National Park Service Lists Judge Charles Henry And Mary Bidwell Carey House In Portland In The National Register Of Historic Places - 12/15/22

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Judge Charles Henry and Mary Bidwell Carey House is among Oregon’s latest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) recommended the nomination at their June 2022 meeting. The National Park Service — which maintains the National Register of Historic Places — accepted this nomination in November 2022.

The Carey House is located in an unincorporated area of Multnomah County, Oregon, about five miles south of downtown Portland and a little over two miles north of Lake Oswego. Situated in the Riverdale neighborhood, the two-story Colonial Revival house has an attic and a basement, with a total of over 4,600 square feet of living space.

Constructed in 1902, the house has statewide significance related to Judge Carey’s significant contributions in law, government, and history. Carey’s consequential work included legal representation of several major railroad and corporate interests in the Pacific Northwest; close involvement in the organization and founding of the Multnomah Law Library, the Oregon State Bar, and the Oregon Historical Society; vice-presidency of the American Bar Association; authorship of several notable books about Oregon history and significant contributions to the body of knowledge in that area. Judge Carey practiced law in Oregon from 1883 until 1933

Mary Noble Bidwell was born in Springfield, Ohio in 1858 and Charles Carey was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1857. They married on September 24, 1884. Mary Bidwell Carey passed away in 1928 and Judge Carey passed away in 1941.

The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

This effort is in line with Oregon’s Statewide Preservation Plan that seeks to increase the number of listings in the National Register. It also supports the goals to increase access to Oregon heritage that are part of the Oregon Heritage Plan.

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.

State law in Oregon requires local governments to offer a minimal level of protection for properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places; the decisions about how to accomplish that goal reside with local governments, which also have the authority to create and regulate local historic districts and landmarks.

More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings are online at oregonheritage.org (listed under “Designate”).