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 […]
New Demolition Code to Take Effect April 20
The City of Portland announced today that new regulations governing the demolition of houses will take effect on April 20. The long-anticipated code change is the result of many months of negotiations and a vote of the City Council back in February. As the economy has rebounded in the Portland area, smaller, older homes have become targets […]
Preservation Movement Faces Midlife Crisis
To honor the 50th anniversary of the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act, the preservation movement itself is now being considered for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. If approved, the designation would effectively prohibit any future changes to the now 50-year-old historic preservation field. But, regardless of the success of the […]
State Supreme Court Petitioned to Hear Preservation Case
For the first time in the organization’s history, Restore Oregon has filed a brief requesting the Oregon State Supreme Court weigh in on historic preservation. The Oregon Court of Appeals in February issued a decision in Lake Oswego Preservation Society v. City of Lake Oswego that concerns a provision of the state’s unique 1995 “owner consent” law […]
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 […]
We’re Headed to DC to Talk Preservation
As anyone who’s stopped by the office recently knows, the Restore Oregon staff are working long hours to advocate for the Revitalize Main Street Act. Passage of this bill would be transformative for hundreds of iconic buildings across the state. But, of course, there are many other legislative issues that affect historic places. So, we’ve […]
10 Reasons to Support the Revitalize Main Street Act
The most important thing we can do to save more historic places and bring Oregon’s historic downtowns back to life is to PASS THE REVITALIZE MAIN STREET ACT Many of Oregon’s traditional downtowns are at a tipping point, half-empty, with their historic facades in urgent need of repair and restoration. Thankfully, there is a small army […]
WANTED: Site and Purpose for Oregon’s Oldest Log House
The Molalla Log House, possibly the state’s oldest structure, reveals secrets that may rewrite the first chapter of Oregon’s pioneer history. Researchers think Russians were first to build in Oregon. MOLALLA, OREGON – The historic Fox Granary in rural Clackamas County was no secret to local history buffs— the county declared the expertly crafted log […]
Appellate Court Decision Weakens Protections for Oregon Landmarks
In a precedent-setting decision, the Oregon Court of Appeals this morning issued a legal opinion that will pave the way for the demolition of a yet-to-be-known number of local landmarks across Oregon. The case, Lake Oswego Preservation Society v. City of Lake Oswego, challenged a Lake Oswego City Council interpretation of a provision of the […]