Willamette Falls Locks: Promise and Progress at the Five Year Mark

In December 2011, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) suddenly closed the 1873 Willamette Falls Navigation Canal and Locks, effectively cutting the Willamette River in two, preventing both commercial and recreational navigation past the falls.  Tourist excursions, agricultural barges, and marine construction rigs were stranded. The unexpected and indefinite closure catalyzed locks supporters. The […]

Restore Oregon to Endorse Proposed Demolition Code Revisions

After six months of negotiations between preservationists, builders, neighborhood leaders, and City staff, Restore Oregon is set to endorse a compromise proposal that would greatly strengthen the City of Portland’s demolition code. As Portland’s real estate market has boomeranged out of the recession, established neighborhoods have witnessed sharp increases in the number older houses being […]

Recommendations to Address Demolition Epidemic Now Headed to Council

Three months after being tasked by the Portland City Council to propose modifications to the City’s demolition code, the Development Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) on Thursday endorsed a slate of recommendations that would affect how demolitions are conducted in Portland’s neighborhoods. The package of proposed code revisions—ranging from notification processes to defining ‘demolition’—is scheduled to go before the […]

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 […]

Don Peting to Receive 2014 McMath Award

Award-winning preservation educator and architect, Donald Peting has influenced the breadth and scope of the University of Oregon’s Historic Preservation Program and is the founding director of the Pacific Northwest Preservation Field School. He is being honored with the 2014 George McMath Historic Preservation Award, the sixth annual award, at a luncheon in Portland on May […]