The Laurelhurst Historic District is officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. See the FAQ below for details on what is a historic district and what it means for Laurelhurst. New families join us here every year. Let them know what a historic neighborhood they live in and bring them to the celebration.
This is the result of an almost 30-year effort, started a generation ago in 1991, kept alive by dedicated residents, and finally pushed home to completion through the efforts of many hundreds of Laurelhurst residents with overwhelming neighborhood support. Our neighborhood is now a National Register Historic District.
A: The Laurelhurst neighborhood voted in 2017 (83% in favor) to seek listing of Laurelhurst as a Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places, which is the list of our nation’s most historic places and landmarks. During 2017-2018, the neighborhood raised funds, retained a consultant, prepared and submitted a nomination to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). SHPO conducted a formal public objection period (less than 0.5% of owners objected). The Portland Historic Landmarks Commission (PHLC) and State Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation conducted public hearings and approved the nomination. SHPO forwarded the nomination to the National Parks Service (NPS) who listed Laurelhurst in the National Register of Historic Places in March 2019.
A: Yes. Historically contributing houses in the district will be protected by “demolition review”. That means the city must hold a public hearing and approve the demolition, before the house may be demolished. About 75% of houses in the district are contributing. To see if a house is contributing, see the city’s online map here: blue lots mean the house is contributing, yellow means the house is non contributing. Non-contributing houses are not subject to demolition review. Important: LNA is not responsible for errors in the city’s online map. To verify contributing or non-contributing status and the details of demolition review, contact the city directly.
A: For right now, yes – if a garage is “contributing”. However, the city is in the process of changing its historic code to reduce or eliminate any review required for garage demolition. City staff expect those changes to be approved by city council early in 2020.
A: No. There will be no “design review”, meaning no restrictions on remodeling, additions, etc that do not involve demolishing the house. (Unless the homeowner chooses to apply for the special tax benefits available for rehabilitating historic houses.) The neighborhood can choose to seek design review in the future, but it will require city council approval and a neighborhood vote. This is different from previous historic districts in Portland, which have both demolition review and design review. See city of Portland explanation here.
A: No. (Unless the homeowner chooses to apply for the special tax benefits available for rehabilitating historic houses.)
A: No. There is no federal or state restriction on ordinary homeowner uses of a house, other than demolition review. (Unless the homeowner chooses to apply for the special tax benefits available for rehabilitating historic houses.) Certain projects that require federal agency approval may receive additional review (e.g. siting cellphone towers).
A: Email questions to lnahistoric@gmail.com