Oregon Council for the Humanities relocates in downtown Portland
New building owners, staff and program growth spur the move, effective September 2008.
18 August 2008 | Permalink
For only the third time in its 37-year history, the Oregon Council for the Humanities (OCH), an independent nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and partner of the Oregon Cultural Trust, will relocate its offices.
OCH has been in the Stevens Building at 812 SW Washington St., Portland, for nearly 20 years and will move to new offices in the Woodlark Building, 813 SW Alder St., Suite 702, Portland, OR 97205. To accommodate the relocation, OCH will be closed to public beginning August 25 and will reopen on September 8.
Cara Ungar-Gutierrez, OCH executive director, says that two key factors precipitated this move. First, in February 2008, OCH was notified that the Church of Scientology had purchased the Stevens Building. OCH’s lease was set to expire in October 2008.
Ungar-Gutierrez says the second reason for the move is that since first occupying the Stevens Building offices in 1990, OCH staff size has doubled, and the council’s program offerings have also grown. In 1990, OCH offered grants, its Oregon Chautauqua program, and a magazine, now known as Oregon Humanities. All of these programs have since grown and, today, OCH also offers youth programs, teacher institutes, community discussion programs, and its college course for low-income adults, Humanity in Perspective (HIP).
“This move, though unexpected, is happening at the right time for us,” Ungar-Gutierrez says. “At one point this summer, a shared office meant to accommodate two people was occupied by four. We’re poised to continue growing: Oregon Humanities is now published three times a year, and we are exploring ways to expand HIP and our youth and public programs in the near future. This new location will be a wonderful place for our next stage of development.”
The Woodlark Building suite provides the council with an additional 600 square feet, which includes onsite storage and a conference room large enough to host events and serve as a HIP classroom.
