Hillsboro Historical Society

Hillsboro, Oregon
USA

Concerned about losing yet another Hillsboro landmark? Hillsboro School District 1J is proceeding with plans for a summer 2009 demolition of the J. B. Thomas Middle School building, which was built in 1928 as Hillsboro Union High School and housed Hilhi until the current Rood Bridge Road campus opened in 1969.

Many citizens have expressed their dismay at the idea of losing this signature building which has touched the lives of so many Hillsboro residents through the decades. In response, some of these concerned citizens have recently joined together as “Friends of the Old School” (FOTOS), a group working to convince the school district to consider alternative plans for the old Hilhi building. FOTOS would like the historic building to be saved, restored and reused. Perhaps as an additional artistic and educational community center and an expanded performance venue for the cultural and arts scene that has been gaining momentum in downtown Hillsboro over the past couple years. Officials at the City of Hillsboro also support the idea of adapting the building for public use. It is large, aesthetically attractive, centrally located, close to the MAX light rail line and adaptable to many future uses.

Furthermore, in addition to the many aforementioned fine attributes, the old Hilhi building features a graceful and acoustically fine auditorium, currently seating 700 on the main floor and 200 in its balcony. This is considerably larger than other venues in the historic downtown district, including the Walters Cultural Arts Center, the City Hall Council Chambers, Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre (with only 99 seats) and the newly-renovated Venetian Theatre which is privately owned and boasts 375 seats. The old Hilhi auditorium has served as a performance space for the Hillsboro Symphony and as an inclement weather venue for the free outdoor concerts at Shute Park. FOTOS believes that this large facility should continue in use as a performance space for the benefit of the entire Hillsboro community.

Last but certainly not least, FOTOS also believes the old Hilhi building (located at 645 NE Lincoln Street) should be preserved and reused because it is truly a ‘signature’ building for its region of the city. Built in the same era and in a complimentary style to many of the historic homes around it, the sturdy reinforced concrete building—featuring many bas relief ornamental elements and a trademark entrance arch—adds significantly to the overall style, presence and sense of ‘place’ for the historic downtown Hillsboro area. Together with its neighbors, this landmark building helps tell the story of Hillsboro's growth and development in the early 20th century. For this very reason, the adjacent ‘Heart of Hillsboro’ and ‘Main Street’ Neighborhoods are both already protected by a Conservation District zoning overlay intended to preserve their historic streetscapes and buildings.

At the time of this article's publication, Hillsboro School District officials have remained unwilling to discuss potential options and opportunities regarding an alternative to demolition. In 2007, a City employee even approached the school board to suggest a feasibility study (to be funded by the City of Hillsboro) but school district officials declined to pursue the proposal.

If you agree that the Hillsboro School District should work with citizens to preserve the old Hilhi building, FOTOS suggests several ways you can help:

• Sign a petition to be taken to the school board.
• Ask your friends and neighbors to sign a petition, too. You can ask for an email copy from kay.demlow@verizon.net. Or call (503) 640-6936 to ask for some forms to be mailed to you.
• Donate to FOTOS. The group is not yet established as a not-for-profit organization, so your donation will not be tax-deductible. But even a small donation will help the group get started, paying for printing and postage costs. Send it to 337 NE 2nd Avenue, Hillsboro, OR 97124.
• Write a letter to the editor of the Hillsboro Argus newspaper, expressing your views.
• Write a letter to the superintendent of schools, Dr. Jeremy Lyon, asking for the school district's cooperation in resolving the future of the building.
• Volunteer with FOTOS. The group currently needs help with petition gathering, planning and hosting house parties, setting up a website, creating a brochure, speaking to the school board at their regular meetings, and one-time assistance in filing required organizational paperwork with the Secretary of State. Also needed are people willing to serve on a board of directors as FOTOS becomes a not-for-profit organization. Email kay.demlow@verizon.net or call (503) 640-6936.

This article is displayed here because it is important historic preservation news for the Hillsboro community. FOTOS is not officially endorsed by or affiliated with the Hillsboro Historical Society.

Posted: 29 Jun 2008

It appears that, at some point during July, 2007, our domain name (hillsborohistorical.org) was spoofed by a spammer. Even though this occurred through no fault of our own, we apologize to anyone who has received email fraudulently bearing our domain name. We know that spam is a horrible inconvenience. Please be assured that we did not send any spam email. In fact, Hillsboro Historical Society sends NO email from this domain. So, any email purportedly from this domain is inauthentic.

What is Email Address Spoofing (Faking, Forging, or joe-jobs)?
from DNSCentral.com

"Email address spoofing" is one of the oldest and easiest tricks in the spammer's toolbox. It is the practice used by many spammers to falsify the header information in their email advertisements. By changing the header information someone can make the email appear to come from whomever they choose.

Spammers are now routinely stealing the email or Web site identities of many people on the Web, and using them to send millions of pieces of junk advertising or offending emails.

The average person on the Internet doesn't yet understand what's happening here, and many legitimate companies are obviously being victimized.

It is important to note that spammers don't need access to the mail server of the address they are using. Additionally, there is no provision in the Internet email protocols in use today to validate or authenticate that any particular user has rights to use the address or domain name.

Unfortunately there isn't anything the owner of the domain can do to prevent spoofing. They can only react after the fact when they find out it has happened. Reactions can be as simple as deleting all of the bounces they receive, to posting about the experience on their web site to hiring an attorney to attempt to track down the person responsible.

Posted: 25 Jul 2007