Out of the Ashes: Portland's Dougy Center Saved After Arson Fire

From the outside the building appears to be a total loss. But from the ashes, deconstructionists will pull tons of old growth lumber from a house that so many children and families considered a home away from home. The Dougy Center, a nonprofit that provides support for grieving children, teens and their families, was the victim of a suspicious fire that destroyed its building in June 2009. Now ready to rebuild on the lot, The Dougy Center has contracted with DeConstruction Services to remove the charred structure.

When the Dougy Center realized it would need to remove its fire-damaged building to make room for a new one, they chose to salvage what could be saved through deconstruction, rather than demolishing it. Says Donna Schuurman, Executive Director for The Dougy Center, “As difficult as it is to experience this crime and its impact, we are grateful that, in deconstructing the building rather than demolishing it, this lovely home with so many memories will be re-purposed in other forms rather than winding up in a landfill.”

Salvaged building materials will be taken to The ReBuilding Center and resold.
Photo courtesy of The ReBuilding Center

Working with DeConstruction Services—a service of the nonprofit organization The ReBuilding Center—The Dougy Center will keep 19,639.65 cubic feet of reusable building materials from the landfill. The environmental savings of deconstruction are the equivalent of preserving 76.97 mature trees in the forest, taking 6.67 cars off the road in the reduction of greenhouse gas, and avoiding the production of 1,166.25 pounds of green house gases*. In addition to all the environmental benefits, using deconstruction will employ up to eight people for every one employed through standard demolition.

Says Shane Endicott, Executive Director for The ReBuilding Center, “This project is one of the best examples of how to turn what appears be a total loss into a positive gain for sustainability; one where our environment, local economy and community benefit.”

The Dougy Center will reuse some lumber to build a front door for their replacement building.

All of the building’s reusable building materials will be taken to The ReBuilding Center, a nonprofit organization working to benefit communities and the environment. The ReBuilding Center makes the materials available to the public for reuse.

*These estimates are based on the Deconstruction Institutes Benefit Calculator.

About DeConstruction Services

DeConstruction Services—a service of the nonprofit organization The ReBuilding Center—provides environmentally friendly, cost-effective removal of building components and complete structures, both residential and commercial. Through hand-dismantling, DeConstruction Services can save for reuse up to eighty five percent of a building’s major components that otherwise would be destined for landfills, providing a tax-deductible receipt and detailed inventory documentation for all donated materials.

About The Dougy Center

The Dougy Center provides support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults, and their families grieving a death can share their experiences.

The Center provides support and training locally, nationally and internationally to individuals and organizations seeking to assist children in grief. They are supported solely through private support from individuals, foundations and companies. The Dougy Center does not charge a fee for its services. For more information please visit their web site.