The Willamette Community and Grange Hall Historical Building Foundation received an Oregon Heritage grant, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announced.
The old hall is located about 10 miles southeast of Philomath and straight south of Corvallis on Highway 99W and Greenberry Road. Originally constructed over the winter of 1922-23, it had fallen into disrepair over the past couple of decades before restoration efforts took hold. Philomath residents Jay Sexton and Toni Hoyman have been among those leading the charge to save the building.
In all, 20 Oregon Heritage grants were awarded totaling $293,900 for historic properties and archaeology projects.
Six of the grants were awarded in the Diamonds in the Rough category. This grant funds façade enhancements that restore the historic character of the property with those projects located in Albany, Condon, Eugene, Spray, Stayton and Tillamook.
The other 14 grants were in the Preserving Oregon category for properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places and for archaeology projects. There were two archaeology projects funded — Forests Forever Inc., for research on a site in Clackamas County and Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center for a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the former Maxville site in Wallowa County.
The 12 historic properties receiving preservation grants included:
• Applegate House Heritage Arts and Education, Yoncalla.
• Billy Webb Elks Lodge, Portland.
• City of Madras Municipal Airport World War II Hangar, Madras.
• Friends of Old Fort Stevens, Hammond.
• Lake Oswego Hunt, Lake Oswego.
• Malheur Historical Project Rinehart Stone House Museum, Vale.
• Pacific Railroad Preservation Association, Portland.
• Seaport Masonic Lodge No. 7, Astoria.
• Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church, Hillsboro.
• Wallowa History Center, Wallowa.
• Willamette Community and Grange Hall Historical Building Foundation, Benton County.
The grants were approved by the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, a nine-member group that reviews nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.