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National Register of Historic Places

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:

  1. Photograph the property
  2. Complete the Nomination form
  3. 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 MeetingSACHP Meeting Months
March 1stJune
July 1stOctober
November 1stFebruary


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

  • Camp Namanu, Clackamas County, listed in March 2024 -
    Oregon's first girls' camp founded in 1924 by Camp Fire Girls, spans 552-acres along the Sandy River. It features rustic wooden buildings blending seamlessly with the surrounding meadows, forests, and river. Reflective of Progressive Era summer camps, Camp Namanu was established to provide the types of leadership and outdoor development opportunities to young women that already existed for boys.

    The camp's structures are influenced by the back-to-nature movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that romanticized the American landscape. Notably, Camp Namanu features works by Pietro Belluschi, an Italian American architect renowned for his Pacific Northwest-inspired designs. Belluschi is credited with the design of several existing lodges at Camp Namanu and those buildings illustrate the early development of his style.

​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.


Contact

Robert Olguin
(503) 602-2468
robert.olguin@oprd.oregon.gov

National Register Resources

Guides
Forms
Additional Resources