#Whiteaker   #Firehouse   

We, residents of the Whiteaker, citizens of Eugene, and friends from far and wide, humbly request that Old Dominion Collision abandon their plans to convert The Old Whiteaker Firehouse into yet another automobile business on 1st Ave. We ask that they instead sell the building to a person or an organization that will preserve it in its current form as a hub of art, music and culture in the Eugene community.

Over the last decade, the Firehouse has provided affordable housing in a growing city for scores of artists of all mediums. It has been host to live music shows, poetry readings, dance and circus performances, band practices and photo shoots. It has served as the headquarters for several different businesses and celebrated artists. The studio and stage provide places for local and national artists to express themselves, and share their art with the Eugene community. This is not just some building to be used for commercial purposes; this is a unique center of culture on the West Coast. It is special and it cannot exist just anywhere. It’s part of what makes Eugene, Eugene. 

When we as a society make choices solely based on business and economic growth, we end up with a world that is steadily more homogenous and less interesting. When the pursuit of money takes the front seat, art and community lose every time.

So we ask that Old Dominion listen to the community around them, and make a different choice. In a world of villains that keep undervaluing and pushing out art spaces like this, we ask them to be heroes and do something different. Let the Firehouse live on as a community and art space in the heart of Eugene, Oregon.