Old Madeleine Church Project receives prestigious award

DeMuro Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, Reuse and Revitalization

The Old Madeleine Church has been awarded the 2021 DeMuro Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, Reuse and Revitalization by Restore Oregon.  This award is the state’s highest honor for the preservation, reuse, and revitalization of architectural and cultural sites.

This project was a huge effort by the entire Madeleine Community, bringing forward more than 550 donors and supporters to resurrect the original 1911 church on our campus, which had fallen into disrepair since our current main church was built in 1955, and had been unsafe to inhabit.

A 3-year $3.9 million capital campaign anchored by a $1 million challenge grant from the Hedinger Family Foundation provided the funding for the restoration.

Construction was completed in summer of 2019, transforming the formerly dilapidated old sancturay into a thoughtfully restored sacred space for prayer, learning, performing, and community use.

In the photo, Father Mike receives the award from Nicole Possert, Restore Oregon Executive Director. Also pictured are Erin Swicegood, Restore Oregon Development Associate; George Covin, House of George Interior Design; Michelle Black, Carleton Hart Architecture; Erin Couch, Chair of The Madeleine Buildings & Grounds.

The project was submitted for consideration by Carleton Hart Architecture, who provided architectural and construction management for the project.

Restore Oregon exists to educate, advocate, and celebrate our region’s historic spaces and places. Their mission is to preserve, reuse, and pass forward the spaces and places that reflect Oregon’s diverse cultural heritage and make our communities vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable.