Page 33 - Corvallis, OR Historic Preservation Plan

Historic Preservation Plan

Existing Landmarks and Districts

Many of Corvallis’s historic structures are officially recognized in two
ways: the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the City’s
local register. Some resources are listed on only one of these, but
others are on both lists. Other historic resources exist, and in some
cases, these have been identified in formal surveys but are not officially
listed; others have yet to be identified. Depending on the type of listing,
historic listing may provide opportunities for preservation incentives
and protections.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s
historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National
Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and administered by the National Park
Service, the National Register of Historic Places is part of a program to
coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate,
and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.

The Corvallis Register of Historic Landmarks and Districts was established
in 1982, along with the City’s preservation program, through the
adoption of Ordinance 82-100. The Register contains the City’s official
site listings and is intended to increase the community’s awareness
of historic structures and protect them through a standardized design
review process.

Individually Designated Historic Resources

In addition to its three National Register districts, the City of Corvallis
has 143 individually designated historic structures as of 2017, seen in
Figures 1-5. Of these, 112 are listed in the Local Register only, 28 are in
both the Local and National Registers and 3 are listed in the National
Register only.

National Register of Historic Places

Districts
Corvallis’s three National Register districts are Avery-Helm, College Hill
West and Oregon State University, shown in Figures 6-9. While these
are designated as National Register districts, the City is in charge of
evaluating historic preservation permit requests regarding properties
in these districts. The City also deals with requests to move or demolish
a structure, as described in Chapter 2.9 of the Land Development
Code. An application for a permit to move or demolish a building is
only considered if the action will not damage, obscure or negatively
impact the district’s historic integrity. A Designated Historic Resource
is a “historic resource that has been determined through official action
to meet criteria for Historic Significance, resulting in the resource being
Locally-designated and/or Nationally-designated.” Designated Historic
Resources are subject to Chapter 2.9 of Corvallis’s Land Development
Code, which provides Historic Preservation Provisions.

Final: November 15, 2017 27