OLSON, Christine Happ

Being researched

Photo courtesy: Telegraph Herald

OLSON, Christine Happ ( ). In 2019 Christine Happ Olson, assistant planner in the City’s planning services department, served as staff to the City of Dubuque Historic Preservation Commission and the Long-Range Planning Commission. She had gained experience over sixteen years in historic preservation, planning, housing, local foods, and youth development as the Executive Director of the FOUR MOUNDS Foundation. In 2003 Four Mounds was named one of the first partners in the Silos and Smokestakes National Heritage Area. Olson's experience managing a partner site for 16 years, serving on the SSNHA Interpretive and Educational Signage Committee, and assisting SSNHA with partner program evaluation process made her the ideal candidate when officials of the City of Dubuque named Olson its choice to join the board of Trustees for the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA).

Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area was created to preserve and tell the story of American agriculture -- past, present and future. SSNHA has 119 partner sites throughout its 37-county region in northeast Iowa. Dubuque County houses eight of those partner sites, including five in Dubuque: the DUBUQUE MUSEUM OF ART, the Four Mounds Inn & Conference Center, the Mathias HAM HOUSE Historic Site, MINES OF SPAIN STATE RECREATIONAL AREA, and the NATIONAL MISSISSIPPI RIVER MUSEUM AND AQUARIUM. Other partner sites in Dubuque County are the National Farm Toy Museum in Dyersville, Park Farm Winery in Bankston, and the Black Horse Inn in Sherrill.

Olson was reporting on activities associated with Four Mounds as early as 2004. As the Executive Director of the Four Mounds Foundation, she requested that the City sign an owner consent form for a grant application to the State Historical Society of Iowa for funding to restore the structurally damaged Porte Conchere at the Grey House. (2) In 2008 a feature article in the Telegraph Herald noted Four Mounds participation in the HEART PROGRAM for at-risk youth. (3) As a result of renovation at Four Mounds, Olson recognized the importance in establishing a network of sources interested and capable of making use of renewable and recyclable materials. Under her direction, the Four Mounds Foundation in cooperation with the Dubuque Metropolitan Solid Waste Agency set about training local construction companies in the advantages. (4) She directed a $500,000 renovation project in 2010 of the White House at Four Mounds into a ten-room bed-and-breakfast inn. (5) In 2011 given her in depth familiarity with the "gentlemen's farm" of Four Mounds, she was involved in the "Good for the Earth, Good for Us" seminar. Her focus was on the difference between eating local versus a reliance on the 'industrial' food system. (6)

In 2013 as a volunteer on the OLD HOUSE ENTHUSIASTS' CLUB tour committee, she was involved in the first year the popular tour moved its focus from many popular homes to its first tour of buildings in the Millwork District. The tour raised an estimated $7,400 for the group's grant program which supported preservation and history education projects in Dubuque. (7)

The Four Mounds Foundation led by Olson in 2018 received an annually available $200,000 Resource Enhancement and Protection grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to return Four Mounds to its natural oak savanna landscape. The restoration would reverse generations of spreading species including maple trees which discourage the natural oak savanna. (8)

As the assistant planner for the City, Christine Olson announced in 2021 the African American Reconnaissance Survey as one of several projects in the Dubuque Historic Preservation Commission's 2021 work plan. The survey was to be an effort by the city to examine and catalog the history and influence of AFRICAN AMERICANS in Dubuque neighborhoods. The survey would gather information detailing the rise and decline of Black populations in Dubuque over the decades. It was hoped that elements of Dubuque neighborhoods with African American influence could be preserved. (9)

Buildings designed by Alfred CALDWELL in EAGLE POINT PARK were the focus of a historic structures report detailing needed repairs and preservation strategies announced in June of 2024. City assistant planner Olson declared that the buildings were uniquely designed for the specific landscape in which they were built. The report would examine such features as the finishes, mortar, and include the assessments and drawings of each structure with accompanying plans for preservation and cost estimates. The report's authors included a group of city employees,, Local architect Jeff Morton, an Illinois-based architecture firm, and consultants and local nonprofit HERITAGE WORKS. Funding for the project included $75,000 from the City of Dubuque and a $50,000 grant from the Wisconsin-based Jeffris Family Foundation. Upon acceptance by the city, Olson expected to petition the Jeffris Foundation for an additional $1 million to pay for restoration. (10)

---

Sources:

1. "Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area Announces New Trustee from Dubuque," City of Dubuque News Release, 2019

2. Legal Notices, Telegraph Herald, January 1, 2004, p. 27

3. Schmitt, Michael, "Places of the Heart," Telegraph Herald, November 9, 2008, p. 10A

4. Piper, Andy, "Groups Promote Construction Salvage," Telegraph Herald, May 16, 2009, p. 1

5. Hogstrom, Erik, "Four Mounds Undergoing Renovation," Telegraph Herald, May 5, 2010, p. 3

6. Piper, Andy, "Why is Local Food Important?" Telegraph Herald, April 20, 2011, p. 5

7. Munger, Amanda, "New-Look Old House Tour Draws Big Crowds Downtown," Telegraph Herald, May 21, 2013, p. 13

8. Fisher, Benjamin, "Four Mounds Eyes Return to Natural Beauty," Telegraph Herald, October 28, 2018, p. 17

9. Kruse, John, "Commission Aims to Survey Local African American History," Telegraph Herald, February 15, 2021, p. 5

10. Sago, Anna, "Coalition Aims to Preserve Eagle Point Park Buildings," Telegraph Herald, June 30, 2024, p. 2