Historic Preservation in Buckman & Brooklyn

I had a great time at the Buckman Community Association (BCA) last night, with David Wang and Bob Ball discussing proposed changes for Portland’s Charter with the good folks of BCA. Thank you for hosting a spirited forum! To reciprocate the hospitality a little, here’s some news from the Buckman neighborhood.

Those who don’t work downtown likely don’t pick up the Daily Journal of Commerce, and many Portlanders not working in the construction, legal, finance and real estate professions don’t subscribe, even though it’s considered one of the newspapers which “counts” as publication of official notification of government announcements. So you may have missed an article last week by Alison Ryan, titled Neighborhood, fearing bad design, sees preservation as protection.

From the article:

“The Buckman Community Association is making use of its most basic resource – people – to begin creating a historic district within its boundaries. A weeklong scavenger hunt to identify historic homes within Buckman begins April 21. Winners get prizes; the neighborhood association gets a look at what and where its significant homes are.

But historic district designation is still a long way off. The neighboring Brooklyn neighborhood’s effort to get a historic district onto the National Register has been under way since January 2000, said Don Stephens, chairman of the Brooklyn Historical Society, and an ongoing survey of homes is one of the first steps.

“It’s a lot of work,” he said. “It takes a lot of time and a lot of volunteers on the weekends for a couple of years.”

Brooklyn’s drive to create a historic district, Stephens said, wasn’t fueled by any particular infill project. But, he said, a district would help protect the historic resources the area currently has.

“It will help preserve a neighborhood that has, historically, suffered for many years from infill and historic demolition,” he said.”

Two of the volunteers working on the project in Buckman spoke at the meeting last night, urging neighbors to spread understanding that their effort is not aimed at limiting property rights. Rather, one of its main goals is to help owners take advantage of tax breaks and increased property values that result when an area gains historic designation.

The City of Portland has an Historic Landmarks Commission. It’s a board of volunteers, most appointed by the Mayor with confirmation by the Council. One member is a Planning Commissioner designated by the Planning Commission President. PortlandOnLine says one function of the Historic Landmarks Commission is, “Participation in the establishment, amendment, or removal of new historic and conservation districts”, but in practice, designation of new historic landmarks and districts is mostly the product of grassroots citizen activism. This helpful page on the City’s web site provides links to maps of Historic Districts and Conservation Districts in Portland, and to lists of property addresses within each district.

Historic preservation doesn’t just happen. It has to be intentional, careful, thoughtful, and a product of shared community values identified and protected. Kudos to the volunteers in Buckman and Brooklyn donating their time and passion to this important work. Check out the delightful Buckman historic preservation web site.