The Portland Historic Landmarks Commission will present their annual State of the City Preservation Report this Wednesday, November 18, at the 2pm meeting of the Portland City Council. The presentation provides a unique opportunity for the public to show their support for historic preservation and testify in favor of several important initiatives that would better […]
The State of Demolitions in Portland
The City of Portland is projecting that 2015 will mark a record year for residential demolitions, with approximately 400 homes expected to be demolished by year’s end. While new code requirements provide for a delay and notification period before a demolition takes place, the trend for more and larger housing units continues to increase pressure on […]
Intern-Approved: Historic House Bars
This edition of Intern-Approved features Portland’s other favorite house-served liquid: booze! Be it served in a can, pint, or brandy snifter, there is a wide array of watering holes that have taken up residence in Portland’s historic houses. If the walls of these homes could talk, they would have many stories to tell; and after a […]
Intern-Approved: Historic Coffeehouse Houses
Five out of four Portlanders agree: coffee is a staple part of the modern diet. The city is known nationally for having a virtually never-ending supply of coffee shops to get a fix. All of these options can be a bit overwhelming, so leave it to Restore Oregon’s occasional series “Intern-Approved” to solve your indecisiveness. […]
After Heroic Quest, Portland Councilman Discovers Lost Endangered Place
Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish is today being celebrated as the “Indiana Jones of Historic Preservation” after rediscovering the long-lost Jantzen Beach Carousel, a historic 1921 merry-go-round that has been shrouded in mystery since disappearing three years ago. Following the quest, Fish’s office announced Tuesday that the Carousel is being held at Jantzen Beach Center and […]
Calling All Endangered Places!
Is there a great historic building on your main street in need of rehabilitation, reuse, and community support? How about a landmark barn just waiting for a new purpose? Or maybe a house museum that struggles to keep its doors open? Well, your community is in luck! Restore Oregon is looking for properties from around […]
Preserving Portland’s Supply of Reservoir History
Water has been a hot topic on the West Coast as drought declarations have moved north from California into Southern and Eastern Oregon. With all of this talk, why not take a quick look back at Portland’s water history? Beginning in the mid-1800s, water was first supplied to the city of Portland from creeks in […]
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 […]
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 […]