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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 in the National Register?

What are the restrictions associated with listing in the National Register?

  • Owners of properties listed in the National Register who choose to take advantage of federal and state tax benefits and grant programs must comply with the 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 or incentives for properties listed in the National Register through a separate local process.

For information about how your local government may regulate National Register-listed properties, contact your local planning office.

Getting Started with a Historic Resource Record Form

The first step is to complete a Historic Resource Record (HRR) form. This form collects information regarding the history of the property, its appearance, and any known alterations, as well as exterior and interior photographs. When complete, please submit the form to SHPO staff via email at ORSHPO.NationalRegisterProgram@oprd.oregon.gov​. If the file size is too large to email, please email us at the same address to request a link to our filesharing site.​

If, after review of the HRR form and photographs, SHPO staff believe the property may be eligible for the National Register, they will provide information on next steps. This generally involves a meeting or phone call to describe the application timeline and requirements, recommend research avenues, and answer questions about the process.

Please note, the HRR form is not a National Register nomination form and does not, in and of itself, nominate a property to the National Register. It is intended only to provide enough information for SHPO staff to provide a recommendation as to the property's potential eligibility for the National Register, and/or potential avenues for future research. 

Preparing a National Register Nomination

A National Register nomination is a federal document with specific technical requirements. The average nomination for an individual property requires more than 100 hours of research and writing to complete. ​SHPO staff support preparers as needed with nominations but typically do not have capacity to complete nominations for preparers.​ 

For instructions on completing the National Register nomination form, please contact SHPO staff and refer to the following resources:

See the next section of this webpage, "Nomination Submission Deadlines & Process," for next steps.

​Deadlines For Submission

Every National Register nomination is reviewed by the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP). The SACHP meets three times a year. To be considered at one of these meetings, a complete nomination must be submitted by one of the following draft deadlines and determined by SHPO staff to be technically and professionally correct and sufficient.

Draft Deadline:SACHP Meeting Month:
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 filesharing site. If in need of an alternate 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 for listing a property to the National Register.

​Nominations Under Consideration/In Process

​Nominations scheduled for the upcoming State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) meeting:

  • ​​Se​e the SACHP agenda for the next meeting and nominations being considered

Nominations recently forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register:

For more information about the SACHP, meetings, agendas, and recordings of previous meetings, visit our Commissions & Committees webpage​.

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 no less than 30 calendar days ​nor more than 75 calendar days before the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation meeting at which the nomination will be considered.

Please mail comments to:

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
State Historic Preservation Office
355 Capitol Street NE, Suite 130
Salem, OR 97301

OR

Email: ORSHPO.NationalRegisterProgram@oprd.oregon.gov​​

Oregon Properties ​Recently Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

  • Milwaukie City Hall in Milwaukie, Clackamas County, listed in September 2026. Built in 1938 and serving as Milwaukie's city hall until 2022, the former Milwaukie City Hall is significant in the areas of Politics/Government and Architecture as an example of a Classical Moderne style civic building, constructed with the support of the Pubic Works Administration. View the nomination.

  • Canby City Hall in Canby, Clackamas County, listed in September 2026. Completed in 1937 and serving as Canby's city hall until 2016, the former Canby City Hall is significant in the areas of Politics/Government and Architecture as an example of a Colonial Revival style civic building, constructed with the support of the Pubic Works Administration. View the nomination.
  • Union Station in Portland, Multnomah County. Originally listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The National Park Service (NPS), which maintains the National Register, approved Additional Documentation in late August 2026 that demonstrates that Union Station is significant in the areas of Black History and Commerce, connecting the station to the African American Resources in Portland, Oregon, from 1851 to 1973 Multiple Property Document approved by NPS in 2020. View the Additional Documentation.

  • Peter and Laurie King Kerr Estate (now known as Elk Rock Garden) in Multnomah County, listed in August 2026. Developed between 1897-1957, the Kerr Estate is historically significant, in the areas of architecture and landscape architecture, as a rare surviving Portland area example of a country estate. The Kerr Estate reflects the layered contributions of Peter Kerr, as well as several prominent design professionals, including landscape architects John C. Olmsted and Adolph Meyer, horticulturalist Emanuel T. Mische, and architects Ellis F. Lawrence and William Holford, the designers of the Kerr residence located on the grounds. View the nomination. 

  • Oregon Casket Company Building in Portland, Multnomah County, listed in August 2026. Designed by the architectural firm of Whidden & Lewis and constructed in 1897, the Oregon Casket Company Building demonstrates the economic stature of the Oregon Casket Company at the turn of the 20th century. Construction of the building also coincided with a nationwide economic recovery and the building exemplifies the importance of Portland at that time as a base for the distribution of goods across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. View the nomination.

  • Ursula K. Le Guin House in Portland, Multnomah County, listed in June 2026. Located in Portland’s Willamette Heights neighborhood, the Ursula K. Le Guin House was the longtime residence and creative workspace of one of the most influential American authors of the twentieth and early twenty first centuries. Between 1960 and 2018, Le Guin wrote many of her most celebrated works here, including A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), The Left Hand of Darkness (1969), and The Dispossessed (1974). These works shaped modern speculative fiction and earned numerous literary honors, including the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the National Book Award. The house preserves the interior spaces most closely associated with her writing, including her second floor writing studio and attic workspace, as well as the surrounding gardens. As the place most directly associated with Le Guin’s creative life and legacy, the property offers a rare and tangible connection to this celebrated literary figure. View the nomination​.

  • La Grande Carnegie Library in La Grande, Union County, listed in June 2026. Completed in 1913 with funding from the Carnegie Corporation, the La Grande Carnegie Library reflects the city’s early commitment to expanding public access to education and information. For more than half a century, it served as La Grande’s primary public educational hub, supporting public schools, hosting community programs, and offering resources for children, adults, and lifelong learners. Architecturally, the building is an excellent example of Classical Revival design and a strong representative of the Carnegie Library Program’s standardized planning ideals, featuring a symmetrical façade, central staircase, brick construction, and efficient interior layout. Designed by local architects Bunting & Block, the library retains a high degree of integrity. View the nomination.​

  • ​Arthur H. Devers House in Portland, Multnomah County, listed in February 2026. Completed in 1891, the Arthur H. Devers House was the longtime residence of one of Portland’s most influential early‑twentieth‑century business and civic leaders. While living here between1891 and 1908, Devers helped shape major regional initiatives, including the Lewis and Clark Exposition of 1905, early planning efforts that led to the Civic Improvement League and the Bennett Plan, and federal support for the Dalles‑Celilo Canal. The house is the only surviving property closely associated with Devers during this formative period, offering a tangible link to his role in Portland’s commercial growth and civic development. View the nomination​.​​

  • Balch Gulch Bridge in Portland, Multnomah County, listed in September 2025. Designed by engineer James B. C. Lockwood and completed in 1905 the Balch Gulch Bridge carries NW Thurman Street across Balch Creek in Northwest Portland’s Willamette Heights neighborhood. It is Oregon’s only remaining pin-connected deck truss highway bridge and a rare example of early twentieth-century bridge engineering. It catalyzed the development of Portland’s Willamette Heights neighborhood by extending streetcar service across the gulch, and it also played a small role in advertising Portland to visitors and potential investors during the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial exposition. The bridge’s listing recognizes both its engineering significance and its contribution to Portland’s urban growth. View the nomination.

  • Methodist Episcopal Church of Union in Union, Union County, listed in September 2025. Built in 1905 by Union’s Methodist Episcopal congregation, the two-and-one-half story brick church—now home to the Catherine Creek Community Center—stands as a rare and well-preserved example of Late Gothic Revival architecture in rural northeastern Oregon. Notable for its cross-shaped plan, steep gabled rooflines, lancet stained-glass windows, and elaborate corner belltower with Queen Anne detailing, the building also features original interior elements such as curved wood pews and tamboured wood partitions. Its design may reflect the influence of nationally renowned church architect Benjamin D. Price. View the nomination​.

You can find other historic sites in Oregon by visiting Oregon's Historic Sites Database.

​To check whether a property in Oregon is listed 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. Your local planning office is a good place to start.


Contact

General Information and Submissions:

ORSHPO.NationalRegisterProgram@oprd.oregon.gov
(503) 930-1206

National Register Resources

Guides
Forms
Additional Resources