LO Preservation Perspectives
Charmicide
Charmicide: Moving to an area to live because of its charm, but then demolishing the existing building stock to build something different thus removing the charm that attracted the residents in the first place. In 2006, “Cottage Living” magazine voted First Addition one of the ten best cottage communities in…
Historic Carman House to be Donated to LOPS
The historic Carman House, the oldest house in Lake Oswego, is to be donated to the Lake Oswego Preservation Society. The Wilmont family, descendants of the original owners, are partnering with the Lake Oswego Preservation Society to preserve the Carman House and tell the important story of the Carman Family. …
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I See a Red Brick and I Want to Paint it White
There’s something satisfying about paint. It’s a near immediate transformation that turns the old and dingy into something clean and fresh. But you might want to pause and reconsider before painting your brick or stone. When we paint these surfaces we are taking something that is fundamentally low maintenance and…
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A Warm Welcome to L.O.
In 1980, my husband accepted a job offer in Portland which meant our family would be leaving Steilacoom, WA, a small, historic town overlooking Puget Sound. We had lived there for 10 years. My husband and I were very involved in “Save Old Steilacoom,” an organization for the preservation of…
This House Matters
The Case For Preserving Our History The beautiful, historic Koehler house at 718 3rd Street in the First Addition is slated to be torn down. Based on conversations with the new owner, who recently purchased the four- bedroom, two-bath, 2859 sq. ft. house for $1,547,650, the plan is to demolish the…
The Unintentional Artist
In 1966 the Lake Oswego Development Department sent a photographer to document the condition of its downtown. Rendered in black and white, and without the context of the surrounding areas, these images simultaneously abstract a sense of place and heighten it. Presumably taken purely for pragmatic institutional purposes, through a…
Racial Diversity in Early Oswego: Asian Farmers in Oswego
The racial justice movement sparked by the death of George Floyd has caused many cities to examine their history of race relations. Lake Oswego is no exception. The city’s reputation as an exclusive white enclave has made it a poster child for white privilege. But was it always this way? …
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Racial Diversity in Early Oswego: In Search of Oswego’s Chinatown
The racial justice movement sparked by the death of George Floyd has caused many cities to examine their history of race relations. Lake Oswego is no exception. The city’s reputation as an exclusive white enclave has made it a poster child for white privilege. But was it always this way? …
Continue Reading Racial Diversity in Early Oswego: In Search of Oswego’s Chinatown
Racial Diversity in Early Oswego: Chinese Workers in the Oswego Iron Industry
The racial justice movement sparked by the death of George Floyd has caused many cities to examine their history of race relations. Lake Oswego is no exception. The city’s reputation as an exclusive white enclave has made it a poster child for white privilege. But was it always this way? …
Continue Reading Racial Diversity in Early Oswego: Chinese Workers in the Oswego Iron Industry
Racial Diversity In Early Oswego: African Americans & Native Americans
The racial justice movement sparked by the death of George Floyd has caused many cities to examine their history of race relations. Lake Oswego is no exception. The city’s reputation as an exclusive white enclave has made it a poster child for white privilege. But was it always this way? …
Continue Reading Racial Diversity In Early Oswego: African Americans & Native Americans
Walking the First Addition and discovering LO’s beginnings
In 1978, When my husband and I were house hunting in Lake Oswego for a home for our family, I fell in love with the First Addition with its many cottage-style houses and its historic feel. At that time, we decided on a bigger house and yard and a view…
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A Short History of the George Prosser Family of Oswego, Oregon
Not long after I moved to Lake Oswego, people familiar with the history of the town asked me if I was related to early pioneers, the Prosser family. I am not, but sharing the same last name naturally made me curious about them. Henry and Mary Prosser came to the…
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Favorite Places: Hunt Club
One of the buildings I love in Lake Oswego is the Oswego Hunt Barn located at 2725 Iron Mountain Boulevard. Built between 1936 and 1938, the Hunt Club is listed on both the National Register of Historic places and is a Lake Oswego Landmark. It is a symbol of the…
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