Eastmoreland Historic District

The Eastmoreland Historic District is a proposed historic district for National Register of Historic Places listing within Portland, Oregon's Eastmoreland neighborhood, in the United States.

The Park House, pictured in 2013, is part of Reed College and located within the proposed district's boundaries, just south of Woodstock Boulevard.

Description

The historic district encompasses approximately 475 acres within southeast Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood,[1] and is generally bounded by Woodstock Boulevard on the north, Cesar Chavez Boulevard and 36th Avenue on the east, Berkeley Park and Crystal Springs Boulevard on the south, and 27th and 28th Avenues on the west.[2]

History

The proposed historic district was nominated by the Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association in an attempt to reduce the number of home demolitions and renovations.[1][2] The bid has been contentious, with opponents arguing that historic designation would prevent owners from being able to expand or update houses.[1]

In February 2017, the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission endorsed the association's nomination for historic status. One week later, the nine-person State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation unanimously endorsed the proposal, putting the district on "clear path toward the register".[1] Historic status may be blocked if dissenting residents submit enough notarized objections by July 1. As of February 17, 675 of the more than 1,000 required objections have been received. The National Park Service is scheduled to decide the district's fate on July 6.[1]

In April 2018, four separate home owners split their property ownership among hundreds of trusts; these "owners" filed more than 5,000 formal objections to the historic district proposal, possibly blocking the nomination using a technical tactic. 952 additional objections were submitted by owners not associated with the hundreds of trusts. According to The Oregonian, "Without the trusts, the number of objections appears to have fallen short of a majority".[3] The neighborhood association's president described the maneuver as "undemocratic" and said, "If this was an election, it would be called voter fraud."[4] The Oregon State Historic Preservation Office said, "According to federal rules, if more than 50% of the owners in a district submit objections, the property cannot be listed."[4]

References
  1. Njus, Elliot (February 17, 2017). "State panel endorses contentious Eastmoreland historic district". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon: Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  2. "Eastmoreland Historic District". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  3. "Handful of homeowners could topple Eastmoreland historic district proposal". The Oregonian. April 25, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  4. "State Won't Certify Historic District in Eastmoreland After Dissenting Owners Outmaneuver the Neighborhood Association". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2018-05-23.

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