The Oregon Black Pioneers, in partnership with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), has launched a new property survey project entitled Preserving Oregon’s African American Historic Places. The purpose of the project is to protect and preserve significant sites related to Oregon’s African history from the time period of 1844 to 1984. Who Are the […]
That’s a Wrap! Over 800 People Attended the 2014 Restore Oregon Mid-Century Modern Home Tour
Over Mother’s Day weekend more than 800 people took part in the celebration of architect Pietro Belluschi’s Mid-Century Modern residential work, producing record breaking attendance and setting the bar even higher for next year’s event. The “Belluschi weekend” started Friday night at the Portland Art Museum where accomplished architect, Tony Belluschi, lectured to more than […]
Can a New Vision Save Salem’s Historic School for the Blind?
Four years after purchasing the former site of the Oregon State School for the Blind, Salem Hospital has submitted an application to demolish the last remaining building standing on its campus: Howard Hall. Originally built as a boy’s dormitory, Howard Hall served as a central part of the school from the 1920s until the school’s […]
Breaking: Victorian Mansion Saved Mid-Demolition
May 9, 2014. After an intense month of neighborhood uncertainty, Restore Oregon received confirmation today that NW Portland’s 1898 Goldsmith House will be saved from demolition thanks to a preservation-minded development team. The Max Goldsmith House, located at 1507 NW 24th Avenue, was designed by prominent Portland architect Edgar Lazarus in the Shingle style. Lazarus is […]
Hermiston Library Celebrates Centennial
May 16th marks the 100th birthday of the Hermiston Library, an event that will be celebrated with tours, cake, and entertainment by local high school bands. Hermiston was one of 31 communities across Oregon fortunate enough to boast a Carnegie Library, built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. A total of 1,689 […]
Cape Arago Lighthouse Site Faces Dim Future
Since 1866, the Cape Arago Light Station has provided a beacon guiding mariners along the Pacific Ocean near Coos Bay on the southern Oregon coast. The current 1935 lighthouse, which is actually 2.5 miles north of Cape Arago on Chief’s Island at Gregory Point, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 […]
From Saved to Razed: An op-ed on Portland Demos
Northeast Portland has lost yet another lovely home. A 1947 building on NE 35th Place was sold to a group of developers in October who are currently demolishing it to build two large houses in its place. This morning I saw one of the many people who walk and drive by this partially demolished house […]
What do you know about Sunnyside School?
The journey started with a mid-summer email: What do you know about Sunnyside School? The response added to a high-speed—at least in preservation terms—adventure in negotiations, fund-raising, and stick-to-it-iveness. Corvallis’ century-old Sunnyside School was historically known as Bryant School and Mudflat School due to the surrounding swampy area and muddy roads. Before 1897, a one-room […]
Saving the Remnants of Our Pioneer Places
Last year, Restore Oregon listed the categorical group of Willamette Valley Pioneer Houses and Farmsteads as one of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places. Often referred to as “Oregon’s oldest buildings,” these handmade buildings marked the end of the Oregon Trail from 1841 to 1865. While their significance to our state’s history is paramount, these buildings are […]
La Grande's Grand Staircase
Off a quiet residential street in the northeast Oregon town of La Grande lies what is possibly the most architecturally outstanding outdoor staircase in Oregon. The Italian Renaissance Revival Grand Staircase rises five tiers up a hillside on the campus of Eastern Oregon University. Unfortunately, it is forgotten and deteriorating, the victim of ground movement, […]