One of the historic 

moves that occurred 

in this office was 

due to a consolidation of functions. In 

1969, the Vancouver Newsletter 

reported that 

“Federal Projects 

Division personnel 

transferred to 

Vancouver the week 

of November 10.” 

Up until then, the 

Vancouver campus 

had been home to 

Survey, Design, 

Materials, and 

Electronics offices, 

as well as the 

Equipment Depot 

for BLM roads. 

“Administrative 

functions were all 

handled out of the 

Regional Office in 

Portland,” recalled 

retiree Vern Ford 

in a 2008 interview. 

The Federal Projects “oversight 

work was done by 

the Division Offices 

in each State...” 

Additional staff on 

the premises required additional 

office space, so the 

facilities crew went 

to work making 

room for them. 

Most of the work 

would be done on 

the current twostory building, then 

known as “Building 

C,” and on the 

building which 

stretched to the 

west along Fifth 

Street, “Building 

A.” 

“When I first came 

to work here in 

1954,” Vern recalled, “the design 

section was upstairs in the front 

half of the building.” 

The offices terminated at a fire door 

near where the 

second floor restrooms are located. 

The north end of 

the second floor was 

all warehouse 

space. 

Building Remodels and an 

Open House, 1969-71 

Compiled from 

Newsletters (1969-71) 

and Interviews (2008) 

Moving the Federal 

Projects Division into 

Vancouver required a 

series of upgrades to the 

buildings and office 

space, and the Vancouver 

Newsletter chronicled the 

office and staff 

relocations. 

Western 

Federal Lands 

Highway 

Division 

A Glimpse into 

an Earlier Era 

Article 54 

May 2015 

Above: The building that 

originally stood on East 5th 

Street to the west of 

WFLHD’s existing facilities. 

The elevator tower of the 

current building shows above 

the roof in this 1965 photo. 

WFLHD Archives.
Moves to accommodate the 

new staff and new arrangements were outlined week by 

week in the Vancouver Newsletter, and February 5, 1970, 

was moving day for the Survey and Design Branch: 

“The ground floor offices are 

now finished and the following 

sections are now located there: 

Aerial Surveys, National Park 

Projects, Oregon Forest Highway Projects, and BLM Projects.” 

Beyond that second floor fire 

door, retiree John Bucholtz 

recalled, “there was a partition made of plywood, and two 

flat desks, and a coffee urn, 

and that was the coffee room.” 

The newsletter reported that 

“effective February 13, the 

new coffee-lunch room facilities will be in operation on the 

ground floor and coffee service 

on the second floor will be 

discontinued.” 

studied and plans are to have 

this work accomplished the 

first week in July,” the newsletter continued. “The Idaho 

Design Section will be moved 

as soon as possible to this 

space. 

“An interior stairway has been 

designed and will be advertised for June 29 bid opening.” 

About a month later, on July 

24, the report was that “work 

is now being done on the 

Property and Supply Section. 

“Relighting of the old classroom is completed and as soon 

as telephone service is available, the Idaho Design Unit will 

be moved into that space.” 

When the stairway was completed, the September 4 newsletter warned employees: 

“Please do not use new stairway until temporary covering 

has been applied. Carpeting is 

on order which will be applied 

with adhesive. If stairs get 

dirty, adhesive will not stick.” 

Page 2 Building Remodels and an Open House, 1969-71 

On June 19, it was noted, 

construction of “new office 

space for Mr. Mors and the 

Administration Branch is 

underway and should be 

ready for occupancy July 1.” 

John Mors 

was the 

Division 

Engineer; the 

Division 

Director’s 

office still 

occupies the 

same space it 

did after that 

remodel. 

“Upgrading 

the conference 

room lighting 

has been 

Office moves were 

reported week by week in 

the Vancouver Newsletter 

Survey and Design Branch move to first floor 

Before the 1971 remodel, the second floor design section would have looked much the 

same as in this 1965 photo. 

The southwest corner of Building C, 1965. 
By September 25, it was 

reported that the “Interior 

Stairway will be open for use 

as soon as hand rails are 

installed.” 

Until that time, the only 

entrance to the design floor 

was the outside stairway on 

the southwest corner. Just 

inside the entrance, John 

Bucholtz remembered, was a 

cubicle. "The secretary was 

there, and they had an office 

back in the corner for the head 

of the Design Section." 

He added that the area that 

now includes the Washington 

Conference Room "was all 

open, with flat desks for 

design, when I walked in the 

door in 1958." 

Both Vern and John recalled 

that an automotive paint shop 

originally occupied the southwest corner of the first floor. 

At some point after it was 

turned into office space, it was 

occupied by Contracting staff. 

The September 25 Newsletter 

reported that the “Contracts 

and Procurement move and 

consolidation of functions will 

be completed as soon as 

telephone service is installed.” 

That was accomplished 

November 6. 

John remembered that the 

first computer 

room was built 

in the 1960’s 

“right by the 

windows” on the 

second floor. 

“They had an old 

IBM that was 

probably as big 

as” a small 

office. 

Article 54 Page 3 

By the end of October, the 

“Computing Section” was ready 

to be relocated to Building A: 

“moving of the computer and 

peripheral equipment is scheduled for Friday, October 30. The 

major portion of the relocation 

is planned to be accomplished 

over the weekend.” 

The final remodel of 1970 was 

reported November 13: 

“Remodeling of former ADP 

space for Design Section purposes is expected to be completed the first week in December. 

Relocation of personnel will be 

accomplished as soon as space 

is available.” 

By February 1971, most of the 

major moves had been completed, and an open house was 

organized to celebrate this 

accomplishment. “All FHWA 

employees and retirees, as well 

as the general public, will be 

invited to view our remodeled 

quarters February 23. Conducted tours will visit Materials, 

Interior stairway is added 

An automotive paint shop 

once occupied the SW 

corner of the first floor 

A display in the foyer during a 1973 open house. 

Another 1965 view of second floor office space, looking toward the northeast corner. 
The stories in this series have been developed by 

Marili Reilly from archive files, interviews, and 

correspondence. 

A Glimpse into an Earlier Era 

610 East Fifth Street 

Vancouver, Washington 98661 

http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/about/history/

articles.htm 

Western Federal 

Lands Highway 

Division 

An Open House is held during National Engineers Week 

Among the visitors to 

the Division and the 

open house were 

Hobson Adkins and 

Bob Stanley from 

Washington, D.C.; 

Fred Behring from 

Region 7; J. L. Budwig from Region 15 

FHWA; O. L. 

Homme, Idaho Division; J. P. Clark, Washington 

Division; R. E. Simpson, 

Oregon Division; H. N. Stewart, Montana Division; and R. 

A. Quist, Alaska Division. 

Messrs. French, Tarbet, 

Struble, and Roy Davis were 

among retirees who attended. 

Also present were the Vancouver Mayor, staff from BLM, 

Electronics, Survey, Design, 

and the warehouse and shops. 

The date was selected to 

coincide with National Engineer’s Week.” 

Washington’s State representatives, Ridgefield school 

children, a Cub Scout den, 

and Channel 6 TV. 

“More people are now aware 

of the proposal to move 

Region 8 to Seattle,” the 

newsletter noted, “and our 

reluctance to leave the 

Above and at right: Employees and Portland-Vancouver area.” 

visitors at a 1973 Open House.