Photos Courtesy of ARG, Portland
A 2020 Most Endangered Place is on its way to the National Register of Historic Places!
In July, Billy Webb Elks Lodge (a.k.a. Williams Avenue YWCA), listed on Restore Oregon’s 2020 list of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places, was approved by the National Park Service for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
Built in 1926 as a segregated YWCA, this cornerstone in the Albina community has served as home to the United Service Organizations (USO), a Red Cross emergency center during the Vanport flood of 1948, the NAACP, the Oregon Association of Colored Women, the Urban League, and the Congress of Racial Equality. For these associations, the building has been nominated under Criteria A for its African American social, political, educational, and civil rights significance in Portland.
Since 1959, the building has housed the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, an African American branch of the BPOE–so named because of its policy to grant membership to all qualified individuals without regard to race, creed, or ethnicity at a time when the Elks did not allow non-white members. The lodge was named for a prominent musician who led an African American Elks band that played in Portland and on steamships on the West Coast in the 1920s.
Restore Oregon is working with Billy Webb Elks Lodge leadership on pursuing planning and funding opportunities that listing in the National Register offers.
Paving the way to protect African American historic resources in Portland:
Oregon has taken a momentous step towards rectifying the racial inequity of our historical record. The African American Resources in Portland from 1851- 1973 Multiple Property Document provides a comprehensive overview of the African American experience in Portland from 1865-1973 through seven discrete thematic contexts, including settlement patterns, businesses, journalism, religion, and civil rights. These contexts illustrate the historic significance of African American property types in Portland and makes nominating them to the National Register quicker and more efficient.
Only 8% of the properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places represent African American culture and history. Through the efforts of many private parties, the Architectural Heritage Center, and the City of Portland, Oregon is now leading the way to recognizing the historical significance and contributions made by communities of color.
This decades-long effort began with several foundational documents including Cornerstones of the Community first published in 1995. It’s approval by the National Park Service signifies a more inclusive understanding of the resources most at risk in our country–those that need the most protection. It will also elevate culturally significant resources–those lacking in architectural integrity–to a level required for designation.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this remarkable undertaking!
