Preserve Our History
We are seeking National Register Historic District Designation for Walnut Park
National Register Historic Districts have no design reviews, make available tax incentives and grants, allow density and affordability (e.g. ADUs and internal duplex conversions), and help conserve material and energy.
Preserving the history of Walnut Park is important to Portland, Oregon, and the Nation.
National Register Historic Designation helps ensure that preservation while still giving residents flexibility to pursue improvements, density, and affordability.
National Register Historic District and Walnut Park
What is a National Register Historic District?
A historic district is an area or neighborhood that has a concentration of buildings and associated landscape and streetscape features (50 years or older) that retain a high degree of historic character and integrity, and represent an important aspect of an area’s history.
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, and culture. The records are maintained in Washington, D.C. by the National Park Service. Over 2,000 properties located in all 36 counties of Oregon are listed in the National Register. Oregon listings presently include 154 historic districts.
Each state has a designated State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). In Oregon, the State Historic Preservation Office operates within the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. A nine-member, governor appointed State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on all nominations to the National Register. (Source: Oregon Heritage)
Why Walnut Park?
Preserving the history of Walnut Park is important to Portland, Oregon, and the Nation. National Register Historic Designation helps ensure that preservation while still giving residents flexibility to pursue improvements, density, and affordability.
A 2017 survey showed that 86% of Walnut Park’s structures are eligible (or “contributing” in the terminology) for historic district designation. In other words they are at least 50 years are older and retain a high degree of historic character and integrity.
Just as important, the history of Walnut Park represents an important aspect of Portland’s history. Beginning in 1904 when the neighborhood was platted, working- and middle-class European immigrants purchased land and built houses on the lots. In the 1940s, following the increase in African Americans moving to Portland to work in the shipyards, Walnut Park also saw an increase in the number of African American home buyers during the war- and post-war periods. As urban renewal projects began, the neighborhood became the site of Civil Rights protests and displacement. Today, like much of Northeast Portland, Walnut Park is undergoing a new wave of gentrification as the city of Portland sees an increase in property values and development. (Source: Restore Oregon)
How Will a National Register Historic District Help?
It’s important to note that for National Register resources designated after February 2017 in Portland, there are no design reviews and no restrictions on home improvement/alterations. They also support increased density by allowing ADUs and internal duplex conversions.(Source: Portland BPS)
In addition to promoting community awareness and pride in history and neighborhood, there are two additional benefits: demolition review and tax incentives.
Demolition review. 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. (Source: Portland BPS)
Tax incentives. In Oregon, under state law, owners of listed properties may apply for a property tax benefit – a special assessment of the assessed value of the property for a 10-year period, provided the property will be rehabilitated. Under provisions of the Economic Recovery Tax Act, owners of listed properties may qualify for a 20 percent investment tax credit for the certified rehabilitation of income-producing property such as commercial, industrial, or rental residential buildings. There are also limited funds available annually on a competitive basis to owners of listed properties through the Oregon SHPO’s Preserving Oregon grant program. (Source: Oregon Heritage)
How to Achieve National Historic District Designation
In order to achieve National Register Historic District designation we need to submit a nomination to the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), who will then review, send to the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP). SACHP will then review and approve, and then SHPO finalizes and sends to the National Park Service for entry in the National Register. Simple, right?
Research actually shows that a dedicated consultant will be needed to prepare the nomination, which can be quite detailed. It will take about two months to find a consultant, and once selected, the consultant will take between four to five months to prepare the nomination. SHPO will take about a month to review the nomination and submit to SACHP, which only meets February, June, and November each year. Once SACHP reviews and approves, it takes about three months for SHPO to finalize and then forward the nomination to the National Park Service, which takes another 45 days to review and then finally list in the National Register.
So we need your help!
How You Can Help Preserve Walnut Park’s History
1. Sign the Declaration of Support
And ask your spouse, partner, parent, tenant, or adult child living in your Walnut Park household to sign the Declaration. Every voice counts.
2. Ask your Neighbors to Sign the Declaration
Tell your neighbors about the Historic District. Print and hand out the information sheets.
“The greenest building is the one that is already built!”
Carl Elefante
FAQs
Basic Information
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A historic district is an area or neighborhood that has a concentration of buildings and associated landscape and streetscape features (50 years or older) that retain a high degree of historic character and integrity, and represent an important aspect of an area’s history.
See our section on Historic Districts for more information.
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Based on the data collected in the Restore Oregon report, the period of significance for this area of Walnut Park is 1904-1967. To qualify as “contributing,” buildings need to retain architectural features original to their construction with minimal alterations. “Non-contributing” buildings were those built after 1967 or those that no longer retain their original architectural features, due to either addition or alteration. Buildings constructed after 1967 received an evaluation of “non-contributing/out of period.”
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Property data, to include building date and if a property is contributing, can be found in Appendix A of the Restore Oregon report What’s in Walnut Park.
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In terms of programs, protections, and qualifications, there is no functional difference between a building listed in the National Register on its own merits, or as a contributing part of a broader historic district.
Impact on Property Rights and Finances
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Absolutely! In Portland, National Register resources designated after 2017 are not subject to design review. See BPS site for more details.
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Nope. The government cannot force homeowners to maintain or restore their homes beyond whatever local building codes require for all structures regardless of historic designation. But, for homeowners that are interested, the National Register makes available a number of grants and programs from state and federal government that can provide funding, technical guidance, or expertise to homeowners so that they can make needed maintenance projects more affordable and historically appropriate to their homes.
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No. There are no “federal rules” controlling a National Register historic district. The protections for a National Register historic district are all from local and state rules. In Portland these protections primarily involve City Council demolition review. There are no rules regarding design review.
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No. There is no “historic district tax.” In fact, contributing houses in a historic district are eligible for a State property tax freeze to fund rehabilitation. Income-producing houses are eligible for a federal income tax credit to fund rehabilitation. See the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office pamphlet for more details.
Benefits of an Historic District
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Yes! Designation as a National Register Historic District will require City Council to review and vote on demolition of contributing properties. This makes it harder for developers to knock down beautiful old homes and replace them with un-affordable modernist condos, for example.
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There are a variety of grants and tax incentive programs available from both the federal and Oregon governments for maintaining National Register-listed properties.
Some owners of buildings that are listed in the National Register are eligible for federal income tax credits if they undertake rehabilitation projects that meet the standards established to guide such projects in a way that is sensitive to the historic nature of the building. Tax credits can reach up to 20% of the proposed project, and can often make preserving a historic building more economically sound than replacing it with a new building.
Also, Oregon offers owners of buildings listed in the National Register the opportunity to qualify for a ten-year property tax “freeze.” This program is available in conjunction with the federal tax program, and taken together, can save owners of NR-listed building significant amounts of money.
Affordability and Environmental Impact
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No. The most affordable house is often the one that already exists. Many infill developers in NE Portland and elsewhere build million-dollar houses, not affordable housing. This infill housing is almost always less affordable than the original house, and many of these original houses are part of the rental stock that provide affordable housing options.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and internal conversion of houses to duplexes are permitted in National Register Historic Districts, which can also increase the supply of affordable housing.
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Positive! “The greenest house is the one that’s already built” said architect Carl Elefante. As energy efficient as a brand new, flashy “LEED-certified” building can be, it still requires new raw material – and all the energy required to produce, pack, transport, and assemble it. Additionally, demolishing an historic home not only wastes existing material (and the energy already expended for it), it sends thousands of tons to the landfill.
Other
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The City of Portland does designate Historic Landmarks and Districts. Portland Historic Landmarks are subject to a 120-day demolition delay, but, unlike National Register resources, there is no local ability to deny demolition. Portland currently has no local Historic Districts and the city is still revising its historic district program. Therefore, it makes sense to move forward with a National Register Historic District for Walnut Park. See BPS site for more information.