Shive-Hattery celebrated its 50th anniversary in Downtown Valparaiso. To commemorate the anniversary, Shive-Hattery is opening up a museum exhibit, free to the public, which tells the history of the company as well as the many projects and upgrades the company has worked on.
Design Organization has a long and proud history in Valparaiso. The company started in 1971, with Shive-Hattery taking it over in 2012. Jeffrey Lewis, the Office Director for the company, started working with them in 1998 and remembers when the Design Organization’s Open House events were very popular in the town. It has been a few years since the last Open House event was held.
“This is the first opportunity we’ve had- and it’s the perfect opportunity with the 50th anniversary to revive the old times,” said Lewis.
The museum exhibit features many interesting pieces, including a model of the Valparaiso University Duesenberg Welcome Center made of wood, designed by Vic Ritter. Pictures of the projects Shive-Hattery has worked on around Valpo and Porter County line the walls, giving spectators a sense of just how big an impact the company has had on the infrastructure right in their own backyard.
Quinn Albert, the visitor experience associate of the museum, believes the exhibit will shed some light on the history of Porter County.
“I want to see it be a cultural organization in this community. I grew up in Porter County and I didn’t know half the history until I started working here. There are many great stories,” Albert said.
Many of the attendees of the night were lifelong Valparaiso residents, most of whom remembered some of if not all the important additions Shive-Hattery contributed to the town. Some residents even volunteered to work on the projects, Mark McColley being one of them.
“I volunteered to help build the beach pavilion, I love it. It’s my favorite spot,” McColley said.
Michelle Jones, the Director of Interior Design at Shive-Hattery, is another long-term Valparaiso resident raising a family there who appreciates the projects the company has worked on for the community.
“The Central Park Pavillion where I bring my kids skating, and to the farmers' markets has been a great builder of the community,” Jones said.
A goal for the exhibit was to bridge the gap between the denizens of Valpo and Porter County, and the local buildings they frequent. Evelyn Miller, an Architectural Designer for Shive-Hattery, is very hopeful for the connections to be made.
“We work with a lot of nonprofits in the area, and I hope [the exhibit] brings light to a lot of what we do. People don’t realize just how much we actually work with downtown Valpo and the projects we’ve done here, we’re definitely a community-based organization,” said Miller.
Some of the projects Shive-Hattery has worked on include the Central Park Expansion in Valpo, the Valparaiso University Duesenberg Welcome Center, and the Lowell Medical Office building in Lowell.
Asa Kerr, the collections manager at the museum who oversaw fielding calls for donations and processing items in the collection, is especially excited about the community learning more about its history.
“[The exhibit] will give people a perspective on how the architecture in Valparaiso and Porter Counties have been influenced by this firm,” Kerr said.
The museum is free and open to the public Thursday through Sunday, from 11 am to 4 pm.
For more information on Shive-Hattery, please visit its website at https://www.shive-hattery.com/