the odin j. oyen sign and interior decorating firm "collection" is now in the hands of the bldg. 51 museum

after waiting very patiently for nearly 16 years, the opportunity to secure the odin j. oyen design firm's "collection" of art, artifacts and personal belongings (that were formerly tucked away and undocumented) has become a reality, thanks to thoughtful and sympathetic negotiations.

there are several thousand articles or objects to catalog, photodocument and ultimately publish as a collection, that i hope will someday be transformed into a descriptive catalog and possibly a traveling exhibit to showcase the large body of interior design work the oyen decorating firm (la crosse, wisc.) did for numerous buildings and residences across the midwest.

this by far represents the most important and highly personal or meaningful collection i've acquired in my lifetime. the sentimental value is indeed priceless. the discovery of odin j. oyen's extant buildings and body of work very early on in my life not only led to me to acquire my "first" and most meaningful collection piece - that continues to represent the beginnings of my collection (including the founding of the bldg 51 museum), but ignited the ongoing passion that drives me to this very day to save and/or create awareness of the largely forgotten architectural remnants of the past and the people or firms involved in their creation.

the wrecking ball and lack of foresight has moved so much of this historically important material into landfills where it slowly disintegrates into oblivion. thus, it is more important than ever to carefully document what remains in order to pass on to future generations expressing the same interests and passions that many of us possess.

the series of posts to follow will focus on the process of meticulously documenting any and all the objects and art representing odin j. oyen and his firm from the time of establishment in the late 19th century, until his death in 1926.

like the very lengthy and ongoing photodocumentation of the chicago athletic association building's transformation from a formerly shuttered clubhouse to a repurposed and polished boutique hotel, the process of converting this collection into a catalog and exhibit (that can be accessed by anyone), will take a great deal of time.

i highly doubt i will ever come across a collection more meaningful to me on a personal level than the odin j. oyen acquisition. i simply cannot express how unbelievably excited and utterly privileged i feel right now to be the seemingly rightful custodian of this collection, and give it the proper attention it deserved since being removed from the third floor of 507 main street (the last building where business was conducted by the oyen firm) and dumped in an offsite storage facility for another 16 years by the last owner.

it's interesting to note that the "collection" was originally left as if someone just stepped away momentarily, but instead, it happened to be since the firm folded sometime in the 1930's. when discovered, unfinished murals were still mounted on walls, drafting boards and stools were caked with dust and rolls and rolls of "new old stock" wallpaper and framing were left perfectly intact - tucked away in the very back room of the building's third floor. it was an amazing sight to behold.

regrettably, i did not have the chance to photodocument everything as it were - untouched for decades. everything was hastily and carelessly taken out one evening with a great majority of the furniture being tossed into a dumpster.

despite being a college student with a recording studio in the building's basement at the time, i nonetheless was utterly consumed in odin j. oyen's la crosse at the turn of the century and at least feel satisfied in viewing everything before it was "disturbed."

nonetheless, i remain angered to this day by the way it was handled - the missed opportunity to document the collection as an undisturbed "time capsule" and not being more involved in trying to capture the contents for the building's owner.

back then, it (and i mean all of it) would have been documented in one way or another instead of being tucked away for many years with little or no attention to carefully preserve it, care for it and most importantly, share it with researchers who were investigating the history of the firm and/or its transformation from a maker of signs, to creating remarkable murals and stenciling for large institutions (e.g., state capitals, churches, theaters, hotels, etc.) dotting the midwest throughout the early 20th century.

perhaps the timing just wasn't right back then - i was preparing for graduate school, to pursue a career in molecular genetics. but now that i possess the collection - at a time where i have the time and resources to bring it back to life, i would like to think i have come full circle.