Historic Resources & Preservation
Celebrate May 2025 Preservation Month
House of the Week
40 Wilbur Street - The Iron Workers Cottage
For a Complete Presentation, see the video on You Tube at the following link: https://youtu.be/aAJXe5I_2QA
The Iron Company Workers’ Cottage, located at 40 Wilbur Street in the Old Town neighborhood of Lake Oswego, is historically significant for its association with Oregon’s pioneer iron industry. When iron was discovered near Oswego in 1861, a group of leading Portland capitalists seized on the opportunity to build the first iron-smelting furnace on the Pacific coast. Prior to 1867, all iron on the West Coast was imported.
Rent for a cottage was five dollars a month. Employees in all branches of the industry (miners, colliers, and furnace workers) lived in the cottages.
The Cottage is a small, single-story, house is located on a 0.11-acre parcel in the Old Town neighborhood. Landscape features include mature trees and a picket fence separating the parcel from the street. The house has a rectangular footprint, a gable roof with very narrow eaves, a full-width shed addition on the rear (south) side of the house, and a full-width shed-roofed porch on the main (north) façade.
The house was built using with vertical (or box) framing. It rests on a post-and-pier foundation, and is clad on the exterior with drop siding. Composition shingles make up the roof and A narrow brick chimney with a corbelled cap rises from the ridge near the center of the house.
The house is lit with four-over-four double-hung sash windows.
Vertical plank construction or box framing was popular between 1840 and 1880 for inexpensive tenant houses at mines, farms, and lumber camps where there was a demand for quick and inexpensive housing. This construction method required less skill than timber or stud-wall framing.
The City of Lake Oswego undertook a significant three-phased project to restore the Iron Workers Cottage, recognizing its historical importance as one of the last remaining examples of worker housing from the town's iron industry era. The city purchased the cottage in 2003 with the specific intention of preserving this vital piece of local history. The restoration project was funded through Hotel-Motel taxes and a $30,000 historic preservation grant from the Kinsman Foundation received in 2011.
Following the completion of the restoration in January 2017, the City of Lake Oswego entered into a lease agreement with the Lake Oswego Preservation Society. The Preservation Society now occupies the cottage and operates it as the Iron Workers Museum, which opened to the public in April 2017. The museum features exhibits about the iron industry in Lake Oswego and displays artifacts owned by both the city and the Preservation Society. Admission is free.
The restoration of the Iron Workers Cottage by the City of Lake Oswego is a testament to the community's commitment to preserving its unique history and serves as an important educational resource and a tangible link to Lake Oswego's industrial past.
To view previous Houses of the Week use the links below:
- May 12, 2025 - 316 North Point Road - The Mulder Lake House, click here.
- May 5, 2025 - 1798 Fern Place - Harriet and Cecil Bondell House, click here.
Here in Lake Oswego, Preservation Month, 2025 will be observed by:
- A Historic Preservation Proclamation adopted by Mayor, Joseph Buck at the City Council meeting on May 20.
- Presentation of the Lifetime Achievement award – The Jeannie McGuire Historic Preservation Award to Caroline Glad a volunteer for the Oswego Heritage Council for her significant contributions developing the Heritage Council’s archives and museum exhibits.
- A video presentation (on U-Tube) of a featured historic resource each week.
- A Presentation by Peter Meijer Architects to the Development Review Commission about Historic Preservation.
- Beginning work on a Selective Reconnaissance Level Survey of the McVey South Shore and Hallinan Neighborhoods.
Learn more about National Preservation Month at:
National Trust for Historic Preservation
www.PreservationNation.org/PreservationMonth.
Oregon State Historic Preservation Office
http:// www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/SHPO/Pages/index.aspx.
Survey of the Remaining Historic Homes in the McVey-South Shore and Hallinan Neighborhoods
The City of Lake Oswego is conducting a Selective Reconnaissance Level Survey McVey-Southshore and Hallinan Neighborhoods to gain a better understanding of the important historic and architectural places that define the community. Members of the Historic Resources Advisory Board will conduct a preliminary neighborhood survey of properties and a consultant will be hired soon after through the city’s competitive bidding process to conduct the actual survey work. To learn more click here.
Mid-Century Lake Oswego - A Look at Lake Oswego's Modern Developments 1935-1965
This project was partially funded by Oregon’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) with a matching grant through its Certified Local Government Program. Accordingly this project has, in part, been financed with Federal funds through the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. The contents and opinions of this document do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior or SHPO, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior. To view the document click here.
Oswego's Iron History - 1865-1928 - A Historical Look at the Iron Industry and Related Developments in Lake Oswego, Oregon
The Oswego Iron Industry context statement is a result of a Preservation Planning Internship offered by the City of Lake Oswego. This study was funded in part by a grant from the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior through the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, under the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act, 1966 as amended. To view the document click here.
Historic Preservation Training Slides
At the Development Review Commission meeting on June 19, 2017, Kristin Minor, with Peter Meijer Architects provided training to the Development Review Commission. You can view the powerpoint presentation presented at the Development Review Commission meeting on June 19, 2017, Kristin Minor, with Peter Meijer Architects.
Watch the training session video.
Paul Espe, Associate Planner and Staff Coordinator for the Historic Resources Advisory Board
Email: pespe@lakeoswego.city
Phone: (503) 697-6577
Historic Resources Advisory Board
Application for Landmark Designation
Designation Brochure
Oswego Heritage House & Museum
Lake Oswego Preservation Society
Lake Oswego Public Library's historic photo collection
Hazelia Agri-Cultural Heritage Trail
Oswego Iron Heritage Trail
