Oregon's Forgotten Public Social Welfare Institutions: The Oregon State Hospital and the Multnomah County Poor Farm as Case Studies in the Challenge of Preserving Stigmatized Places

• Main Author: Askin, Timothy B.
• Language: en_US
• Published: University of Oregon 2010
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/10667

xiv, 133 p. : ill., maps (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. === There is an uneasy relationship between the buildings of public social welfare institutions and historic preservation because of the stigma associated with those persons housed there and the unpleasant social history they can represent. These and other issues present preservation challenges unique to public social welfare institutions. Using the Oregon State Hospital and the Multnomah County Poor Farm as case studies, this thesis explores the history of these two sites within a national context of the development of state psychiatric hospitals and county poor farms. Using case study methodology, the recent experiences with historic preservation policy and practice at the two sites will be used to demonstrate typical challenges at such stigmatized sites and offer recommendations for preserving them in Oregon. === Committee in Charge: Dr. Leland M. Roth, Chair; Dr. Kirk Ranzetta