On May 2, 1843 a group of 102 farmers and trappers came together in the town of Champoeg to vote for a provisional government. This historic vote signified the creation of Oregon and was commemorated in 1901 with the dedication of Champoeg Park, which is now part of the US National Register of Historic Places. The Pioneer Memorial Building was built in 1922 to house annual celebrations honoring that momentous day in 1843. Nearly a century later, the logs and beams that provided structural support for the pavilion were heavily infested with carpenter ants. Arciform was contracted for renovation and seismic retrofitting of the historic structure. New logs were locally sourced from Silver Falls Park and installed using custom fabricated seismic hold-downs.The process included peeling the trees, then lifting and supporting the structure while the old creosote-treated logs were removed. Each post base was recreated with kneebrace joinery.

From the Client: 

“Arciform, the general contractor, did a fabulous job… It definitely is worth taking the time to go look at how tight & precise their joinery is, especially at where the knee braces are let into the log columns (not easy to do!) & at the carpentry on the mitered column bases & capitals. They are true craftsmen. I’m very pleased with how this project turned out — it definitely restores the historical integrity, function, & beauty to the building!” – Heidi Overman, Construction Project Manager, Engineering & Design Division of the State of Oregon.

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