A Mt. Rainier Gallery in Morton? Well, not yet. However, stay tuned......
When Shanna opened 2nd Street Yoga Studio 5 years ago, we acquired the old hardware store in historic downtown Morton, and converted half of it into her yoga space. The other half was occupied by a "Teen Center." Shortly thereafter, the teen center moved to another building and after sitting vacant for about six months I decided that it was time to give Adam Angel Photography a storefront. The studio has since served as a multi-use space where we've done product and portrait photography, digital photography workshops, offered fine-art printing services, and even hosted an internationally known musician.... I am happy to announce that this is only the beginning. In addition to evolving the space into the base for the Mt. Rainier Institute of Photography, I have recently begun work on a new part of the downtown property. Part of the property is the corner of Main Street and 2nd street. Locals know it as the only flashing light in town...... The corner building was originally built as the Morton State Bank in 1920. Subsequently, a fire swept through downtown and the building had to be rebuilt in 1924. I have begun extensive demolition of the years and years of poor construction, tasteless renovations, and otherwise crap, that has filled the old bank building. We've have uncovered the old interior walls of the vault unseen for 85 years, discovered the tile mosaic floor, and otherwise found the old bones of the building.... We are still in the demolition phase, but already the building looks incredibly promising.
For years I've been amazed that our beautiful area, so close the entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Goat Rocks Wilderness, and so many other incredible areas has not served as a hub for recreational activities in the region. Any other "city center" near such an amazing national park has flourished by now, and yet we keep defying the odds. One part of that is the absence of a world class Mt. Rainier Photography Gallery............... So stay tuned. My plan is to work on this project over time "out of pocket" to bring this space into the 21st century as part of the region's revitalization and gentrification. These times are challenging for the whole country, and it is during times like these that we dig deeply, get back to our core intents, and put our noses to the grindstone. As our economy slows down and our "rate of growth' finds a more sustainable rate, this is an opportunity to step back, re-evaluate our priorities, and begin our comeback.
