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Friends of 50 Preserving Our Past for Our Future

An Update on the Future of 50 Church Street, September 28th 2017

The Plumas Unified School District Governing Board has determined to move forward, with putting a roof on the 50 Church Street building before winter settles in. This decision comes after many discussions and debates on PUSD’s financial investment in the building. As of now, PUSD believes that paying for a new roof will provide security against further damage and preserve the building for future repairs and renovations.

The County Office of Education and PUSD are joined with the “Friends of 50” who believe that old places matter, that 50 Church Street has tremendous potential; and that preserving history celebrates who we are, where we’ve been, and where we are going.

The governing board and stakeholders are still exploring long-term options for the building. These possibilities include either fundraising to renovate for the District Office staff to move back in or selling the schoolhouse and property to an outside source for community purposes. Criteria for selling the building include that the buyer saves the integrity of the building’s historical features. Bids for roofing will soon be open. We want to thank the governing board and the community for continued support as we move forward preserving this time-honored building.

A successful heart-bombing event!! From Left to Right: PUSD Board member Leslie Edlund, Superintendent Terry Oestreich, Assistant Superintendent Kristy Warren
Plumas Unified Staff on the Steps of 50 Church Street in 2017 mirroring the class of 1917 on the same steps, 100 years ago.

Celebrating History and Community

Plumas Unified Invites the Plumas County Community to come celebrate and commemorate the history and future of 50 Church Street. We are holding a ‘Heart Bombing’ Event on May 21, 2017, 12:30-4:30 on the lawn of 50 church Street, to show the building love and celebrate community with live music and local food and craft vendors. At the event, we will also share about the buildings history and potential future.

The act of "heart bombing" a building started back in 2011, by a group called Buffalo's Young Preservationist. Since then, it has been adopted by the National Parks Services and other community groups to preserve historic places, by giving them attention. Sunday, May 21st, the community is invited to gather on the lawn at 50 Church Street to show love and commitment to our own historic and iconic 1905 schoolhouse.

We will cut out hearts from cardboard or thick construction paper, write a personal memory, thought, or statement on them, such as- this place matters, save me don’t leave me, or preservation is sexy, and then take the hearts and safely place them on the building. Materials to make the hearts will be provided, but feel free to bring anything you might want to add like pictures or glitter!

At no cost, we are inviting all local merchants, restaurants, and cafes to come sell, at the event! Please call Nina Martynn at 283-6500 x 5269 to get signed up.

For more information and History on 50 Church Street and the Heart Bombing Event Follow the ‘Friends of 50’ Facebook Page and check out the “Our History Our Heart” Facebook Event. You can also contact Nina Martynn by email nmartynn@pcoe.k12.ca.us or phone 530-283-6500 ext. 5269.

For more information on Heart Bombing check out https://savingplaces.org/stories/heart-bomb-spread-the-love-for-historic-places#.WPEZx1PytT0

The importance of Preservation

What is one of the first things people ask each other when they first meet? Where are you from? Because place tells us a lot about a person. And places are constructed of the buildings and the spaces that people inhabit; where they learn, work, eat, celebrate and gather together. Places shape the story of who we are, where we come from, where we are going, and remind us what we have gone through. Old places inspire us and help us imagine what comes next.

For many years preservation was seen as an elitist activity. Think of the many amazing buildings and monuments around the world available to us today - because of preservation - everything from the Louvre to the Lincoln Memorial. Yet, there is a current movement to save the old barns, school houses, and museums in urban and rural towns that matter to the everyday people that live there. We believe that 50 Church Street is one of those places. Many people in the Quincy community still feel the painful loss of the historic and beautiful Quincy High School that was completely torn down in 1978 and the Old Quincy Hotel that burned down in a fire in 1966. The attachment to place is something we don't always understand until we lose the places that we love. We are not willing to allow this to happen to 50 Church Street. We are committed to saving the building and the memories and community identity that it holds.

While there are currently no allotted or available PUSD/PCOE funds to restore the building, Plumas Unified cares about the fate of 50 Church Street. The current administration of PUSD believes and recognizes that the building is a time-honored structure in the community and a cultural and historic resource to Plumas County. PUSD has committed efforts to sending out support letters to try to find outside funding and sponsorship for restoration.

As Plumas Unified, works to find financial support to restore the building and considers ideas for the future of 50, we are also inviting the community to “imagine the possibilities”. With the right financial support, we are open to a myriad of ways the building can serve Plumas County.

Support Letter

According to the report on "Why Old Places Matter" by Thomas Mayes, Old Places Matter because, " old places anchor us, in a continuum of continuous time they ground us, they connect us, they foster identity, and they create and preserve our memories and the memories of us. ( Read the full report by clicking on the link below)

If you've made it to this web page we hope you share our mission and vision to save a rural community's historic and cultural resources and preserve the future of 50 Church Street. If you have not already, we encourage you to join the Friends of 50 Facebook page. There you will find ways to get involved and stay up to date with the group's progress, as we work to show the building love and find ways to fund its future. We will be updating the facebook regularly and adding more historic content to this web page in the coming weeks.

Contact Nina Martynn at nmartynn@pcoe.k12.ca.us with questions or concerns.

Created By
Gianina Martynn
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