Wong Laundry Building is significant to Portland’s economic history and to the ethnic and immigration history of both city and state. Designed by Alexander C. Ewart, the two-story masonry structure combining retail on the ground floor and lodging above is a prime example of early 20th century commercial architecture built for the travelers, businessmen and […]
The DeWitt Museum
The DeWitt Museum in Prairie City, housed in the National Register-listed Sumpter Valley Railway Depot building, is home to a collection of significant local historical artifacts and serves as an event space and gathering place for locals and visitors alike. The building itself is a rare example of a two-story rural depot, and serves as […]
Elks Lodge
The building was constructed in 1915 for the Benevolent Order of Elks No. 1168 in downtown Medford and has been in continuous ownership by the Elks since then. The Survey of Historic and Cultural Resources Downtown Survey in 1994-95 quotes the National Register Nomination describing the Elks Lodge “as the most distinctive example of monumental […]
Concord School
The Concord School is a landmark in the northern Clackamas County community of Oak Grove. The site has been home to a public school since 1890 and was, until its closure in 2014, a venue for civic events. The school was closed in June 2014 due to budget constraints and related downsizing and consolidation of […]
Jantzen Beach Carousel
The Jantzen Beach Carousel, a national treasure, was designed by C.W. Parker (a renowned manufacturer of carnival attractions) in 1921 in Leavenworth, Kansas. It was commissioned for permanent installation on the Venice Beach pier in Venice, California, but its stay in California was short-lived. The carousel arrived at Portland’s Jantzen Beach Amusement Park in 1928, […]
ADVOCACY ALERT: Historic Tax Credit Eliminated
The federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) has been an essential source of funding for the restoration and revival of over 100 historic buildings across Oregon. Without the HTC, the vast majority of these projects – along with their jobs and community uplift – would not have happened. The HTC has returned a 25% “profit” to […]
Four Amazing Oregon Places Protected in Perpetuity
Restore Oregon manages and maintains the only program in the state which saves a historic place in perpetuity: a historic conservation easement. A historic conservation easement allows the owner of a historic property to retain title and use of a property and, at the same time, ensure its long-term preservation. It is a legal contract […]
What’s up in Walnut Park? – Building Consensus
Community engagement, also called public or civic engagement, is a term often used, but can be difficult to define. Depending on who you ask, you might receive several different answers. Community engagement might mean mailing out letters to notify property owners of a project that will affect them and their land. It might mean holding […]
A Preservationists’ Perspective: What Went Right in the Oregon Legislature this Year
It was exciting to see that the voice of Oregon preservation is loud, clear, and strong! Many thanks to community organizers across the state for advocating for their neighborhoods and the places that matter to us all. Here’s the three things that mattered to us this session: SB 311 – An early victory: Our first […]
Inventorying Portland's History
Restore Oregon is working with Walnut Park to document and survey its own architecture and history. Documentation is the first step in discovering the stories of a place and telling them, and it is a fundamental tool for historic preservation. It’s impossible to preserve a place if that place and its story are unknown. While […]