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As part of the National Trust’s Where Women Made History campaign, we asked three women currently working in the fields of women’s rights and empowerment—Marlo Thomas, Amanda Nguyen, and Letty Cottin Pogrebin— to share why it’s important to tell the full American Story.

First, we shared some amazing before and after photos. Now, we have video to take you behind the scenes of the jaw-dropping transformation of the Odd Fellows Building.

Located in the port city of Astoria, the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, the Odd Fellows Building was the first structure rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1923.

Today, three women own the Odd Fellows Building, which has served the local community for over 90 years. Astoria Arts and Movement, the heart of the building, is a flourishing center for local dance, performing arts, and physical education classes that enhance, inspire, and involve the community. Tenants in the building are all women-owned businesses, including an art studio, apothecary, gallery, and a coffee shop.

In August 2020, to mark the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, Benjamin Moore and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced a year-long campaign celebrating women’s heritage. Expanding their relationship, the organizations identified sites rooted in women’s history to help restore them to their former glory as part of the National Trust’s campaign for Where Women Made History.

And thanks to their ongoing support, the exterior of the Odd Fellows is now beaming with new life.

At its heart, the National Trust’s campaign for Where Women Made History is a manifestation of the organization’s commitment to tell a fuller and a more truthful American story. Women’s history is American history, and every place has a woman’s story to tell. But far too often those stories are unknown, overlooked, or deliberately obscured. The National Trust is dedicated to saving places, but we acknowledge that it is the women—both past and present—who imbue these places with meaning. It is their accomplishments, theirs struggles, and their victories—ways they changed the world and left it a better place—that makes these places significant and relevant. And it is what drives us to preserve them today to inspire the women leaders of tomorrow.

We thank Benjamin Moore for their ongoing support and for making this transformation a reality.

In August 2020, to mark the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, Benjamin Moore and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced a year-long campaign celebrating women’s heritage. Expanding their relationship, the organizations identified sites rooted in women’s history to help restore them to their former glory as part of the National Trust’s campaign for Where Women Made History.

In 1979, Dovre Hall, a former Sons of Norway meeting hall and neighborhood bar, was reinvented as the Women's Building, the first women-led community center and an incubator for emerging Bay Area women's projects. The building's colorful mural, MAESTRAPEACE, depicts the power and contributions of women throughout history and the world. Today, The Women's Building is a women-led community space that advocates self-determination, gender equality, and social justice, providing services and advocacy for the well-being of women and girls.

With the help of Benjamin Moore, this beloved place enhanced the grand staircase that showcases the building's colorful mural as it makes its way from the exterior into the heart of the site. And now you can see the full transformation for yourself below!

At its heart, the National Trust’s campaign for Where Women Made History is a manifestation of the organization’s commitment to tell a fuller and a more truthful American story. Women’s history is American history, and every place has a woman’s story to tell. But far too often those stories are unknown, overlooked, or deliberately obscured. The National Trust is dedicated to saving places, but we acknowledge that it is the women—both past and present—who imbue these places with meaning. It is their accomplishments, theirs struggles, and their victories—ways they changed the world and left it a better place—that makes these places significant and relevant. And it's what drives us to preserve them today to inspire the women leaders of tomorrow.

We thank Benjamin Moore for their ongoing support and for making this transformation a reality.

Who doesn't love a good before and after? This past summer, the National Trust expanded its long-time partnership with Benjamin Moore to focus on the preservation of places where women made history in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment.

As a result, the Odd Fellows Building—a women-owned community center in Astoria, Oregon—is now beaming with new life.

Check out the before and after photos below.

Learn more about our collaboration with Benjamin Moore on their website.