East Portland’s Mid-Century Modern Neighborhoods Contributors: Christina Walker, Jonathan Konkol, and Katelyn Weber Little else altered the American landscape quite like the automobile. With homeowners no longer bound by fixed transportation or the need to live within walking distance of it, land-use patterns became much more diffuse during Portland’s post-war years. By 1951, home shows, […]
Juneteenth Celebrations and Remembrances in Oregon
Clara Peoples, founder of Portland’s Juneteenth celebrations Juneteenth Celebrations and Remembrances in Oregon Juneteenth celebrates both the end of slavery in the United States and the contributions Black Americans have made to our country. Less than three weeks ago, the Oregon Senate unanimously voted to make Juneteenth an official state holiday, and yesterday, President Biden signed legislation declaring it […]
Renewal of Special Assessment for Historic Properties is A “No-Go” this Legislative Session
Renewal of Special Assessment for Historic Properties is A “No-Go” this Legislative Session by Peggy Moretti At the June 7th House Revenue Committee work session, the committee chair, Representative Nancy Nathanson, decided not to move HB 2447 forward. This decision ends the bill moving in this 2021 legislative session. Special Assessment – Oregon’s only state […]
Historic Yamaguchi Hotel Deserves a Better Fate than Demolition and Erasure of its Cultural Heritage
Historic Yamaguchi Hotel Deserves a Better Fate than Demolition and Erasure of its Cultural Heritage by Peggy Moretti A primary contributing building in the Portland New Chinatown-Japantown Historic District, the historic Yamaguchi Hotel/former Blanchet House has seen better days, and now stands alone surrounded by surface parking lots. A demolition application has been filed with the […]
Cars Changed Everything
The Evolution of the Highway, the Car and, the Mid-Century Landscape by Jonathan Konkol, AICP The decades immediately following World War II have been mythologized as a time of affluence and stability. New technologies reshaped homes and cities, while a new suburban landscape took shape providing new kinds of homes and neighborhoods with an endless […]
In Honor of Pride Month: A Look at Oregon’s First LGBTQ Site on the National Register
In Honor of Pride Month: A Look at Oregon’s First LGBTQ Site on the National Register Oregon placed its first LGBTQ site on the National Register of Historic Places in November of 2020. Darcelle XV, a well-established Portland drag venue, has been owned and operated by nonagenarian Walter Cole since 1967. Darcelle XV Showplace is […]
Mid-Century Modern Cultural Landscapes
By Laurie Matthews What is a Cultural Landscape? The prevailing definition for a cultural landscape in the United States comes from the National Park Service which defines it “as a geographic area, including both cultural and natural resources… associated with a historic event, activity, or person, or exhibiting other cultural or aesthetic values.” The United […]
Please Warmly Welcome Our New Executive Director, Nicole Possert
Dear Friends of Restore Oregon, As many of you already know, our long-time leader Peggy Moretti will be retiring next month. With endless energy and patience, she has expertly guided Restore Oregon through times of unprecedented social and economic challenge since she restarted the organization 12 years ago. Since Peggy announced her departure earlier this […]
Understanding the Carbon Cost of Demolition
While championing the role that preservation and reuse can play in meeting Oregon’s goals for protecting the environment, Restore Oregon has often quoted Carl Elefante, former president of the American Institute of Architects, who famously said “The greenest building is the one that already exists.” Recently, we enlisted independent research firm ECONorthwest to better quantify […]
Our Legislative Forecast: Murky Skies
By Carrie Richter Restore Oregon’s Policy and Advocacy Committee is weighing in on and/or monitoring a number of bills that may impact historic preservation this session. What many of these bills have in common is that they mandate one-size-fits-all zoning on communities without any understanding of the local circumstances – essentially depriving communities of the same […]