08/14/1978 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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_._._~ ----- M I NUT E S EUGENE CITY COUNCIL - August 14, 1978 Adjourned meeti ng from Augu.st 2, 1978, of the Ci ty Council of the Ci ty of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by Mayor Gus Keller August 14, 1978, 7:30 p.m., in the Council Chambers, with the following Council members present: D.W. Hamel, Ray Bradley, Jack Delay, Scott Lieuallen, Brian Obie, and Betty Smith. Councilors Tom Williams and Eric Haws were absent. I. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Request for Consideration as Historic Landmarks: Preston Building, Hall Building, and Portland Store (H 78-1), located on east side of Willamette Street between 8th and 9th avenues. Approved by Historic Review Board May 25, 1978. Memo and map have been distributed to Council members. Manager commented that some Council members wish to tour the three buildings. This tour could take place the Wednesday before the next Monday night Council meeting. If so, final action could not occur until August 28th. Judy Rees, HCC, gave background information which led to the recom- mendation that these three buildings be established as historic land- e ma rk s . It was determined that the three Willamette Street buildings merit recognition because of I} their representative character of a period of architecture; 2} their extraordinary architectural merit by reason of their detailing; and 3} their relationship to the broad cultural history of the city. In March of 1977, the City, in the process of amending its Community Development Block Grant for conver- sion of the Central Eugene Urban Renewal Project, were requested by the State Historic Preservation office to conduct a survey of the proposed project area and in particular, of the four older buildings along the east side of Willamette Street between 8th and Broadway, south of the U.S. Bank, and north of the Hoffman building. Based on the survey, the State Historic Preservation office determined that "the three southerly buil di ngs coul d be determi ned el i gibl e for nomination to the national register of Historic Places" and that the buildings should be "carefully and scientifically analyzed in order to determine the feasibility of their being rehabilitated for adaptive use.1I After a joint meeting with ERA and the Historic Review Board, ERA proposed a compromise offer to the Historic Review Board. It was that only the most southerly building (the Portland Store) be desig- nated a historic landmark and that the other two buildings could be demolished in any redevelopment proposal. At a meeting on May 25, the Historic Review Board decided to propose that all three buildings be designated as historic landmarks based on the criteria previously outlined. - 8/14/78--1 552.