A lot of history can be found in the old structure on the corner of Airport Avenue and Fern Road. Originally constructed as a one-room schoolhouse in 1919 and later expanded in the 1970s, the building has been showing its age in recent years.
The Independent Community Club, which owns the property and regularly holds events there, plans to make improvements to the craftsman-style building in the coming weeks. A campaign recently launched to rebuild the front porch and bell tower, plus there are plans to repaint the structure’s exterior.
The old schoolhouse is situated in a very visible spot in the rural area south of Philomath.
“It’s a super busy intersection and definitely an eyesore,” said Kelly Candanoza, ICC board president. “It’s going to just continue to degrade if we don’t do something with it soon.”
The bulk of the project involves the front of the building and includes the addition of a “knee wall” to bring the porch back to how it appeared many years ago — as seen in historic photographs.
“The steps come out and are curved and those will be concrete,” said Susie Lisser, board member. “The actual porch will be wood again.”
Candanoza said the original plan was to use stamped concrete for the porch but since the building has historic status protections, that would not be allowed since the original porch was made of wood.
“We wanted to do concrete so that we don’t have to keep rebuilding it every 15 years when it rots because it gets all the weather,” Candanoza said.
The addition of a return wall, however, will provide some protection from the elements.
Work will also be done to reinforce the belfry.
“It’s just old and rotting so that’s all going to be rebuilt,” Lisser said.
The bell still rings utilizing a rope that’s accessible from the ground floor near the front door. Not much is known about the bell, although Lisser believes it’s the original one.
The members plan to paint the building themselves.
The school was decommissioned in 1953 and the property and building were deeded to the club in 1958 for $1 by owners Ernest and Anna Seehoffer. It officially joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
Engineering for the project has been completed — thanks to pro bono work by Broadleaf Architecture and McGee Engineering — and permits have been issued following approvals by the Benton County Historic Commission and the State Historic Preservation Office.
“They’re planning on getting started later this month and going through August,” Candanoza said. “We want to include as many people as we can from the community in the project — that’s kind of the goal. It could be running to the hardware store … it could be scraping, painting.”
Plus, the club plans to reuse any materials that are taken down.
“A job for somebody is just to catalogue the material that comes off so that it goes back up where it’s supposed to go,” Candanoza added.
Getting it all done by the end of summer would be the preferred plan but access to funding could cause delays.
Fundraising continues to help pay for the improvements, which could run as high as $50,000. The ICC does plan to have some events to try to bring in needed dollars. Brainstorming continues on what to offer.
“The fundraising committee is really getting organized … one person wants to do a wine-pairing dinner — so fancy things like that and bingo nights and music events,” Lisser said, adding the silent auctions, bottle drop and community garage sale are also in the mix. “We’re also looking at some possible grants.”
Candanoza said the $50,000 figure might be on the high end and is a number to shoot for but the project could come in at around $40,000.
“We keep getting donations of materials and things like that so that takes the price down,” Candanoza said.
Some donations have already been secured. The ICC reported that a gift of $5,000 was given in the form of a matching grant from the Myrtle L. Atkinson Foundation. The person who donated the money has enjoyed the ICC since childhood.
The Independent Community Club has about 30 families and a handful of individuals among its membership.
“It’s an active group right now and has been for the last few years,” Lisser said. “Some younger families have joined, which is really great, and they’re very involved. … It’s not a big organization but it’s lively.”
Candanoza added, “There’s really good energy right now, I think, with the members that we have.”
Both Lisser and Candanoza talk with enthusiasm about the historic building and the club.
“For me, it’s because it’s a connection to other people in the community,” said Candanoza, who moved to the area in 2006 and first became involved with ICC about a year later. “That kind of ebbs and flows for me, depending on where our family is in life, but it’s a constant that’s always here.”
Lisser and her husband, Warren, have been involved with the organization since the 1990s. She loves that the rural community has a place to gather.
“It’s kind of an unwritten rule that we don’t talk politics or religion here,” Lisser said. “Consequently, we have really fun gatherings with people, especially these days, that might not otherwise get together and enjoy each other’s company.”
In fact, Lisser can envision the club getting involved in the types of activities that were offered several decades ago when ICC’s predecessor, the Neighborly Neighbors Club, was operating.
“They were meeting when it was still a school and were always coming down here,” Lisser said, explaining it was an era when people in rural areas often needed help. “They would have canning classes and food preservation things and gardening classes — that kind of stuff. And you know, there are people out here that are in need or they’re ill or disabled or who knows what. And if we can revive some of that, that’s something we would want to do … serving and helping the community.”
Later this month, the Independent Community Center will host an emergency preparedness meeting with Benton County officials, an event that will also include details on the Community Emergency Response Team (April 30, 5:30-7:30 p.m.).
The ICC members invite the public to get involved. To keep up with the project’s progress or to learn about upcoming events, check the organization’s website or take a look at the reader board located in front of the building.
