Our Place in Walla Walla #4: Heritage Park and Windows on the Past

Our place contains much that is easily visible and much more that takes some closer looking.

If you walked Main Street during the last two weeks you likely noticed a new construction site about halfway between campus and Walawála Plaza. Set to open in late Spring, the new Heritage Park will become the heart of Main Street and will be a venue for the entire community, “continuing the expansion of public gathering spaces that have been created downtown in recent years.”

Community leaders have been thinking about how to enhance this central location in our city and the last few years have created the conditions to bring these ideas to reality. Background about the goals and priorities to make the space more accessible, welcoming and enjoyable can be found here. The City of Walla Walla is using some of its federal stimulus dollars to completely overhaul this space. The project is slated to finish in May and no set opening date is scheduled due to potential weather-related timeline adjustments.

The change from the previous design is dramatic. Early in the planning, the city posted amazing daytime and nighttime “fly-throughs” of the new space that can be watched online (although the final design does not have the cantilevered walkway over Mill Creek as was originally imagined).

Andy Coleman, Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Walla Walla, said that by next Spring, Whitman students will be able to use the park for studying and socializing as well as attending the many events and performances that will take place here.

Hidden behind the construction fencing is a unique site in Walla Walla—the “Windows on the Past” installation, a project whose overarching goal was to “build intercultural understanding in the creation of a compelling, permanent public artwork designed to celebrate the community’s multicultural ancestors.”

While it is currently not possible to access the wall, you can do so virtually, thanks to early work to put the stories about the panels online. In the wonderfully titled piece, “This City’s ‘Windows on the Past’ Is Way Cooler Than Most Local History Murals,” the author notes, “ArtWalla hosts an online tool to explore the details of the window panels, which include everything from images of a Chinook salmon; historic photos of local Native American tribal members, including the Cayuse; and a picture circa 1920 showing two local Whitman College students, William O. Douglas and Francis Penrose. (Douglas would go on to serve as the longest-serving U.S. Supreme Court justice.)”

The technology involved in creating these was cutting edge and some of the workshops involved in the production have highlighted their contributions to this complex effort.

The wall has many Whitman ties.

Jeanne McMenemy was the Art Director for this complex multi-year initiative that was spearheaded by longtime Whitman collaborator ArtWalla. McMenemy attended Whitman College in 1967 and 1968 before transferring to another college. She returned to Walla Walla and has been active in the local arts community for decades.

Mark Anderson ’78 and his crew at Walla Walla Foundry, were also instrumental to the project, designing, producing and installing the steel structure the panels are mounted into. “Mark was a stalwart supporter of the Windows project from its beginnings,” said McMenemy.

When she reflected on her work with the project, McMenemysaid, “Involving Whitman students was a big plus for us. We also had interns from Walla Walla University and from Walla Walla Community College, but mostly Whitman interns. All the interns. They just really understood it. They worked hard. They were committed to what they were supposed to do. They helped with photos of family’s artifacts. They were an enormous help. Professor Julia Davis (now Ireland) connected us to the interns. Also, the Whitman College & Northwest Archives was super helpful.”

She said that one of the most important realizations from working on this was about our community’s demographic diversity. “For instance, I learned that there used to be an African Methodist Episcopal church in town. Who knew? I changed from being interested in the artifacts to becoming more interested in the history of our region.”

Last year, as part of New Student Orientation, the Career and Community Engagement Center hosted a walking tour of downtown, including a visit to the wall. Jonathan Becker ’26 participated in that event and reflected, “When I visited ‘Windows into the Past’ last year, I was extremely impressed by how the mural attempts to tell the history of Walla Walla from a diverse perspective. Although history is often told in a one-sided manner, this mural depicts several different communities that have shaped (and continue to shape) Walla Walla.”

Being attentive to the diversity depicted in the panels is timely. Last week, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin ran a feature story, “Walla Walla, Columbia counties see shifts in demographics, wages,” quoting the Walla Walla Trends research project. Importantly, it pointed out:

“Over the past 15 years, the share of people of color—POC—in the population of the metro area, which includes Walla Walla and Columbia Counties, has seen a steady climb. This demographic has grown from 25% to 29%, with Hispanics and Latinos being the largest among these populations, followed closely by individuals identifying as ‘two or more races…’”

We live in a place that has been diverse since its earliest days—diverse tribes followed by diverse waves of immigrants followed by new diversity in our own time.

Last week, I asked Bing what Whitman students can learn from visiting Heritage Park and the AI suggested “The park is situated in the Walla Walla Valley (Pásx̣apa) and offers insights into the Native American tribes’ perspective on the region’s history and heritage. It provides an opportunity for students to engage with the local community and gain a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of the area,” all of which is true but I do note that Bing didn’t flag the construction… (Bing 9.29.23) In a follow-up question specifically on the Windows on the Past part of the Park, Bing reminded, “learning about the history of Walla Walla can provide valuable insights into the local community and its cultural heritage. It can also help students develop a deeper appreciation for the area they live in and its historical significance.”

On that note, many wishes for a restorative and safe 4-Day.

I’ll be back in two weeks to introduce you to some of our alumni who are engaged in our place in powerful and inspiring ways. In the meantime, if you want to learn how our city government tells the history of our place, this webpage is excellent.