RESOURCES

PUBLICATIONS

A Greek Temple in French Prairie

The latest of the Marion Dean Ross Chapter's educational productions was published in limited number under Chapter copyright in 2007 by Grant Hildebrand and Miriam Sutermeister. A Greek Temple in French Prairie: The William Case House, French Prairie, Oregon, 1858-59 is an attractively-produced, color-illustrated 100-page treatment in soft cover of a remarkable settlement-era Classical Revival farmhouse in Oregon's Willamette Valley. The house was built in 1859 as the headquarters of a busy and productive farming operation founded by land claimant William Case. Apart from its generous size, the house is known for its distinctive peripteral colonnade and its red exterior. Hildebrand and Sutermeister were drawn to their project after a first visit to the present occupants and restorers of the house, fellow Chapter members Wallace Huntington and Mirza Dickel. Over a period of several years the Seattle-based authors visited their friends and conducted research aimed at more completely documenting the character of the farmhouse both in its historic period and as restored and enhanced by gardens. Dedicated to Wallace and Mirza, the book is available at university libraries in the region and at the Oregon Historical Society Library and its local affiliate, the Marion County Historical Society.

Scholars and Sightseers

In observance of the 50th anniversary of its founding, the Marion Dean Ross/Pacific Northwest Chapter produced in 2004 a 118-page soft-cover history titled Scholars and Sightseers: The Society of Architectural Historians in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest 1954-2004. Written by Elisabeth Walton Potter, the account covers the Chapter's origins in the Pacific Section of the Society of Architectural Historians organized in San Francisco in 1954 and describes its emergence as a Pacific Northwest jurisdiction. The overview of Chapter activities is placed within the framework of organizational developments at the national level. It discusses the present status of the Chapter and identifies some challenges for the future. The book is available from the Chapter on request. Copies may be found in collections of the region's university libraries and historical agencies.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Syllabus Diploma Program

"The Mission of the R.A.I.C. Syllabus is to provide architectural education nationally through practical experience and courses of study for aspiring and current members of the profession, and members of the public with a personal interest in architecture." - Syllabus Program Update Committee. A PowerPoint presentation given by Martin Segger, University of Victoria, at the SAH 2004 Annual Meeting, Eugene, Oregon. Download the full presentation (PowerPoint file, 350kb).

The Gil and Erselle Eade House Video

The Eade house, heretofore little known, is among the finest examples, may even be the masterpiece, of the architectural context of which it is a part. More
Watch the Eade House video (14 minutes, 28 MB).

CHAPTER ARCHIVE

The Marion Dean Ross Chapter Archive is held in the Manuscript Collections of the the University of Oregon Libraries' Department of Special Collections & University Archives in Knight Library, University of Oregon, in Eugene. Although the Chapter's jurisdiction encompasses four states and a Canadian province, the University of Oregon is considered the natural home for the archive. The Library's Special Collections department also holds the papers of chapter founder, Marion Dean Ross, long-time member of the faculty of the University's School of Architecture and Allied Arts. The Chapter Archive is a promising resource for scholars interested in architectural history and the development of learned societies. The organization's archived material covers the period from 1969 onward, while correspondence files relating to the formative decade of the Society of Architectural Historians on the Pacific Coast are found in the papers of Professor Ross. The Chapter's archived material includes an abstract of events leading to organization of the Pacific Regional Section, Society of Architectural Historians in 1954. The material consists mainly of formal proceedings and cardinal business records, membership lists, member obituary information, curriculum vitae of speakers; meeting programs, and scholarly papers read before the Chapter from the time manuscripts began to be collected systematically in 1993. The material also includes files relating to Chapter publications, including the Festschrift of 1978 that honored Professor Ross in his 65th year, and Scholars and Sightseers, the 50th anniversary history of the organization that was issued in 2004 and incorporated a list of most of the papers presented at meetings of the Chapter 1954-2004. With the advance of digital technology, it is increasingly possible to gain access to specific documents electronically. For more information, contact librarians and archivists in the Special Collections & University Archives department.

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