Many of Oregon’s traditional downtowns are at a tipping point, half-empty, their historic facades in decay. Since 2010 Restore Oregon has hosted workshops across the state seeking solutions to revitalize these economic and cultural centers, and we believe the single most important thing we can do to revitalize Main Streets across Oregon is to pass […]
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 […]
Storied Stumptown Saloon to Be Reimagined as Housing
Portland has a lot of storied buildings, but few are as legendary as Erickson’s Saloon. Built in 1912, the current brick building is the last incarnation of an evolution of properties that saloon proprietor August Erickson turned into a “den of vice” during the early 1900s. Located in the heart of the Skidmore/Old Town Historic […]
Restoring Diamonds in the Rough
Portland’s Rinehart Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December of 2013. Until a few years ago, the building suffered extreme neglect, but its history is incredibly significant. The Rinehart Building was constructed in 1910 along an important streetcar line in Portland’s historic Albina neighborhood. It is notable as one of the few […]
Is Demolition the Only Option for Pendleton’s St. Anthony’s Hospital?
Pendleton is one of those storied communities that conjures up vivid images for most Oregonians. Roundup. Woolen Mill. Old West Main Street. Cowboys and girls. But few people think of St. Anthony’s Hospital as a distinguishing feature of Pendleton. As first reported by the East Oregonian, the 290,000 square foot hospital complex will be demolished […]
Historic Hillsboro House to be Re-purposed for Community Use
On May 31, 2013, the Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department officially acquired the historic Malcolm McDonald House, an in-holding along the northern boundary of the 42-acre Orenco Woods Nature Park. Sitting on .7 acre this building is a historically significant and architecturally intact structure with the primary public spaces preserved in their original layout and […]