PORTLAND, Ore. – Two National Register nominations recommended by Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) at their February 2020 meeting have been accepted by the National Park Service and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
These important documents outline the history of African Americans in Portland Oregon. The African American Resources in Portland from 1851- 1973 Multiple Property Document provides a comprehensive history and tool for future listings of other African American properties. The Williams Avenue YWCA building has been a dedicated place over time for African American organizations to gather for socialization, recreation, and activism.
This effort is in line with Oregon’s Statewide Preservation Plan that seeks to diversify the resources listed in the National Register and continue to tell the stories and uplift the voices of those previously marginalized. The African American MPD serves as a tool that also supports Goal 1 of the Oregon Heritage Plan. By including more voices in the stories told of Oregon’s past, Oregonians can think critically about history and work to accurately depict a more complete historical narrative of Oregon. Understanding all aspects of Oregon’s history allows one to reckon with the past and have better conversations about the present.
“Numerous National Register properties are listed in Portland, however, there are many more places that tell the diverse history of Oregon that have yet to be listed,” says Christine Curran, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer. “The African American MPD will be a useful tool to increase the diversity of nominations and tell a richer and fuller story of Oregon’s past.”
As part of a Certified Local Government grant, the City of Portland worked with Kim Moreland, Raymond Burrell, and Cathy Galbraith to complete two documents related to Portland’s African American history. The idea was to create a context document that would make it easier to list those places significant for Portland’s African American community.
“The Architectural Heritage Center, Oregon Black Pioneers, Portland African American Leadership Forum, and countless individuals have long called for recognition and designation of important African American historic sites.” Explains Brandon Spencer-Hartle, City Planner in the City of Portland Bureau of Planning & Sustainability. “The listing of this MPD in the National Register is long overdue and will serve as a model for prioritizing and protecting Portland’s important BIPOC spaces, many of which have been inexcusably and deliberately overlooked by past planning efforts.”
Williams Avenue YWCA – Currently the Billy Webb Elks Lodge #1050 at 6 N. Tillamook St., the building has long been a dedicated place for the African American community. The early history of the property has a special association with African American women’s history, as the site was developed by the African American branch of the YWCA. The Portland branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) located its offices in the basement of the building from 1956 through 1964, and the Oregon Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, Urban League of Portland, and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) also held gatherings in its meeting rooms, auditorium, and lounge space. After more than nine decades of continuous association with Portland’s African American community, the building remains owned and occupied by a historically African American organization (the Billy Webb Elks of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks of the World, or IBPOEW).
African American Resources in Portland, from 1851 to 1973 Multiple Property Document - This document provides an overview of the history of African Americans in Portland through seven different historical contexts and establishes a framework for identifying and listing Portland’s African American resources in the National Register of Historic Places. This thematic document provides resources and guidance for individuals interested in listing properties in the National Register. If anyone is interested in listing a significant African American resource in Portland or would like to learn more about how to use this document, please contact Robert Olguin at Robert.olguin@oregon.gov
Thematic Contexts discussed in the document include:
- African Americans in Early Oregon
- Business and Employment
- Entertainment and Recreation
- Religion and Worship
- Settlement Patterns
- Journalism
- Benevolent and Fraternal Societies
- Civil Rights
The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. More information about the National Register and recent Oregon lists is online at oregonheritage.org (listed under “Designate”).
Properties listed in the National Register are:
- Recognized as significant to the nation, state, or community;
- Considered in the planning of federal or federally assisted projects;
- Eligible for federal and state tax benefits;
- Qualify for historic preservation grants when funds are available;
- Eligible for leniency in meeting certain building code requirements;
- Subject to local laws pertaining to the conservation and protection of historic resources.
National Register listing does not place any restrictions on a property at the state or federal level, unless property owners choose to participate in tax benefit or grant programs.