns, including students from Whitman College and Walla Walla University have assisted with research and photo procurement. This project was made possible by many individual, local, regional, and national grantors. For a list of its sponsors click here. The panels were installed by the Walla Walla Foundry.  

The "Windows on the Past" online tour is divided into three sections below: the left panel, center panel, and right panel. Each has its own "story map" slide show, with images on the left and information on the right. Click on each panel below to begin the tour:
           



History


The 1902 Odd Fellows' Temple was the first major public building designed by architect Henry Osterman, who later desinged Green Park school, the County Courthouse, the Liberty Theater, and other Walla Walla buildings. Osterman's signature Dutch reformist style is evident in these buildings. 

In 1993, when the temple was torn down, the hand-carved sandstone façade was dismantled stone by stone and each stone was numbered to facilitate proper reassembly. The Blue Mountain Arts Alliance (now ArtWalla) relocated the façade to Heritage park on Main Street. 






This $70,000 project was underwritten by Baker Boyer Bank. Many individuals and organizations, led by project manager Rob Robinson, contributed to the project. Their names are on a plaque next to the façade. 









The local and state Odd Fellows chapters also supported the project. During reconstruction of the façade, they asked us to correct a mistake made in 1902 - the mason had installed their three-ring logo stone upside- down!




Credits

Jeanne McMenemy, Art Direction and Digital Production
Jeana Garske, Director, ArtWalla
Rob Robinson, President, ArtWalla
Hans Matschukat, Photographer
WinsorFireform, Panel Production
Walla Walla Foundry, Installation

Advisers: Mark A. Anderson, John Chess, Dan Clark, Steve Clark, Barb Commare, Julia Davis, Jim Dumont, Tricia Harding, Bob Irvine, Judith Johnson, Robert Keatts, Sarah Koenigsberg, Karen Lavender, Susan Levenson, Melinda Miller, Jess Nowland, Tom Olander, Doug Saturno, Laura Schulz, Cynthia Selde, Joyce Thomsen-Blake, Vicki Shafer, Kathy Weingart


Research Interns:
Erik Anderson, Kirsten Archer, Dave Blanchard, Shae Healey, Whitney Heyvaert, Sylvia Imbrock, Becky Nelson, Stephanie Silver, Kristen Wilson

Major Funding Provided By:
Donald & Virginia Sherwood Trust
Washington State Arts Commission
The National Endowment for the Arts
Mary Garner Esary Trust
Opp & Seibold General Construction, Inc. - ProBuild - Walla Walla Electric - Walla Walla Foundry - George T. Welch Testamentary Trust - Marcus Whitman Hotel & Coonference Center - Kinsman Foundation - Stubblefield Trust - U.S. Bancorp - Key Technology - Blue Mountain Community Foundation - Whitman College - Walla Walla University 

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