What makes a building historically significant is currently going through a process of change as city leaders and historians become more aware of the contributions of minorities and different classes to history.
The Eugene Historic Review Board, a subcommittee of the City Planning Commission, recently met to discuss how the board could modify some of its criteria that determines what properties are designated historic. Part of this modification would include attempting to find properties and sites that relate to “blue collar history” and minorities.
Ken Guzowski, a staff member for the Planning Commission who works with historical preservation, said previously, historical registers had only listed the “biggest and the best” and largely ignored historic buildings that were not as visibly important. He said this was especially true in Eugene because the city had been founded by the working class, and there are few historic buildings that represent this part of the community. Guzowski used farmers as an example of one of these groups and said there could be a “house, barn or chicken coops” listed as historic landmarks to represent them.
There are 107 historic sites in Eugene, 87 of which are also listed on the National Register of historic properties. The National Register of Historic Places is the official list for historic buildings in the country. Buildings are deemed historic if they are associated with a historic figure, played a historic role, are architecturally unique or could yield archeological artifacts.
One building in Eugene that does not necessarily meet these criteria but is still historic is the Mims House at 330 High St., which was the first house in Eugene owned by African Americans after laws prohibiting minorities the right to own a house were repelled. Guzowski said there are other buildings like this in the city, and the board is working to ensure they receive the attention they deserve.
Shawna Adams-Jacobs, a University student working for a masters degree in historical preservation and community and regional planning, said attempting to provide “inclusive preservation” is difficult because of the varying view points throughout history. By deeming some sites historic for certain reasons, Adams-Jacobs said some stereotypes could actually be reinforced. She used the example of a building being listed as a historic landmark because it housed a business owned by a woman. This building could be viewed as historic, she said, because of what the woman did or only because it was a woman who owned a business.
“In a sense, it could be presented in a way that suggested her significance is from being a woman in the man-sphere,” she said.
Despite the difficulties in attempting to equally distribute landmarks for every group, Adams-Jacobs said it was an important discussion and one that needed to take place.
Scott Bogle, who is also pursuing a masters degree in both historical preservation and community management, said a trend to list the landmarks of other groups has been picking up momentum for several years.
“For the past two or three decades, there has been an increased focus on protecting resources that are important but not as prominent,” he said.
Bogle stressed that groups need to let their cities know what sites are historic to them because many native peoples have spiritual sites that hold great meaning but don’t have a specific building on it. And as the State Department of Land Conservation and Development no longer requires cities to keep an inventory of historic sites, Bogle said many smaller cities don’t realize the historical significance of many sites.
“Folks from different groups need to get involved and identify what sites are important to them,” he said.