By Haley Meisenholder

While working as the RARE Intern for the City of Pendleton, Oregon, I have been able to see sites that normal citizens of Pendleton may not be able to see – such as the undeveloped, untouched second stories along our Main Street which once housed overnight railroad workers and (sometimes) brothel workers.

One of the Cities biggest pushes this year is to begin the development of second floor units into residential housing, either in the form of apartments or condominiums. Being in the infancy of the program, we are touring the old second stories of downtown businesses that are currently unused. Many of these floors were used as overnight rooms for railroad workers, which evolved into the building of a large stock of brothels in the downtown area. At one time, there were upwards of 18 brothels. The checkered past of Pendleton helps us envision a new, up-to-date Pendleton.

The history of these rooms is what makes touring them so exciting, as some of the businesses have kept the rooms virtually untouched. In the 10 second stories I have toured, the condition has ranged from immaculate, new modern loft living to being in condemnable condition and full of dead pigeons and water damage. Envisioning modern units while looking at the preserved rooms of the early 1900’s and hearing the history of the building was not something I thought would be part of the work I was doing. But we identified a need, a true need for housing in Pendleton, and worked on creating as program to jumpstart the process.

The best part about this process is talking to the business/property owners and hearing their personal history in the buildings and Pendleton. Those who have already developed the units saw a market that was being untapped. They saw the potential within their own properties to utilize the lack of downtown housing to their advantage. Talking to the property owners and those that have lived in Pendleton for a long-time helps put together the pieces of these old units, on the condition they are in and the future they may have. The nitty-gritty of the 2^nd Story Program is still in the works, which comes with its own complications and long nights. The financing, paperwork and general improvements that need to be made to these buildings make this a long process, but a project I’m happy to see come to fruition.

Hearing the old history helps us envision what downtown Pendleton could look like. My role with the City is to help make things happen, help push our projects forward, help facilitate new conversations – and most importantly, to make Pendleton a better place.

Haley Meisenholder

Haley received her bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Planning with a minor in Political Science from San Francisco State University. While working on her degree, Haley contributed to two plans that affected cities in California. The first plan was for the 19th Avenue Transit Study, and the project allowed her to create two proposals for a housing and ttransportation group. The second plan was for North Bayshore in Mountain View, California, and it involved mapping and working with multiple groups to create a unique plan for the area that combined transportation, housing, and businesses in the community. Through RARE AmeriCorps – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments, Haley hopes to gain real, meaningful experience in planning, and to expand her understanding and ability to help the public. Haley is very excited to directly help the community, learn the odds and ends of planning, and expand her understanding of natural resource management and community development.