University Planning Office
April 9, 2004
The University of Oregon's historic buildings and landscapes are important defining features of the campus environment. The university is committed to preserving and rehabilitating identified historic resources as required by federal, state, and city regulations.
Requirements: Prior to performing any work on campus (repairs, alterations, etc.), take the following steps:
- Determine the historic status of the affected building or landscape.
It is probably easiest to check with Planning Office staff (Christine Thompson x5572 or cthomps@uoregon.edu).
Or you can check the UO Historic Property Index, which identifies the historic status of campus buildings.
If the building or landscape has some level of historic status, proceed to step two.
Note: Exterior alterations to all buildings are subject to Campus Planning Committee review. Please contact Planning Office staff for assistance.
- Determine if the proposed work might alter the landscape's or the building's (interior or exterior) historic character.
Will the change be visible? If the work might alter the resource's historic character, historic review is necessary; proceed to step three.
Exterior Work (building or landscape):
Generally, all repairs and alterations visible from the exterior are subject to review. Some examples include:
- Installation of A\C window units or systems.
- Alteration or replacement of window trim and sashes.
- Alteration or replacement of design features (trim, siding, decorative features, etc.).
- Installation of exterior plumbing, vents, etc.
- Installation of stair rails.
- Changes to the configuration of the landscaped areas, sidewalks, and landscape features (e.g., light fixtures, retaining walls, plaques, etc.).
Examples of exterior work not subject to review include:
- Reroofing with like materials.
- Repainting (although it may be necessary to select a historically appropriate paint color).
- Restoration work using historically appropriate materials (e.g., repairing a wooden stair tread with like materials)
Interior Work:
Changes to primary public spaces such as lobbies and gathering places are the primary focus. However, alteration to and/or replacement of any original materials may require review. Some examples include:
- Alteration to or replacement of original plumbing fixtures, flooring, doors, light fixtures, or hardware.
- Alteration to or removal of decorative features such as trim, murals, fireplaces, banisters, or built-in furniture.
- Changing the configuration of significant interior spaces (e.g., new walls, lowering ceilings, removing doorways, etc.).
Examples of interior work not subject to review include:
- Standard plumbing and hardware repairs that do not involve replacement.
- Restoration work using historically appropriate materials (e.g., repairing trim with like materials).
- Repair or replacement of non-original materials. However, restoring the original character is encouraged when possible (e.g., replacing a non-compatible light fixture with a historically compatible fixture).
- Repainting.
3. Determine what level of historic review is required.
Contact Planning Office staff who can help you.
For most work, review is minimal, if required at all, and can be addressed by Planning Office staff. Every effort is made to handle reviews in-house (to the degree allowed by applicable regulations).
The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings (see below) are a good tool to use when working on historic or potentially historic buildings and sites.
The historic status of campus buildings and landscapes determines the type of review required:
Listed in or Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service: All alterations (interior and exterior) to resources listed or eligible to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places are subject to state (SHPO) review. If federal funds are used, a federal review process (Section 106) is required. Exterior alterations to resources listed in the National Register require submittal of a City Alteration application prior to obtaining a building permit. In addition, the proposed work may be subject to Campus Planning Committee Review.
Listed as a City Landmark, City of Eugene: Exterior alterations to City Landmarks require submittal of a City Alteration application prior to obtaining a building permit. In addition, the proposed work may be subject to Campus Planning Committee review.
Listed in a Survey (Ellis Lawrence Building Inventory or South University/Fairmount Neighborhood Cultural Resources Inventory): Primary-ranked (and sometimes secondary-ranked) resources are likely to be eligible for National Register listing. Refer to National Register discussion above. In addition, the proposed work may be subject to Campus Planning Committee review.
Listed in the OSBHE Report: Prime- and secondary-ranked resources are considered eligible for National Register listing (if they are not already listed). Refer to National Register discussion above. In addition, the proposed work may be subject to Campus Planning Committee review.
Summary of Regulations Governing Historic Properties
University of Oregon:
The university's Long Range Campus Development Plan (LRCDP) states that the Campus Planning Committee shall review projects that:
. . .involve new construction or modifications of outdoor spaces, or interior spaces with significant public exposure.
The LRCDP specifies that modifications to resources listed on the National Register of Historic Places will be consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.(1) Typically, the Design Review Subcommittee of the Campus Planning Committee reviews small alterations.
Also refer to the section below addressing state regulations.
City of Eugene:
The City of Eugene has the strongest historic preservation regulations, but they apply to a limited selection of resources.
The city reviews proposed exterior alterations (as well as moving and demolition) to "Historic Properties." Historic properties are defined as resources listed in the National Register of Historic Places or designated by the city as a City Historic Landmark. The city's Historic Alteration application process must be completed prior to issuance of a building permit.
Other city land-use applications that the project might be required to submit (e.g., Conditional Use and Site Review) also may address preservation of historic properties. Although the city's conditional-use and site-review criteria do not specify the need to preserve historic properties, the city may choose to address it in the criteria that requires compatibility of the proposed development's location, size, and design with surrounding properties.
State:
State regulations require the UO to consult with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) if the proposed work might impact resources that are listed or eligible to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
"Consultation" is not clearly defined, but it usually includes SHPO review of the proposed development and recommendations to mitigate negative impacts on historic resources. (2) The UO must consider SHPO's recommendations but is not required to follow all of them. The process is designed to assist the UO in meeting its historic preservation responsibilities as a state agency.
All state entities, including the University of Oregon, have an established responsibility to partake in historic preservation implementation measures. ORS 358.653 states:
Any state agency or political subdivision responsible for real property of historic significance (3) in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer shall institute a program to conserve the property and assure that such property shall not be inadvertently transferred, sold, demolished, substantially altered or allowed to deteriorate.
In 1974 the Oregon State Board of Higher Education approved the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Properties of Historical and/or Architectural Value. The report identifies historic resources on each campus and specifies their preservation.
Subsequent cultural resource surveys (1989 Ellis Lawrence Building Inventory and the South University/Fairmount Neighborhood Cultural Resources Inventory) identifies additional properties as having primary or secondary significance. The surveys are acknowledged by SHPO as part of the statewide inventory (4). SHPO would typically include these primary- and secondary-ranked resources in the consultation requirements because they usually are considered eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Federal:
Federal regulations generally defer to the state and local governments for implementation of historic preservation measures. The National Register of Historic Places determines a resource's significance but does not provide protection unless federal funds are being used. If a project will use any federal funds, a comprehensive review and mitigation process (Section 106) is required.
(1) The Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings are available on the National Park Service web site, http://www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/tax/rhb/stand.htm.
(2) The SHPO uses the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties to determine if proposed alterations are appropriate.
(3) A "real property of historic significance" includes but is not limited to "buildings listed or eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places under section 101 of the National Historic Preservation Act of October 15, 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470a)." (ORS 276.093 (5)).
(4) The State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) "acknowledges" cultural resource surveys as part of the statewide inventory if they meet the SHPO's specified survey standards.
Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation
(Department of Interior regulations, 36 CFR 67)
1. A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
2. The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
3. Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken.
4. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
5. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.
6. Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
7. Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.
8. Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
Note: The associated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings are available on the National Park Service web site, http://www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/tax/rhb/guide.htm. The Guidelines describe how to apply the Standards.
