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May 2023 Historic PreservationMAY 2023NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH DEDICATED TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN LAKE OSWEGO CELEBRATE NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH The hisTorian CELEBRATE PRESERVATION MONTH - MAY 2023 The Lake Oswego community will join cities across the country to celebrate National Preservation Month this May with the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This is a month-long opportunity to showcase the City’s historic places. Preservation month is meant to connect the preservation community and introduce new audiences to the City’s work in preservation of the places that make Lake Oswego special. Here in Lake Oswego, Preservation Month, 2023 will be observed by: • A Historic Preservation Proclamation issued by Mayor Joe Buck at the City Council meeting on May 16. • Presentation of a Merit Award to Drew Prell, Owner of the Lake Theatre and Café for his work on restoring the theatre complex. • Public outreach to raise awareness of the importance Lake Oswego’s past with the real estate community, building community historic property owners, and other members of the public. Questions can be directed to Paul Espe, Associate Planner and staff representative for the Historic Resources Advisory Board at pespe@lakeoswego.city or 503-697-6577. Learn more about National Preservation Month at: NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION www.PreservationNation.org/PreservationMonth OREGON STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/SHPO/Pages/index.aspx “In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy.” ~ John Sawhill ARCHITECTURAL BOAT TOUR 2023 Did you miss last year’s sold-out Lake Oswego Preservation Society Architectural Boat Tour? If so, you will be happy to know that it will back on Sunday, September 10. As always, each boat will have a docent to talk about points of interest and historical significance during the two-hour tour. Please visit lakeoswegopreservationsociety.org/oswego-lake-architectural-boat-tour for ticket information and more. Photos courtesy of Drew Nasto. HISTORIC PRESERVATION MERIT AWARD The Historic Resources Advisory Board would like to present the Historic Preservation Merit Award to Drew Prell. Drew has contributed to the community’s historic preservation program through his courage and persistence in his recent project to restore the Lake Theatre Complex. DREW PRELL Drew Prell is a developer and building designer, local business owner and community volunteer. Drew Prell is the owner of Prell Development & Management located in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and was founded in 1991. Drew has participated numerous development projects in Lake Oswego and throughout the Portland Metro Area. The Lake Theatre began its life as a single screen neighborhood cinema back in 1940. There was also a marina and gas station at that location. In 1947, celebrated local architect Richard Sundeleaf redesigned a new building with a restaurant. For the first decades after the redesign, The Lake Theatre and Café was the entertainment hub of downtown Lake Oswego. After enduring decades of neglect, the roof caved in in the 1980’s. It was repaired by splitting the theatre into two auditoriums. Prell purchased the theater in 1996, after it was flooded, giving it a much-needed facelift and restoration, honoring theatre’s heritage with historical accents in tribute to the golden age of theater- going. Under its new name the Lake Twin, attendance thrived for a time, but the dual rise of the megaplex and the arthouse cinema has provided increasingly difficult competition. In spite of this, Prell rose to the challenge. After extensive renovations and additions in 2014, the reimagined Lake Theater and Café emerged. It is complete with a full kitchen and bar serving beer, wine, and liquor. The lobby and outdoor deck has been transformed to accommodate casual dining in a warm, modern environment. The first auditorium is dedicated to cinema and has been updated with state-of-the-art digital projection. The floor was rebuilt to supply stadium seating, with plush, spacious reclining chairs. The second auditorium is equipped with a movie-theatre café with nightclub seating, lakeside access, and a stage, host to live music, comedy, and private events. The theatre is complete with the usual broad selection of concessions, and the best popcorn you’re likely to ever taste (with real butter, too!). The menu items at the restaurant include produce that is grown and harvested on Happy Apple Farm in Oregon City and the other menu items are sustainable. The business is considered a Leader in Sustainability by Clackamas County and they take the environment and our future seriously. His passion for community and the built environment are reflected in the attention to detail that was given for the renovation of this complex and is the reason the Historic Resources Advisory Board wish to present the Preservation Merit Award to Drew Prell. Lake Theater & Cafe Photo by David Murray. NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH, MAY 2023 -- 2 HISTORIC RESOURCES REHABILITATION GRANT PROGRAM The City of Lake Oswego is now accepting applications for historic resource rehabilitation grants. Grants of up to $3000 are available for the restoration, rehabilitation and/or repair of historic buildings that are on the City’s Landmark Designation List. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS The following standards must be met to be eligible for a grant: • The building must be on the City’s Landmark Designation List or National Register. Please contact Paul Espe in Planning and Building Services at pespe@lakeoswego.city or 503-697-6577 to determine if your house or building is on the Landmark Designation List (LDL). Structures that are not on the LDL (or National Register) are not eligible. • All work must be performed on the exterior of the structure, and cannot be new construction or an addition. • Projects must meet the Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation and must be consistent with Lake Oswego Code, Chapter 50.06.009 (Historic Preservation). • Grants are not awarded for materials already purchased or for work that is already in progress or completed. • Grants are not awarded for projects that solely involve repainting or change in paint color. Painting may be a part of the repair and preparation. Grant applications are available from the Planning and Building Services at City Hall. Applications must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. They will be reviewed by the Historic Resources Advisory Board at their meeting on June 14, 2023. For more details, please contact Paul Espe, in the Planning and Building Services Department at pespe@lakeoswego.city or 503-697-6577. Carter House CHAUTAUQUA HISTORIC LECTURE SERIES Presented by the Oswego Heritage Council, the Chautauqua historic lecture series is free and open to the public. Please join us at the Lake Oswego Public Library, 706 Fourth Street, on Wednesday, May 3 for Charlene Green’s presentation: If Walls Could Talk. Each house’s story is unique, and compiling a home’s biography shares much in common with genealogical research. Like families, houses and buildings tell many stories, depending on where you look. Investigating the history of your house is a great way to learn about the history of the place where you live. Local researcher Char Green will take you through the steps of learning about the history of your home, including valuable tools for finding and then organizing your information into a cohesive narrative. The presentation begins at 7 p.m. and concludes at 8 p.m. HISTORIC CARMAN HOUSE DONATED TO THE LAKE OSWEGO PRESERVATION SOCIETY The Carman House is the most significant remaining structure from Lake Oswego’s earliest European-American pioneer history. Completed in 1857, a year before Oregon became a U.S. Territory and seven years before the first iron furnace, it stands as a reminder of early Oswego before we lived where we played, and closets and indoor bathrooms were conventional. The Lake Oswego Preservation Society, whose mission is to preserve, protect and advocate for Lake Oswego’s built environment and historic assets, has long recognized the importance of preserving the Waters and Lucretia Carman House, one of the few remaining Territorial-era houses in Oregon. With the donation of the Carman House the Wilmot Family Trust ensures its protection as an enduring piece of Lake Oswego’s history. The Society will add more protection in the form of a National Register Listing and a Historic Conservation Easement through Restore Oregon, the statewide preservation organization. These additional protections will work to stabilize and properly restore the house for the future. The first wedding ceremony ever held in the town of Oswego was that of Waters and Lucretia Carman in 1853. The Carmans claimed 326 acres through the Donation Land Claim Act1 and called their property Springbrook Farm. They were living in either a small log house or shack when they enlisted the help of a neighbor, Charles W. Bryant, to construct their house. Construction probably began around 1855. The second owners of the house were Mary Lucretia, daughter of Waters and Lucretia, and her husband Richard Benjamin Wilmot. They were teachers and took on the operations of the Clackamas County Springbrook School in addition to their farming. Remarkably, descendants of the Carmans and the Wilmots have lived in the house for the past 160+ years even as most of the original 326 acres were sold off. Now what? We are excited to embark on the next stage and hope to include all of Lake Oswego in this venture. We are in the early stages of reaching out to granting organizations, preservation professionals, craftspeople and committed Lake Oswegans. Importantly, our all-volunteer organization will need to raise funds for insurance, stabilization, documentation, and the Conservation Easement. As we work to put the right plan in place, we will need your support. We will be reaching out to you with information on how to get involved so stay tuned. And, as always, we are accepting donations and memberships through our website LakeOswegoPreservationSociety.org/join. 1 The Federal Donation Land Claim Act legitimized claims made under the Oregon Provisional Government laws of 1843. This piece of legislation was the foremost cause of dispossession of the Indian peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Historic photo courtesy of Lake Oswego Preservation Society. LAKE OSWEGO PRESERVATION SOCIETY The Lake Oswego Preservation Society, founded in 2011, is a 501 (c)(3) non- profit corporation. Housed in the City’s last remaining Iron Company Worker’s Cottage at 40 Wilbur Street, the Preservation Society’s mission is to preserve, protect and advocate for Lake Oswego’s built environment and historic assets. For more information, visit lakeoswegopreservationsociety.org. MUSEUMS OSWEGO HERITAGE COUNCIL Built in 1920, and located at 398 Tenth Street, the Oswego Heritage House is the site of historic archives, a small library and museum, and meeting space. The Oswego Heritage Council is a privately funded, nonprofit organization committed to the recognition and preservation of local history. For more information, call 503-635- 6373 or visit www.oswegoheritage.org. NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH, MAY 2023 -- 3 LANDMARK HOMEOWNER’S GUIDE WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD! The Historic Resources Advisory Board has produced a preservation handbook that provides answers and guidance to questions that owners of historic property often ask when they have purchased their historic home. It is an excellent resource that provides information on historic designation and what it means to own a City Historic Landmark. The handbook also navigates the city code and answers questions about maintenance, rehabilitation and remodeling of your historic property. A built community represents our collective history, including where we came from, developments in technology, and the evolution of society. Your home is part of this history. Lake Oswego, Oregon, is located eight miles south of Portland, Oregon. It was originally founded as the town of Oswego in 1847. In the early 1860s, the town experienced rapid development when iron was discovered and there was hope that Oswego would become the “Pittsburgh of the West”. In 1862, the Oregon Iron Company was formed and the first charcoal smelter began working. Oregon Iron and Steel, the next owners, began to wind down operations and in 1912. OI&S hired Atchison & Allen to market and manage the sale of its real estate ventures, which included acreage in Oswego. In 1923, Atchison & Allen began its work transforming the city by converting land from the William M. Ladd Iron Mine Farm, where prized Jersey cows once grazed, to an eighteen-hole golf course designed by renowned golf course designer Henry Chandler Egan. In 1925, the same year the Lake Oswego Country Club was completed, the first of the Forest Hills plats was platted with the goal of creating the ideal neighborhood: country living with easy city access. Its 1920s motto “Live Where You Play” still resonates with the community, which is a thriving city of approximately 37,000 that boasts some of the best schools and highest real estate values in Oregon. Congratulations, you are the owner, or potential owner of a significant property in Lake Oswego, which is designated in the City’s Landmarks Designation List. HRAB hopes that this new handbook helps you learn more about the benefits of living in a historical property, how to preserve it, and who to contact with questions of any kind. Mulder-Lake House LOOKING FOR HISTORIC PHOTOS? The Lake Oswego Public Library has a collection of more than 6,000 historic photographs from the late 1800s to today. In addition to digitaized photos, the Library has documents, newspaper indexes and oral history recordings. Go to www.lopl.org/local-history to view the collection. If you have historic photos you would like to add to the Library’s collection, please contact Carissa Barrett at cbarrett@lakeoswego.city or 503-534-4237. Photo courtesy of the Lake Oswego Public Library: Oswego Band, 1893 THE STORY BEHIND THE PAINTING WILLAMETTE FALLS PAINTING DONATED TO OSWEGO HERITAGE COUNCIL By Mark Browne and Courtney Clements The Glenn family, who trace their lineage to Oswego pioneers Waters and Lucretia Gurney Carman through the Carman's middle daughter Henrietta "Etta" Susanna Carman Magone, recently donated a family treasure to the Oswego Heritage Council. This image of Willamette Falls was painted by English artist Alexander Maxwell David MacKechnie (1855-1893). MacKechnie worked as an art tutor to Etta Magone's daughters and died tragically attempting to save Francette Magone from drowning in the Tualatin Canal. She perished as well. In the summer of 1881, Etta Carman married Daniel Dean Magone and moved from Springbrook Farm to Garrett's Grassy Pond on the Magone Donation Land Claim (DLC) about 1-1/2 miles east of Woodburn, Oregon. It was there that their first two children were born, Lulu in 1882 and Marion "Mamie" in 1884. In 1885, the Magone family moved to Etta's section of the Carman DLC, adjacent to Springbrook Farm where her sister Mary Lucretia Carman Wilmot lived. Etta called her property "Dogwood Farm." It was here that her other children were born: Francette in 1886, Roscoe in 1889, twins Cecil and Cyril in 1892, and a second set of twins Rexford and Maxwell in 1894. Education was an important part of the Carman family's life. Waters donated the land for the Springbrook School and his daughter Mary Lucretia taught there and served as the school clerk for several decades. Etta wanted to expand her children's education in the arts and hired MacKechnie as a tutor. MacKechnie grew up in West Hartlepool, Durham County, England and studied at Edinburgh College. According to Magone family lore, he left home after a young lady broke his heart and to escape pressure from his physician father to follow in his profession. He arrived first in New York, Continued on page 4 Upon completion of restoration, MacKechnie’ s painting will take an honored place in the Oswego Heritage House. LAKE OSWEGO PRESERVATION SOCIETY PLANNING HISTORIC MARKER PROGRAM Preservation-minded Lake Oswegans will be able to bring community awareness to their homes and businesses that have historic and architectural significance through a distinctive marker program, the Lake Oswego Preservation Society announced this month. “We are very excited about The Historic Marker Program,” said Susan Stier, LOPS Board member and Chairman of the new program. “Lake Oswego has a rich variety of architectural styles-- from the Paul Murphy era of grand homes and distinctive downtown businesses to the working-class cottages in the First Addition to post WWII mid-century modern homes.” It has been our experience that homeowners in LO are extremely interested in their home’s origin and history. We want to help them to identify their homes connection to our history through our program. Displaying a plaque is a great way to send a message that our community’s historic resources are important to preserve. The program, which has no property tax benefits and no governmental restrictions, will be open to all applicants who meet the program requirements and who are LOPS members. Although the program is currently not available to the public, specifics on guidelines, criteria and applications will be available on the LO Preservation Society website this month: lakeoswegopreservationsociety.org. LOPS is testing the program with volunteers and will be ready to roll it out in September. Homeowners and businesses who wish to apply for the program will work with the Lake Oswego Preservation Society program administrators to assess whether their property meets the guidelines and criteria for approval. If you have questions or would like to set up a meeting, contact the Preservation Society at 503-481-2479 or 4lohistory@lakeoswegopreservationsociety.org or stop by the Iron Workers Cottage at 40 Wilbur Street. If this sounds like a program you’d like to work on, please let us know. We’re open every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH, MAY 2023 -- 4 CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO P.O. Box 369 380 A Avenue Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.lakeoswego.city 503-635-0257 Paul Espe, LO Associate Planner, HRAB Denise Bartelt, Lake Oswego Preservation Society and Historic Resources Advisory Board Mark Browne, Oswego Heritage House Joan Moore, LO Preservation Society This Publication is Brought to you by the City of Lake Oswego’s Historic Resources Advisory Board SPECIAL THANKS TO: HISTORIC RESOURCES RECENTLY ON THE MARKET Whenever a local historic property comes on the market, there is always a period of angst for those of us who love our community. While recognizing the need for change, we also feel apprehensive about losing the character and charm that brought so many of us here in the first place. In recent months two significant properties on the City's Landmarks Designated List (LDL) have come up for sale. The first one, the Mathieson-Worthington house has successfully changed hands to new owners who are very committed to preserving its historic character. The Second Property, the Brown-Vose house, at the time of this writing, is still for sale. Let's take a closer look at these two properties: The Mathieson- Worthington house is well known to Lake Oswego residents because it sits on a prominent rise on McVey Ave, just up from the downtown core. Its two-story veranda is unique in Lake Oswego, if not the entire Portland Metro Area. It recalls similar verandas on other prominent historic Oregon landmarks such as the Wolf Creek Inn in Southern Oregon, and the pioneering Montieth Homestead House in Albany. The exact date of construction is uncertain but circumstantial evidence puts it in the 1875-1885 range. It appears to have been the first house built in the South Oswego subdivision, the second oldest neighborhood in the city (after Old Town but before First Addition). Several members of the Worthington family migrated from New York State to the town of Oswego to work in the the fledgling iron industry. The fact that this house sold quickly shows that historic properties can attract interest from the buying-public. The second house under review is the Brown-Vose house. It is located in the First Addition, directly across from the library. It was built in 1885 for T.J. Brown and his wife, who lived there for 30 years. It has only had a handful of owners since then. One owner, Irma Vose, lived there for 50 years, from 1920-1970. The style of the house can be considered Vernacular, but with Queen Ann details such as turned column porch post columns and scroll work "gingerbread" decorating both dual entrances, one on 4th St. and the other on E St. The house appears to be in very good structural shape with mature landscaping and trees on the lot. This house is still for sale (as of this writing). Prospective buyers should check with the City regarding any restrictions on the property and also possible restoration grants available for this officially Designated Landmark. Please remember to spread the word about the value of historic resources to our community. And most importantly, please inform others of any historic buildings you know that may be coming on market. This author found his 1939 South Shore house strictly through word of mouth. It happens more often than we think! then, again according to a family story, wound up in Oswego by 1892, embroiled in a legal issue as a witness to an assault on a west-bound train. The alleged assailant was Thomas Pomeroy, brother of Oswego Mines manager James Henry Pomeroy, who threw hot coffee on a fellow passenger. MacKechnie was detained as a witness and questioned by authorities upon his arrival in Oregon. MacKechnie must have defended Thomas and endeared himself to the family because James Henry hired him to make several paintings for the Pomeroy home. His work attracted the attention of Etta Magone who engaged him to teach art to her daughters. In addition to his 1893 painting of Willamette Falls, OHC also has in its collection his sketches of Dogwood Farm and of Lulu and Mamie Magone as well as a sketch of lilies drawn by Lulu under his tutelage. On a lazy Sunday afternoon in the late summer of 1893, MacKechnie asked Etta for permission to take his charges, her precious daughters Lulu, Mamie, and Francette to the canal that connected the Tualatin River with Lake Oswego for their weekly landscape painting session. Etta, pregnant with her second set of twins, agreed. Easel, paper, and paints in hand, he marched his charges from Dogwood Farm south along Lower Boones Ferry Road, past the Bryant Farm to the open fields down by the Tualatin River. He decided to cross the canal, likely in search of ideal perspective and light. He chose a felled log lying across the steep walled canal to cross. Francette, the youngest daughter, was somewhat reticent. MacKechnie assured her he would be right behind her all the way. Halfway across she slipped and fell. He immediately dove in to save her, got caught on a submerged snag, and drowned. Lulu and Mamie helplessly watched in horror as Francette struggled, clawing at the steep sides of the canal before she tired and slipped under the water. After two hours, neighbors retrieved the bodies and returned them to Dogwood Farm. MacKechnie's death was reported in his home country. In the North Eastern Daily Gazette (Middlesborough, Yorkshire, England), James Henry Pomeroy described MacKechnie as a "brave, true, and a tender soul." MacKechnie is buried in the Greenwood Hills Cemetery in Portland near the Magone family. Etta was shattered but she pressed on, caring for her five remaining children - Lulu, Mamie, Roscoe, and twins Cyril and Cecil — as well as her husband, her farm, and her extended family. Several months after the tragedy, on 3 July 1894, Etta gave birth to a second set of twins, Rexford and Maxwell. Maxwell was named in honor of their dear lost friend, Maxwell MacKechnie. Both boys were sickly infants. Rexford died at age two and his brother died at age four. Etta had buried three children within a few short years. In addition, her husband Daniel, was arrested, convicted, and sent to prison in Salem for grave robbery, extortion, and theft. That is a story for another day. MacKechnie's 1893 painting of Willamette Falls was donated to the Oswego Heritage Council in March 2023 by Etta's great-grandchildren. It has had a tough existence. While hanging in Etta's home, it suffered multiple tears and abrasions. The surface is coated with dirt and 130+ years of cigarette smoke. Archivist Mark Browne consulted with the Portland Art Museum to determine the correct methodology and protocol for stabilization and restoration. With the assistance of Susanna Kuo, we have engaged a restoration specialist to work on the painting and are patiently waiting for its return. Funding for the restoration is being underwritten by the Oswego Heritage Council. Upon completion of restoration, MacKechnie's painting will take an honored place in the Oswego Heritage House. THE STORY BEHIND THE PAINTING Continued from page 3 Worthington House Brown-Vose House COLLECTOR CAR & CLASSIC BOAT SHOW Mark your calendars for the Oswego Heritage Council’s Collector Car & Classic Boat Show on Sunday, August 27! All the details will be posted at www.oswegoheritage.org.