Oregon’s Historic Places Recognize Black and LGBTQ+ Histories

2024 has been a banner year for National Register nominations and designations in Oregon primarily focused on social and cultural heritage and associated specifically with LBGTQ+ and Black history.  At their June meeting, the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) approved the "Black Historic Resources in Oregon Outside of Portland, 1788-2002, Multiple Property Document (MPD)" and an amendment to the National Register listing for the Hannah and Eliza Gorman House for its association with early Black pioneers.  The MPD nomination covers Black resources associated with six historical contexts relating to specific time ranges. The framework provided by this MPD tool makes future individual nominations throughout the State easier to complete.  After some editing, these nominations will be sent to the National Park Service for final review for official listing.  This multi-year effort has been an incredible lift for Oregon, and the staff at Oregon Heritage, consultants, and everyone involved in this monumental effort deserve much applause. 

Also in June, the National Park Service approved Oregon's second and third National Register nominations for LGBTQ+ history. Erv Lind Field and the Crystal Hotel in Portland now stand alongside Darcelle XV as the first three LGBTQ+ National Register-listed properties in Oregon.  This achievement was made possible by the leadership of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability's LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project, with the two nominations prepared by Kristen Minor, architectural historian and consultant with the project. 

All of this work is critically important to advance the historic preservation field and improve the diversity of the designated resources in the National Register of Historic Places to include histories that have been long excluded from official recognition.