Portland is leading the country by requiring deconstruction of historic homes which are already planned for demolition. Any one or two family structure that was built before 1917 or is a designated historic resource will require a full manual deconstruction rather than mechanical demolition starting on October 31st of this year. Measures to address […]
Portland’s Neighborhood Character: Do Something About It
Portland’s growing pains have sparked discussions and proposals around density and affordability. How do we retain neighborhood character, but also meet the demand of growth in Portland? Restore Oregon was invited to sit on the City’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee, a group convened to advise project staff on the issues of residential infill across the city […]
Theater of High Class and Free Baby Giveaway: The Grand of Medford Oregon
Written with assistance from Verginia Turpin It began with a photograph picked up at a yard sale by my mom-in-law. It is a really beautiful image; a brick theater building, early autos, a celebratory mood. The label on the back reads “Grand Theater, Medford Or. 1913” Neither of us were familiar with a Grand Theater in […]
A Ticking Clock
One of Pietro Belluschi’s landmarks faces demolition in downtown Salem. Despite its listing in the National Register of Historic Places, Pietro Belluschi’s First National Bank of Salem building will likely be demolished by September 6th. Constructed in 1946, the building’s design follows a mid-career trend in the work of Oregon’s foremost modernist and features the […]
Wooden Jewel Box on the Southern Coast
Placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, and named one of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places that same year, the 1896 Lindberg House in Port Orford is a stunning example of the Queen Anne style and shingle-siding craftsmanship. The house was designed and built by John Peter Lindberg between 1892 and 1896, and […]
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 House That Verne Built: Mid-Century Modern DIY
We had been working with Verne Olson, of Parkrose, and his wife to include their house on the upcoming Mid Century Modern House of Tomorrow Tour when his health took a turn for the worse several months ago. We were saddened to learn this week that Verne has passed away. Verne (with family and friends) designed and built their family home in 1962. […]
Mid-Century Modern House of Tomorrow
There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it? – Mr. McGuire in The Graduate (1967) On May 14th Restore Oregon will present the Mid-Century Modern House of Tomorrow Tour. The tour focuses on the mid-century, but the “House of Tomorrow” premise has been with us since at least the early 1900’s. The […]
Workmen Temple Given 120-Day Reprieve; Plans Still Call for Demolition
January 20, 2016. After several weeks of negotiations, demolition of the Ancient Order of United Workmen Temple and Hotel Albion has been delayed until at least April 30, 2016. The developer, Arthur Mutal, voluntarily agreed to the delay period to settle a Land Use Board of Appeals case that Restore Oregon brought forward late last year. […]
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 […]