Milwaukie Historical Society urges updated historic inventory as city plans neighborhood hubs

Steve Bennett, representing the Milwaukie Historical Society, told the council he and the society are concerned the city’s planning work for neighborhood hubs lacks a current inventory of historically significant places.

Bennett said the city’s last historic property inventory was completed in 1988 and used a 50-year cutoff, meaning properties built in 1938 or earlier were considered then. He told council that, using a 50-year cutoff today (1975 and earlier), roughly 4,000 buildings would be considered eligible for historic inventory and that roughly 1,800 houses were built after 1975 and continue to age into potential eligibility.

“To the extent we are planning neighborhood hubs and other redevelopment, knowing what places the city has that are significant in terms of culture and architecture should be a part of this discussion,” Bennett said. He asked council to elevate the inventory from a back-burner item and to provide city leadership and commitment to complete an updated survey.

Bennett said the Historical Society has begun preparing maps and cleaned state data (noting about 400 address errors in the state dataset) and that the society has some budget set aside to help with the work. He said, however, the society cannot complete the full inventory alone and is looking to the city for leadership.

Bennett emphasized he was not arguing to preserve every building but said without an up-to-date inventory the city risks losing valued assets permanently.

City staff indicated the city manager will respond at the next council meeting to community comments that require follow-up.