NEWS RELEASE
April 6, 2023
CONTACT
Eden Dabbs
Public Information Officer
503-871-4326
eden.dabbs@portlandoregon.gov
Community members invited to help document Portland’s LGBTQ+ histories through online questionnaire
The LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project team wants to learn from Portlanders about their experiences around places and buildings in Portland with historic significance to the LGBTQ+ community.
Portland, Ore.— The LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project, a multi-year effort to preserve buildings and places in Portland with significance to the LGBTQ+ community, seeks stories about the intersections of LGBTQ+ life and Portland’s built environment. Community members are invited to share their stories and suggestions via an online questionnaire, which is open through July.
The goal of the LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project is to identify, document, and preserve Portland’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer+ histories. Staff are utilizing archival materials and existing research to complete historic property survey records, a citywide historic context statement, and multiple National Register of Historic Places nominations.
But information is needed to create a more robust and complete picture of the history of Portland’s LGBTQ+ community.
In addition to relying on the extensive work already completed by various community historians, the project team is seeking stories about the intersection of LGBTQ+ life and the built environment.
The following questionnaire is an opportunity for community members to share stories and experiences about specific places that can deepen and contextualize our understanding of Portland’s LGBTQ+ built environment prior to 1997. All responses to the questionnaire are public record, with an option to share information anonymously.
Portland’s LGBTQ+ history
Darcelle XV Showplace is a perfect example ― and the stuff of Portland legend. The owner, Walter Cole, who recently died at the age of 92, began performing cabaret style in 1969. He eventually found the historic building in Old Town at NW 3rd and Davis to create a venue for his drag performances and slowly built a following. The news accounts and testimonials after his death on March 23, 2023, all tell the story of a man with a vision, who patiently and persistently created something magical, helping to activate and revitalize Old Town, while becoming one of the most beloved performers in the country and the oldest drag performer yet.
The designation of Darcelle XV Showplace to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020 as Oregon’s first LGBTQ-designated landmark helped generate interest in and support for preserving other significant sites. Portland is rich with similar stories, and a range of historic resources are being considered for additional National Register designation to uplift historically excluded experiences, including a landscape with lesbian histories, properties associated with public health, and gathering places for different community groups.
The historic resource survey focuses on sites with intersectional experiences, including a residence of Doctor Marie Equi, the former youth and music venue Ninth Street Exit Coffee House, and Washington Park amphitheater, which hosted Peacock in the Park, a family-friendly drag show created by the late Lady Elaine Peacock starting in the 1980s.
Responses to the online questionnaire will broaden and deepen the site selection and documentation process.
Background
The LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project is a multi-year initiative to identify, document, and preserve Portland’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer+ histories. The project is utilizing archival materials and existing research to complete historic property survey records, a citywide historic context statement, and multiple National Register of Historic Places nominations. To learn more about the project, visit the LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project About Page.
About the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) develops creative and practical solutions to enhance Portland’s livability, preserve distinctive places and plan for a resilient future. BPS collaborates with community partners to provide comprehensive land use, neighborhood, district, economic, historic and environmental planning, and urban design; research, policy and technical services to advance green building, energy efficiency and the use of solar and renewable energy, waste prevention, composting and recycling, and a sustainable food system; and policy and actions to address climate change.