SAH MDR Annual Conference
October 1-4, 2026
Eugene, Oregon
SAH MDR is excited to host our annual conference this year in Eugene, Oregon, October 1-4, 2026. This year's theme will be Power Dynamics: People, Places, and Working Spaces of the PNW.
Power Dynamics will explore how power—everything from electrical to social—shapes place and communities. From the Leaburg Hydroelectric Project (slated for decommissioning) to McKenzie Hall (originally built as the law school at the University of Oregon) to the Mims House (among the first residences in Eugene owned by a Black family), this conference will focus on how the built environment functions as a lens for understanding who holds power—and who doesn’t.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Check out our preliminary schedule with more information about sessions coming soon!
Thursday, Oct 1
12pm-2:30pm – Open house at the University of Oregon Special Collections (1501 Kincaid Street #002)
Stop by the U of O Specicial collections at the Knight Library to see the Works Progress Administration era Paulson Reading Room. Designed by the Ellis Lawrence architectural firm, it features the carved wood panels: Oregon Vistas Triptych (east wall); Oregon Vistas Triptych (west wall); Release of Youth from Depression Conditions (east wall); Release of Youth from Depression Conditions (west wall). The library will have the SAH Marion Dean Ross chapter archives out and available in the room for folks to see!
3pm-5pm – Tour of the Historic Mims Houses (330 High Street)
Annie and C.B. Mims purchased the property on High Street in 1948, becoming some of Eugene’s first Black homeowners, with one house serving as their residence and the other as a boarding house. During an era of racial segregation, the boarding house was open to Black travelers, including musicians like Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong, as well as University of Oregon athletes who could not stay elsewhere. A distinct example of Gothic Revival, the tour will explore the house’s important role in Eugene’s Black and civil rights history.
5:30pm – No host social at Falling Sky Brewing (1334 Oak Alley)
Friday, Oct 2
9am-12pm – Tour of Leaburg Hydroelectric Project (van transportation provided)
The tour of the Eugene Water and Electric Board's (EWEB)’s Leaburg Hydroelectric Project will explore the architecture and engineering from the 1929 construction through recent modernizations, as well as the ongoing decommissioning project. Participants will hear from preservationists central to the writing and administering of the National Register Historic District and will see the damn headwaters, the recreational lake and interpretive pavilion, Pier Houses at the damn, and the Art Deco Leaburg Power Plant/Power House designed by noted Oregon architect Ellis F. Lawrence. The tour will be hosted by the EWEB and will include expertise in cultural resources, EWEB history, and conversation with a duty officers who have operated the power generating infrastructure while active and in its period of decommissioning.
12pm – Boxed lunches on van
1:30pm-4:30pm – Paper sessions at McKenzie Hall, University of Oregon, designed by DeNorval Unthank Jr. (1101 Kincaid Street)
6pm – No host social at Annex (1236 Kincaid St)
Saturday, Oct 3
9am-11:30am – Paper sessions at McKenzie Hall, University of Oregon (1101 Kincaid Street)
11:30am-1pm – Lunch on your own
1:30pm-4:30pm – Eugene Modernism Tour (combination of walking and van transportation)
Explore Eugene through buildings that reflect our region’s contribution to Modernism, including Carmel of Maria Regina Monastery (Bogen, Hosey & Green, 1962), the Eugene Civic Center (Architects’ Collaborative, 1954) and the Saraha Nyingma Buddhist Institute (originally the Unitarian Church of Eugene, Balzhiser, Seder & Rhodes 1963), and many more!
5pm – No host social at McShane’s (86495 College View Rd)
Sunday, Oct 4
(On our own) Enjoy some time in Eugene before you travel home!
Native American Arts and Crafts Market - Held on the first Sunday of each month from 10am - 4pm at the Farmers Market Pavilion (85 E. 8th Ave.)
Piccadilly Flea Market - Open 8am-3pm at the Lane County Fairgrounds (796 W 13th Ave)
Spencer Butte Trail - Eugene’s tallest local peak with unique vistas and a variety of popular trails
(85385 Willamette St.)Mount Pisgah Arboretum - A 209-acre nature education facility where visitors can explore the ecology of the southern Willamette Valley, open from dawn til dusk (34901 Frank Parrish Road)
Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System - A collection of interconnected multi-use paved paths along the Willamette River that connects the two cities of Eugene and Springfield.
Self-guided Strides for Social Justice tours developed by the Oregon Black Pioneers - A variety of tours about the people, places and events that have shaped the experience of Black residents in and around Eugene
Clay Fest - Eugene's All Ceramics Art Show from 11am - 5pm at the Lane County Fairgrounds Performance Hall (796 W 13th Ave)
Share your Research
Our priority deadline has passed, but you can still propose a paper, pecha kucha, or a speakers panel for this year's conference. The call for proposals will continue to stay open for the next several weeks.
Scholarships Available
This year we are again offering conference scholarships which will include complementary registration as well as up to $500 in travel support. Applications are especially welcome from students, emerging professionals, and attendees from historically underrepresented communities, but we are happy to receive an application from anyone needing financial assistance for any reason.
Scholarship recipients will be required to write and submit a brief reflection on their experience at the mini-conference (accompanying photos encouraged!) which will be published in the SAH MDR e-news.
Accommodations
There is specified conference hotel, but we recommend attendees select a location close to the University of Oregon campus to be close to most conference activities and tour departures. Some ideas to consider might be:
Budget Friendly:
University Inn & Suites
2968 Franklin Blvd
$95/night
Mid-Tier:
Timber’s Inn
1015 Pearl St
$150/night
Luxury(ish):
Home2 Suites
102 W 11th Ave
$311/night