UPDATE: On July 31st the Portland City Council heard three hours of presentations and public testimony regarding the state of preservation in Portland. Commissioners promised to return to the demolition issue at a future meeting. This Thursday, July 31, the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission will present their annual State of Preservation report to the Portland […]
Join Restore Oregon’s Campaign for a State Rehabilitation Tax Credit
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 […]
Seeking Information About Oregon’s African American Historic Places
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Oregon Preservationists Vow to Save Endangered Parking Lots
April 1, 2014. Preservationists are mounting a campaign to save Oregon’s rapidly disappearing stock of vacant lots, most of which were created between 1940 and 1970. “Oregonians wouldn’t recognize our state’s historic main streets if the empty lots were infilled with new buildings,” says Restore Oregon executive director Peggy Moretti. “For too long we have […]
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 […]
Pilot Program Aims to Retrofit Portland’s Older Homes
Seismically retrofitting your home can be expensive. Fortunately, a new pilot program in Portland aims to ease a majority of the costs for homeowners. Most people think the buildings in Portland vulnerable to earthquakes are larger, unreinforced masonry buildings (URM) built between the 1840s and 1930s; yet, in all reality houses built before 1974 are […]
What’s Next for Salem’s Dome Building?
One of Salem’s most prominent public buildings will be sold to a private developer if all goes according to a State-sponsored plan to divest the property later this year. Listed as a 2013 Most Endangered Place, the 1912 Dome Building was once part of the sprawling Oregon State Hospital campus in Salem, an institution made […]