Beer lovers and preservationists rejoice! SteepleJack Brewing Co. owners Brody Day and Dustin Harder have lovingly restored the former First Universalist Church of Good Tidings at NE 24th and Broadway in Portland. Thanks to sensitive adaptive reuse, this century-old building retains many historic features including colorful stained glass windows, a historic bell tower, carefully restored […]
ADVOCACY ALERT: Historic Tax Credit Eliminated
The federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) has been an essential source of funding for the restoration and revival of over 100 historic buildings across Oregon. Without the HTC, the vast majority of these projects – along with their jobs and community uplift – would not have happened. The HTC has returned a 25% “profit” to […]
Heritage Barn Workshop heads to Champoeg
In 1862 Donald Manson pioneered the Oregon art of sustainable construction. Using timbers salvaged from the flood-ravaged town of Champoeg, Manson built a new barn. His barn and its reclaimed components now form the focal point of the visitor center compound at Champoeg State Park where Restore Oregon will host its Heritage Barn Workshop on […]
Ascending to New Heights
Katie Rathmell has a Master’s degree in marine science and was working for Oregon Health Sciences University when she decided to switch to historic preservation as a career. She first became interested in historic preservation when she bought a historic house in California that she called “a fixer upper” which she restored. Katie attended Clatsop […]
The JS Cooper Block: From a Diamond-in-the-Rough to Main Street Gem
The JS Cooper Block is the architectural cornerstone of Independence’s well-preserved historic downtown. Built in 1895, the building represents Independence’s history as a hub for pioneers who arrived on the Oregon Trail, and its subsequent prosperity as an agricultural community. The building’s original owner, JS Cooper, was a prominent banker who later became a key […]
Saving the Rayworth House: A Preservation Saga
It all started with a bottle of wine… Restore Oregon Board member Roy Fox and his wife Kim were gathered with friends in their home unwrapping bottles of wine they’d bought as part of the Architectural Heritage Center’s annual “Riches of a City” auction, when, as typically happens at the Fox’s annual “blind wine” parties […]
Egyptian Theater Almost Ready for Its Close-Up
Back in 2011 the Egyptian Theatre (built in 1925) was placed on Restore Oregon’s Most Endangered Places list. It had been shut down by our theatre’s owner, the Urban Renewal Agency of Coos Bay, because of structural concerns. In 2012 the City of Coos Bay and the Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association (ETPA) embarked on an […]
Can we get a WITNESS? It’s time to testify!
Committee Hearing on The REVITALIZE MAIN STREET ACT (SB 565) Set for March 4th The biggest obstacle to the restoration and adaptive reuse of historic buildings is money. Traditional financing just won’t cover the high cost of restoration, code upgrades, and seismic retrofitting in many cases. The Revitalize Main Street Act (SB 565) will change […]
Morrow County Courthouse Clock Tower Restoration Complete
After waiting nearly a year, the historic Morrow County Courthouse in Heppner is complete once again. On June 26, a crowd of eager spectators watched as the courthouse’s domed cupola, which houses an original turn-of-the-century Seth Thomas chiming clock, was hoisted back into place atop the venerable structure’s clock tower. Built in 1902–03, Morrow County […]
Historic Church’s Bell Tower Faces Costly Restoration
From the time of its 1895 construction, Portland’s First Congregational Church has stood as one of the city’s grandest and most imposing buildings. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, the church is a rare example of Venetian Gothic architecture—few others exist in America—and its 175-foot-high bell tower stood as the tallest […]