Calendar of Quirk: An archipelago of oddities found in and around downtown public buildings
A theme of a different color this week: public buildings. Our government buildings are no less quirky than other facilities. These locations are all within a few blocks of each other in downtown McMinnville:
Oct. 16 “A Rose Garden for Peace and Meditation,” sits well-tended in front of McMinnville Community Center. The Baha’i fellowship donated the garden in honor of the Baha’i faith centenary in 2021, with nine separate small signs, including one reading, “… confer upon me thoughts which may change this world into a rose garden.” Placards include, “Jump for Joy – become the cause of joy and gladness to all.”
Oct. 17 At Fourth and Evans streets, in the County Clerk’s lobby, next to the marriage license counter, is a framed cartoon, c. 1960s: Clerk at the marriage license counter telling a couple, “And you have a 3-day waiting period in which to regain your sanity.” (At one point CQ was organized by category; we dispensed with them but this one is still in a category of its own.)
Oct. 18 The house at Fifth and Ford is quirky because it is both elegant and anonymous. The beautiful tan brick English-style structure looks like a mansion or sorority house, yet is home to certain offices of Yamhill County government. But the Quirk is that despite its role as a public building it has no sign or clear indication of what is inside.
The brick house is actually part of a gangly network— hodge-podge is the word — of separate county offices interspersed between Fourth and Eighth and Cowls and Galloway streets. The facilities form an archipelago of approximately 15 offices and former residences, roughly encircling the county courthouse.
Oct. 19 Public art proliferates in Mac and most pieces are easy to see from any street, except for “Conical Etude No. 4”. The work by Richard Nash (2013) is virtually hidden in the entryway at City of McMinnville’s Community Development Offices; the address is 231 N.E. Fifth St., near Baker if you want to check it out. (Conical Etude #4 being more disc than cone but, hey, artistic license.).
Oct. 20 Another low-key piece of public art is the frog sculpture, titled “The Thinker,” by Ralph Tretheway, at McMinnville Library. There are at least six pieces of outdoor art on the library grounds. (Subtitled “Booker T. Frog,” he’s been there 10 years; it happens that his twin was stolen from a park in Hood River five years ago.)
Oct. 21 On Second Street in front of the Post Office are three old containers for newspapers and realty ads. “They’ve been empty for years, is that a Quirk?” asked reader Ellie Gunn. “I’m not sure who would haul them away, but someone should.”
Errata:
In the Oct. 9 CG, a week devoted to Linfield Quirk, at least one item contained an error, as pointed out by reader and blogger Tim Marsh. It concerned the building containing the gym named for Ted Wilson, with legendary coach Paul Durham’s name on the outside. In his Oct. 8 Wildcatville post, Marsh wrote, “Linfield Athletics would not be what it is/they are today without his leadership, coaching, caring, humor, humility and commitment.
“But, while we celebrate him, we are disappointed Linfield, his alma mater, continues to refuse to name the Linfield HHPA (Health, Human Performance and Athletics Building) for him.
“HHPA has Paul Durham’s name on its exterior facing Linfield Avenue and his name and images (appear) prominently inside of it.”
Note: I visit that building about once a week and had forgotten about the HHPA acronym (not sure anyone calls it that anyway) and slipped up in not acknowledging the Durham name on the outside.
Have you seen something that’s an example of Quirk — an oddity that adds to the joy of life in Yamhill County? Email Kirby Neumann-Rea at kirby@newsregister.com.
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