An effort by Buckman residents to establish a historic district in the Southeast Portland neighborhood has failed.

The Oregon State Historic Preservation Office "determined that the majority of the property owners objected to listing the District in the National Register of Historic Places," according to a statement on the preservation office's website.

The National Park Service will review the decision by the historic preservation office before a final decision is reached. But it appears likely that the proposal for a North Buckman Historic District is dead.

The Buckman Historic Association proposed 94 acres for a district bounded by Southeast 12th and 20th avenues and Southeast Ankeny and Morrison streets.

According to the state historic preservation office: “The nomination argues that the North Buckman Historic District is notable because it reflects working- and middle-class housing types and patterns and urban development trends common during the city’s rapid expansion east of the Willamette River in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.”

The designation would have required new construction and renovations to be subject to historic design review, which some Buckman residents felt would preserve the character of the neighborhood.

But opponents organized a group called Keep Buckman Free. They handed out yard signs and hosted open houses to gather support.

They were concerned that if the area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it would cause the cost of home renovations to rise dramatically.

--Steve Beaven: 503-754-4664

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