- by Whitney Laucks
Salvage Works is owned and operated by brother and sister team Preston and Rachel Browning. They opened their doors in 2010, and in 2015 were able to upgrade to a 25,000 square foot facility in the historic Kenton neighborhood. Inspired by their mother, who was an architect that practiced green building techniques even before such customs had been given a name, these siblings decided to follow in her footsteps and reuse local, vintage lumber and turnit into something new and beautiful.
All lumber that Salvage Works uses is reclaimed from deconstructed barns and houses. Even though these historic monuments may be falling apart as is, by recycling their invaluable material the Prestons are able to keep Oregon history alive. This is wood that is simply unavailable otherwise, and this crew knows the story behind every incredible piece of furniture that they create. For instance the beautiful bar from Swift and Union seen in the picture below was made out of the lumber from this barn in Canby originally constructed in the 1920’s.
Everything is made by hand with skilled craftsmanship and a great of team people who committed, not only to reuse, but to the preservation of Oregon History. Every Third Thursday of the month Salvage Works hosts a celebration of this kind of carpentry and sculptural work, usually accompanied by live local music and libations.