The National Register of Historic Places is the United States' official list of buildings, districts, structures, sites, and objects important to local, state, or national history.
The program is run by the National Park Service and administered locally by the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, an office of the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD).
What are the benefits of listing a property, site, or district on the National Register?
What are the restrictions of being listed on the National Register?
- Owners of properties listed in the National Register choosing to take advantage of federal and state tax benefits and grant programs must comply with federal standards Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
- Oregon State law requires local governments to review proposals to demolish or relocate properties listed in the National Register.
- Local governments have the authority to form local historic districts and landmarks, and may also create additional protections for properties listed in the National Register through a separate local process.
To find out more about how your local government may regulate National Register listed properties, please contact the local planning office.
Where to Start
The first step is to complete a Historic Resource Record (HRR). The form collects information regarding the brief history of the building, known changes to the building, and exterior and interior photographs of the resource.
If after review of the HRR the SHPO staff believes the property may be eligible for the National Register, the second step is to conduct additional historical research on a property.
Helpful Resources for Research
Prepare the National Register Nomination
After submitting a HRR and additional research, it is time to prepare a National Register nomination.
A National Register nomination is a federal document with specific technical requirements. SHPO staff can assist preparers as needed with nomination forms, but SHPO staff does not complete nominations for preparers.
Steps to begin:
- Photograph the property
- Complete the Nomination form
- Submit a complete nomination
See the next section on "Nomination Submission Deadlines & Process" for the next steps.
Deadlines For Submission
Every National Register nomination is reviewed by the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP). The SACHP meets 3 times a year. To be considered at one of their hearings, a complete nomination must be submitted by one of the following draft deadlines.
| Draft Deadlines for consideration at the SACHP Meeting | SACHP Meeting Months |
| March 1st | June |
| July 1st | October |
| November 1st | February |
Please email complete nominations along with copies of the digital photographs to ORSHPO.NationalRegisterProgram@oprd.oregon.gov by one of these draft deadlines. If the file size is too large to email, please email us at the same address to request a link to our file sharing site. If in need of an alternative submission format, please email that request to the address above.
Nomination Process
See the National Register Process in Oregon flow chart for a brief overview of the process in listing a property to the National Register.
Nominations Under Consideration/In Process
Nominations scheduled for the upcoming SACHP meeting:
- See the SACHP agenda for the next meeting and nominations being considered
Nominations recently forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register:
Additional nomination pages:
For more information about the SACHP, meetings, agendas, and minutes, visit Commissions/Committees.
How to Comment on a National Register Nomination
Any
individual, government entity, or organization may comment on pending
National Register nominations. The public comment period for all
nominations begins 60 days before the State Advisory Committee on
Historic Preservation meeting.
Please mail comments to:
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
State Historic Preservation Office
725 Summer Street NE, Suite C
OR
Email: ORSHPO.NationalRegisterProgram@oprd.oregon.gov
Recently Listed Oregon Properties in the National Register of Historic Places
- Black Historic Resources in Oregon, 1788-2002, Multiple Property Document (MPD). This document provides an overview of the history of African Americans in Oregon through six different historical contexts and establishes a framework for identifying and listing Oregon’s African American resources in the National Register of Historic Places. This thematic document provides information and structure for individuals interested in listing properties significant in Black history in the National Register. For information about this document or if you would like to learn more about how to use this document, please contact Caitlyn Abrahms at Caitlyn.ABRAHMS@oprd.oregon.gov.
- J.L. Elam Bank in Milton-Freewater, Umatilla County, listed in August
2024. The J.L. Elam Bank was constructed in 1906 to house the Freewater
Branch of the Walla Walla-based Elam Bank; the building received a major
addition in 1908 under its second owner, C.T. Godwin, and it was
remodeled in 1920 by a later owner, the Bank of Freewater. Today, the
one-story building has painted, smooth concrete block walls and retains
many character-defining features of the Classical Revival style,
including a flat roof with decorative balustrade on the parapet, flat
arch lintels above windows and doors, symmetrical entrance with columns,
smooth exterior walls, and an entablature. It is one of the most
notable examples of the Classical Revival commercial style in
Milton-Freewater, and it reflects the evolution of the Classical Revival
style in rural communities. The J.L. Elam Bank is of local significance
under National Register Criterion C in the area of Architecture. View the full nomination.
- Hotel Alma in Portland, Multnomah County listed in May 2024. Hotel Alma was first listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 under the Multiple Property Document "Historic Resources in Downtown Portland, Oregon, 1906-1914". At that time, the Alma was determined to be significant under National Register Criterion A in the areas of Community Planning and Development, and Commerce. The amended nomination adds additional local significance for the property under National Register Criterion A for LGBTQ+ history as the most enduring and most representative building within the district of downtown Portland known sometimes as the gay triangle. Between 1969 and 1985 the building, then known as the Majestic Hotel, was home to a variety of uses by and for the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to continuing to serve as a hotel, the building was also home to a men’s bathhouse, bars and nightclubs, and providers of gay men’s health services. View the full nomination.
- Normandale Field in Portland, Multnomah County listed in May 2024 - Normandale Field, renamed Erv Lind Field in 1965, is a softball diamond located at the southeast corner of Normandale Park in northeast Portland. The softball field was first constructed in 1948 and served as home field for the national champion women’s softball team, the Erv Lind Florists, from 1948 to 1964. The field is of statewide significance under National Register Criterion A for its association with women’s history as well as entertainment and recreation. Normandale Field has been host to world championship softball tournaments, but it has also served as a municipal field, giving local women and girls the opportunity to play softball on the same field as a national champion. In addition, Normandale Field is locally significant under National Register Criterion A as one of the few known early, important, and long-lasting gathering spaces associated with Portland’s LGBTQ+ community. To people who identify as LGBTQ+ and that lived in Portland between the late 1940s and the mid-1960s, women’s softball games at Normandale Field served as a place to socialize with other queer women from the area. View the full nomination.
- Malmgren Garage in Talent, Jackson County listed in May 2024 - The Malmgren Garage was constructed in 1924 for Theodore and Frederika Malmgren. Theodore Malmgren was a southern Oregon physician and one of the first doctors in southern Oregon to purchase an automobile so he could provide patient care throughout rural Jackson County. The property is locally significant for its association with the commercial development of Talent and the community’s expanded economy in the years after World War One as the result of the development of the Pacific Highway and increased reliance on private automobiles that replaced train travel. The Malmgren Garage reflects the simple utilitarian garage building designs developed to respond to the shift toward automobile transportation that occurred in the early 20th century. Restored and rehabilitated following damage resulting from the Almeda Fire in 2020, the Malmgren Garage retains the original material and exterior finish of its characteristic concrete walls, its auto-related deep setback from the public right of way, and the false front typical of the modest commercial designs of Talent’s downtown. View the full nomination.
- Dallas Downtown Historic District in Polk County listed in May 2024 because of its local significance for its association with broad patterns of history and its representation of the economic development of the city of Dallas. Near the center of the historic district is the Polk County Courthouse (completed in 1900), a building that exemplifies an era when agriculture and timber led to Dallas’ unprecedented economic vitality. As a collection, the buildings in the district reflect the evolution of commerce in Dallas’ downtown core from some of the earliest permanent construction in the 19th century through the arrival of modernism in the mid-20th century. The Dallas Downtown Historic District contains 43 total resources: 33 contributing, 8 noncontributing, and 2 previously listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The period of significance for the district is 1870 – 1955. View the full nomination.
- Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Albany, Linn County, listed in May 2024 - The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was constructed in 1892 and enlarged in 1917 by and for the congregation of Mt. Pleasant Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The property is locally significant under National Register Criterion C as an excellent example of a Queen Anne style church. Queen Anne architectural design was not commonly used in churches. Cumberland Presbyterian is extensively decorated with shingles, ornate mouldings, frieze boards, sunbursts, rosettes, and colored glass windows. After a lengthy community effort, in 2021 the church was moved three blocks east of its original location. Before, during and after the move, extreme care was taken to preserve the structure and its character defining architectural features. The building is now operated as the non-profit Cumberland Community Event Center. View the full nomination.
To see if a property in Oregon is in the National Register of Historic Places, visit the Historic Sites Database.
Properties can also be locally designated and might be subject to local restrictions. Be sure to check your local government for local landmark designations that may exist. A good place to start is with your local planning office.