Architecture/House I.D.

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Expert: Rikki Nyman - 8/8/2009


Question

Front of house
Hello, I'm wondering if our house might be eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1935, and the road was named after the man that lived here originally. The house is located in the Rosedale district, in Marion County, a few kilometers south of Salem, OR. Would this be considered Tudor style of architecture?
Thank you.

Answer
Yours is a very cute Modern English cottage with a strong Tudor influence as evidenced by the half-timbered, catslide gable. It's a smaller, streamlined version of the larger English Revival style residential architecture of the 1920s. Smaller became much more beautiful during the 1930s.

The most important key to inclusion for cultural historical lists is that the building be original with few if any "improvements."

To be placed on the Register, typically a building needs to be at least fifty years old and have some historical or architectural significance. (http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/national_register_fundamentals.htm)

I am not familiar with the Rosedale area at all and only a bit with Salem, but there may be city historic districts for your area. If not, you might want to investigate creating one for your neighborhood. Salem may have a cultural resources inventory and your home would probably qualify for that.

Organizing your neighborhood and creating a historic district can increase property values and limit the amount of development that can result in neighborhood degradation. There aren't usually tax or other financial incentives available immediately, but it does establish livable neighborhoods and enhanced home values over time.

Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Rikki Nyman
www.antiquehomestyle.com

Rikki Nyman

Expertise

Residential architectural questions concerning houses designed between 1900 and 1950, where the question pertains specifically to styles, designs, plans, building materials, color schemes, paint colors, interior finishes and so on. I am NOT qualified to answer engineering questions or issues involving construction methods, plumbing, electrical and the like. For example, I can describe what an appropriate color scheme would be for a vintage 1920s kitchen, or sources for plans for Storybook Style houses. I can not tell someone how to replace the electrical wiring in their old home.

Experience

I have been researching old houses and writing about them for more than five years. (See www.antiquehomestyle.com, which is my site.)

Organizations
Oregon Historical Society Architectural History Center, Portland Oregon

Publications
www.antiquehomestyle.com

Education/Credentials
B.S. History, Minor in Architectural Design

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