About the South Portland Historic District
In 1977, the Portland City Council established the Lair Hill Conservation District to “encourage the conservation and maintenance of the historical and architectural integrity of the district.” In 1998, a National Register of Historic Places nomination was approved by the National Park Service, expanding  the boundaries of the Lair Hill Conservation District to become the South Portland Historic District. According to the historic district nomination, South Portland is “locally significant under [National Register of Historic Places] Criterion A as a former gateway for ethnic groups arriving in the city of Portland, representing, in particular, Jewish and Italian immigrants. The area also meets [National Register of Historic Places] Criterion C as a neighborhood that exemplifies the characteristics of modest Victorian style architecture.” The 49-acre historic district has around 175 historic contributing buildings.

About the Current Guidelines
The Portland City Council adopted design guidelines for the Lair Hill Conservation District in 1980. While these guidelines are still used as approval criteria, they only apply to the geography of the former (and smaller) conservation district, do not represent modern best practice for City of Portland design guidelines, and lack context and criteria related to the district’s multi-ethnic historic significance. The design guideline update will build upon the 1980 guidelines and 1998 historic district nomination to provide greater historic resource protection and development clarity in the South Portland Historic District prior to possible high capacity transit being built in or near the historic district.

Community Involvement Process
To inform a broad and deep understanding South Portland’s social, cultural, and architectural history, a Community Advisory Group will help guide the development of draft design guidelines during 2019 and early 2020. The nine-member Community Advisory Group is comprised of individuals with ties to South Portland, familiarity with design guidelines, and expertise in architectural and cultural history. Community Advisory Group meetings are open to the public.

Historic and conservation districts are geographic areas that have a concentration of thematically related historic resources. In general, historic and conservation districts are collections of historic resources that in and of themselves may not be eligible for individual designation but together convey a significant story.

Properties in historic and conservation districts are classified as either "contributing" or "non-contributing.” Contributing resources were built during the district’s period of historic significance and retain physical integrity from the historic period. Non-contributing resources were built after the district’s period of historic significance or have been too altered to convey physical integrity. Although different historic resource protections apply to contributing and non-contributing resources, the zoning code applies rules across historic and conservation districts to ensure the preservation of their unique qualities.

Historic Districts

Historic districts can be designated by the City of Portland or the National Park Service. All locally-designated historic districts have also been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Alphabet

East Portland, Grand Avenue

Halprin Open Space Sequence

Irvington

Kenton Commercial

King’s Hill

Ladd’s Addition

Laurelhurst

Mount Tabor Parks

Mount Tabor Reservoirs

New Chinatown, Japantown

Peacock Lane

Rocky Butte Scenic Drive

Skidmore Fountain/Old Town

South Portland

13th Avenue

Washington Park Reservoirs

Willamette National Cemetery

Yamhill

Conservation Districts

Conservation districts are geographic areas that are significant at the neighborhood level and regulated with more flexible historic resource protections than historic districts. All of Portland’s existing conservation districts were created as a result of the 1992 Albina Community Plan. 

Eliot

Kenton

Mississippi Avenue

Piedmont

Russell Street

Woodlawn

More information

Details on the process for listing a historic or conservation district can be found on the Historic Resource Designations page.

Corkish Apartments, an 1890 building in the South Portland Historic District.

What are design guidelines?

Design guidelines provide clarity to property owners, designers, architects, and developers on the expected architectural character of alterations, additions, and new construction in historic districts and design overlay zones. For historic districts, design guidelines are land use approval criteria that must be met for any activity that is subject to City of Portland Historic Resource Review. Although not all historic districts have district-specific design guidelines, Portland’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan provides policy direction for the development of district-specific guidelines tailored to the unique physical attributes of each historic district. A recently-adopted example is the Skidmore-Old Town Historic District Design Guidelines.

The South Portland Historic District

In 1977, the Portland City Council created the Lair Hill Conservation District to “encourage the conservation and maintenance of the historical and architectural integrity of the district.” In 1998, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability expanded the boundaries and elevated the designation type of the conservation district to become the South Portland Historic District. According to the historic district nomination form, South Portland is “locally significant under [National Register of Historic Places] Criterion A as a former gateway for ethnic groups arriving in the city of Portland, representing, in particular, Jewish and Italian immigrants. It also meets [National Register of Historic Places] Criterion C as a neighborhood that exemplifies the characteristics of modest Victorian style architecture.” The 49-acre district includes approximately 175 ‘contributing’ historic buildings.

The Portland City Council adopted design guidelines for the Lair Hill Conservation District in 1980. While the 1980 guidelines are still used as approval criteria, they only apply to the geography of the former (and smaller) conservation district, do not represent modern best practice for City of Portland design guidelines, and lack context and criteria related to the district’s multi-ethnic historic significance. The design guideline update will build upon the 1980 guidelines and 1998 historic district nomination to provide greater historic resource protection and development clarity in the South Portland Historic District prior to possible future construction of light rail through the district.

An excerpt from the conservation district design guidelines. 

Seeking professional services from historic preservation consultants

Historic preservation and urban design consultants are invited to submit bids to the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to bring outside professional expertise to the design guideline project. Because of limited staff capacity and the urgency of using grant funds, outside consultant participation will assist in drafting written content and graphic elements for inclusion in the design guideline document. Bids for professional services are due January 17, 2019 through the City of Portland’s vendor portal.

Get involved in a new community workgroup

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will assemble a community work group to assist in the development of the South Portland Historic District design guidelines. Representatives from the Bureau of Development Services, Historic Landmarks Commission, South Portland neighborhood, and other interested parties will inform City staff and professional consultants as decisions are made regarding contextual information and approval criteria to include in the design guidelines. Regardless of your expertise with historic preservation or the South Portland Historic District, if you’re interested in participating in the work group, please send an email to Historic Resources Program Manager Brandon Spencer-Hartle at historic.resources@portlandoregon.gov by February 14, 2019.

Vance Land Company Warehouse, a 1913 building in the South Portland Historic District.

After the on-the-ground building documentation and archival research is complete, survey results will be compiled in a published report that includes baseline historical information on each building within the study area. The report will also include a list of buildings determined eligible for inclusion on the citywide Historic Resources Inventory (HRI).

The 1948 Academy Theater is a prominent building in the study area. Photo courtesy Michael Molinaro.

What’s a historic resource survey? 

Historic resource surveys are projects that collect information on the history of geographic areas, cultural patterns, and specific buildings for broad public use in understanding the significance of historic places. Surveys include both architectural descriptions of individual properties and context statements on broad historical themes present in the area.

Survey reports evaluate surveyed resources for historic significance and provide recommendations for future additions to the HRI. The HRI is a citywide register of properties that have been evaluated for historic significance, but have not been conveyed protections through a landmark or district designation. Although the HRI has not been updated since 1984, recent changes in State administrative rules being codified through the Historic Resources Code Project will allow additional resources to be included on the HRI in the near future. Significant historic resources identified through the Montavilla survey could be considered for inclusion on the HRI as early as late 2019. Any proposal to further designate (and protect) a specific building as a Historic or Conservation Landmark would necessitate a public hearing and, under current Oregon law, the written consent of the property owner.

Learn more and get involved

The public is invited to attend an information session being held during the Montavilla Neighborhood Association’s monthly meeting on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Montavilla United Methodist Church, 232 SE 80th Avenue. Representatives from BPS will share an overview of the survey process, invite submissions of historical information, and answer questions.

For those that cannot make it to the meeting, the project team is interested in hearing from people with family stories or archival information related to the history of the study area. Historic photos, articles, blueprints, and other materials are useful resources in evaluating the historic significance of properties within a survey area. If you have historical information about people, businesses, organizations, buildings, or events in the Montavilla Main Street area, the project team is interested in hearing from you. Submissions of information can be sent to historic.resources@portlandoregon.gov.

SE Stark Street in 1939. City of Portland photo, A2005-001.

Next Steps

City of Portland staff, University of Oregon students, and technical experts from Architectural Resources Group will document the architectural features of existing buildings during the winter months. Archival research and significance evaluations will occur in the spring and early summer, with the survey report expected to be released in July 2019. Possible inclusion of specific properties on the HRI would occur after the completion of the survey report and adoption of the Historic Resources Code Project.

At the time of its completion in 1984, the HRI was celebrated as a forward-thinking planning tool that documented the places that were most historically significant to Portlanders at the time. However, with the passing of time the inventory has become less geographically comprehensive and representative of the city’s different communities than it once was. Specifically, the annexation of East Portland (little of which was within the city boundary in the early 1980s), advances in national best practice, and a lack of regular additions to the inventory have diminished the HRI’s utility for research and planning. A newly released report provides the City with direction for how to overcome these shortcomings and expand the HRI in the years ahead.

State policy changes and report recommendations provide framework for future inventory work

In response to requests from the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission to update the HRI, BPS recently engaged in several State policy initiatives to pave the way for future inventory work. Among them, in 2016 the Oregon Supreme Court clarified the role of owner consent in landmark designation, and, in 2017, the Land Conservation and Development Commission amended administrative rules to clarify processes for updating historic resource inventories. In light of these changes, BPS engaged a consultant team to study local, regional, and national best practices in survey and inventory and make recommendations for updating Portland’s HRI.

The consultant team’s report offers 14 distinct recommendations for arriving at a more comprehensive, equitable, and useful citywide inventory of significant historic resources. The report, which is available for download as a PDF, will be presented to the Historic Landmarks Commission on March 12, 2018. BPS staff have begun early implementation of several of the report’s recommendations.

Early implementation of recommendations focuses on digital webmap, social media, zoning code

In 2017, student interns Caity Ewers and Lauren Everett digitized the City’s paper historic resource records, reconciled changes that have occurred since the 1984 survey was conducted, and integrated the resultant data into a historic resources webmap. Following the digitization effort, BPS created the Instagram account @Portland1984 to share stories behind some of the more interesting HRI resources. These efforts improved the utility of the City’s previously-outdated historic resources database and strengthened the foundation for future survey, inventory, and webmap projects.

In addition to digitizing existing records, in late 2017 BPS launched the Historic Resources Code Project (HRCP) to improve the City’s inventory, designation, and protection programs for historic resources. Most relevant to Portland’s aging HRI, the project will incorporate recent changes in State administrative rules and codify a process for adopting newly-surveyed properties onto the HRI, changes which are recommended by report authors.

Although BPS has begun implementation of several report recommendations, advancing on-the-ground survey of historic resources will require the City to secure new sources of funding. Towards that end, BPS has applied for a State Historic Preservation Office grant and is requesting that City Council support a one-time budget add package to conduct pilot survey and inventory work in 2018 and 2019.

BPS looks forward to working with the Historic Landmarks Commission, City Council, and the broader community to advance the recommendations provided by report authors to create a more inclusive, diverse, and accessible HRI in the years ahead.

An Introduction to Historic Resource Protections

The Portland Zoning Code applies different preservation protections to historic resources based on designation type (e.g., a National Register resource is treated differently than a Conservation Landmark). This tiered system provides a menu of designation and regulation options based on the significance of the resource and the motivations of the property owner at the time of designation (Note that owner consent is required for a historic resource to be designated). In some cases, a resource may have more than one designation, such as a Conservation Landmark that is also listed in the National Register. In these cases, the regulations that apply to the “higher” designation are generally those that apply to the resource. 

The handout, An Overview of Historic Resource Designations and Protections, provides a summary of the different types of historic resource designations and their accompanying protections. For more information on the specific application of historic resource protections, visit the Bureau of Development Services’ Historic Review webpage.

National Register Properties and Districts

The National Park Service designates buildings, districts, objects, sites, and structures on the National Register of Historic Places. Owner consent is required for individual property designation and majority implied consent is required for historic district designation. The National Register is the “highest” level of designation and, as such, generally comes with the most protections.

State rules require the City of Portland to review applications to demolish National Register resources that are individually listed or contributing to a historic district. Demolition Review requires a vote of the City Council before an application to demolish a National Register can be approved. To approve a demolition, the Council must find that an economic hardship exists and/or that the demolition would better meet the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan.

All National Register resources designated before February 2017 are subject to Historic Resource Review, a form of design review intended to protect the defining features of historic properties and districts. Historic Resource Review applies to alterations, additions, and new construction. The approval criteria used in Historic Resource Review are found in the Portland Zoning Code and/or design guidelines that have been adopted for several historic districts. In accordance with State rules, National Register resources designated after February 2017 can only have Historic Resource Review applied following a City hearing and adoption process.

Local Historic Landmarks and Districts

The City of Portland designates Historic Landmarks and Districts that are architecturally, culturally, and/or historically significant at the local, state, or national level. Owner consent is required for individual Historic Landmark designation and unanimous consent is required to create a Historic District (note that Portland currently has no local Historic Districts). State rules adopted in January 2017 allow cities to create historic districts with majority owner consent; however, revisions to Portland’s program are not expected until 2018.

Individually listed Historic Landmarks are subject to a 120-day demolition delay period but, unlike National Register resources, there is no local ability to deny demolition. Alterations to, additions to, and new construction on the site of Historic Landmarks are subject to Historic Resource Review. The Historic Resource Review approval criteria can be found in the Portland Zoning Code. 

Moulton House, a Conservation Landmark that has been adaptively reused into six condominium units.

Local Conservation Landmarks and Districts

The City of Portland designates Conservation Landmarks and Districts that are architecturally, culturally, or historically significant at the local or neighborhood level. Owner consent is required for individual property designation and majority implied consent is required for historic district designation. State rules adopted in January 2017 allow cities to create conservation districts with majority owner consent; however, revisions to Portland’s program are not expected until 2018.

Individually listed Conservation Landmarks and contributing properties in Conservation Districts are subject to a 120-day demolition delay period. Alterations to, additions to, and new construction on the site of a Conservation Landmark or within a Conservation District are subject to Historic Resource Review. The Historic Resource Review approval criteria can be found in the Portland Zoning Code, however, most projects in Conservation Districts have the option of following clear and objective Community Design Standards as an alternative to Historic Resource Review.

Historic Resources Inventory (HRI)

The City of Portland conducted a citywide inventory of more than 5,000 potentially significant historic resources in 1984. The “HRI” is not a designation, but an evaluation of historic significance and likely eligibility for future designation. Resources on the Inventory fall into two categories: ranked and unranked. Ranked resources (rank I, II, and III) were found to have enough significance to be considered for designation. Unranked resources, while having distinctive qualities, were found to be lesser candidates for designation.

Ranked resources on the Inventory are subject to 120-day demolition delay. Unranked resources are not subject to any historic resource protections, but may be subject to a 35-day demolition delay applied to permits to demolish residential structures in residential zones. 

Over 5,000 properties are included in the citywide Historic Resources Inventory. This 1893 North Portland home was determined to be a “rank II” and still stands today (1984 HRI photo).   

Properties not Inventoried or Designated 

There are properties citywide that are neither on the HRI nor designated, but may still be significant historic resources. The City of Portland does not apply historic resource protections to properties that have not been added to the Inventory or designated by the National Park Service or City. Residential structures in residential zones are, however, subject to a 35-day demolition delay period.

For information about designating a property as historic, visit the Individual Historic Resources and Landmarks page. 

As City staff review the specifics of the rule changes and begin to scope possible Zoning Code amendments, many historic resource owners are asking how the rules may affect their property. Below are common questions and the best answers that City staff are able to provide at this time.

What is the most immediate effect of the rule changes?

Upon the rules taking effect, the City of Portland will no longer automatically apply historic resource review to new listings in the National Register of Historic Places. Historic resource review is a form of design review administered by the Bureau of Development Services and Historic Landmarks Commission intended to protect the physical integrity of historic landmarks and properties within historic districts. All National Register resources in Portland are today subject to historic resource review and will continue to be subject to such review. However, historic resources listed in the National Register after the effective date of the rule will only have historic resource review applied following a public hearing and decision to apply historic resource review to the resource.

Because such a hearing and adoption process does not today exist in the Zoning Code, code amendments will be necessary before historic resource review can be considered and/or applied to National Register resources that are listed following the effective date of the rules. Four Portland resources are currently under consideration for listing in the National Register.

What if my property is already designated?

The rule changes do not substantively affect properties that are already designated as a historic resource. Properties currently subject to historic resource review will remain subject to that design review protection. National Register resources subject to demolition review (as well as those that are listed in the future) will remain subject to demolition review, albeit with slightly amended approval criteria to be used by the Portland City Council when considering demolition requests.

What if I live in a proposed historic district?

A portion of the Eastmoreland neighborhood is currently being considered for designation as a National Register historic district. If approved by the National Park Service, contributing resources within the district would automatically be subject to demolition review. The application of historic resource review—either as general design review approval criteria or district-specific design guidelines—would require notice, citizen involvement, public hearing(s) and a decision to apply historic resource review to the district.

Because Zoning Code changes will be necessary to create a hearing and adoption process for the application of historic resource review to new National Register designations, the City of Portland would not be able to apply historic resource review to an Eastmoreland Historic District until at least 2018. Furthermore, given resource constraints, best practices for public involvement, policies that prefer district-specific design guidelines for historic districts and neighborhood and City Council priorities, it is possible if not likely that historic resource review would not be applied to an Eastmoreland historic district for several years.

A portion of the Eastmoreland neighborhood is currently being considered for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If designated, the new rules would automatically apply demolition review to the district’s contributing buildings, but would require a public process before design review requirements for alterations and new construction could go into effect. Eastmoreland house photo courtesy Scott A. Tice.   

How is demolition defined?

The adopted rules include a definition of demolition that applies to permit applications “that destroys, removes, or relocates, in whole or part, a significant historic resource such that its historic, cultural, or architectural character and significance is lost.” Staff in the bureaus of Planning and Sustainability and Development Services are evaluating how best to implement this definition in advance of Zoning Code changes that would more clearly articulate thresholds for actions that are tantamount to demolition of a historic resource.  

The new rules provide regulatory clarity for the identification, designation, and protection of historic resources, including definitions and requirements pertaining to demolition of National Register resources. Photo courtesy Scott A. Tice.

Is it true that the rules allow for the creation of local historic and conservation districts?

The adopted rules provide greater flexibility for the establishment of local historic and conservation districts, neither of which have been created in Portland since 1993. Zoning Code changes will first be needed to articulate a process for creation of such districts before they become a viable designation option. It is important to note that the Zoning Code does not currently apply demolition review to local historic resource designations—local and conservation landmark properties/districts are today protected with a 120-day demolition delay period and varying thresholds for historic resource review.

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will not have certainty on the processes, fees, or regulations that will apply to new local or conservation districts until 2018.

The Woodlawn Conservation District, established in 1993, provides demolition delay and design standards to better manage change in this unique neighborhood.

What do the rules mean for the Historic Resources Inventory?

The adopted rules clarify that owner consent is not required to survey and inventory potentially significant historic resources. This change opens the possibility of updating the City’s Historic Resources Inventory, last updated in 1984.

When will the Zoning Code changes go into effect?

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is scoping a historic resources code project that would create a process for applying historic resource review to new National Register listings, overhaul the process for establishing local and conservation districts, codify a framework for updating the Historic Resources Inventory, and address staff concerns related to thresholds for and exemptions to historic resource review. The State Historic Preservation Office has advised the City of Portland to delay initiation of Zoning Code amendments until July 2017, however, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability staff will begin convening stakeholders this spring and summer to develop initial code concepts and begin public outreach and review in fall 2017. It is unlikely that any historic resource Zoning Code changes will be adopted prior to late winter 2018.

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability looks forward to advancing the historic resource program in the year ahead with the additional clarity, flexibility, and inclusion provided by the adopted rules.