NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional certification comments, entries, and narrative items on continuation sheets if needed (NPS Form 10-900a). 1. Name of Property historic name Oregon City Municipal Elevator other names/site number N/A 2. Location street & number 610 Bluff Street not for publication city or town Oregon City vicinity state Oregon code OR county Clackamas code 005 zip code 97045 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property _ meets _ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: national statewide local Signature of certifying official/Title Date Oregon SHPO State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official Date Title State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) _________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action 5. Classification 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Oregon City Municipal Elevator Clackamas, OR Name of Property County and State Ownership of Property Category of Property Number of Resources within Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) (Check only one box.) (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing private building(s) 0 0 buildings X public - Local district 0 0 district public - State site 0 0 site public - Federal X structure 1 0 structure object 0 0 object 1 0 Total Name of related multiple property listing Number of contributing resources previously (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing) listed in the National Register Commercial and Public Buildings and Structures in the Downtown and McLoughlin Areas of Oregon City, 1845-1963 0 6. Function or Use Historic Functions Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) (Enter categories from instructions.) TRANSPORTATION: pedestrian-related TRANSPORTATION: pedestrian-related RECREATION AND CULTURE: observation deck 7. Description Architectural Classification Materials (Enter categories from instructions.) (Enter categories from instructions.) MODERN MOVEMENT foundation: CONCRETE OTHER: Futurist walls: CONCRETE roof: CONCRETE other: 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Oregon City Municipal Elevator Clackamas, OR Name of Property County and State Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance of the property. Explain contributing and noncontributing resources if necessary. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, setting, size, and significant features.) Summary Paragraphs The Oregon City Municipal Elevator is a 130-foot tall elevator rising from an underground tunnel in downtown Oregon City to connect with the city’s second level atop a 110-foot bluff. It includes a round observation deck with a ribbon of windows that faces west over views of downtown and the Willamette River. The elevator was designed by Gordon E. Trapp (1915-2009) of the engineering firm, Stevens & Thompson of Portland, Oregon and was constructed in 1955. The elevator was designed to be futuristic in style and to incorporate minimal ornament. At the bottom of the bluff, the elevator is accessed through a square opening in a concrete wall installed at the intersection of 7th Street and Railroad Avenue. The wall fronts a 48-foot tiled tunnel that runs under Union Pacific railroad tracks at the base of Singer Hill. The tunnel can also be accessed from the north by a set of concrete stairs on the face of the bluff. Metal elevator doors are embedded in the tunnel’s eastern wall. These doors access a manned Otis elevator that rises to the center of the observation deck. The observation deck has canted walls and large windows, allowing the viewer to walk around the central elevator car and view the city and the river. From inside, one has unobstructed views of the downtown below, the Willamette Falls to the south, the Oregon City-West Linn Bridge and the Abernathy Bridge to the west and north. From the observation deck, pedestrians exit east to a paved Promenade of stone and concrete that runs along the edge of the bluff. The walkway from the elevator leads to Oregon City’s 7th Street commercial corridor, to historic sites like the McLoughlin House, and to parklands along the bluff. The elevator is the second elevator constructed at this location to help residents move easily between the city’s two primary levels. It sits against the bluff and is surrounded by the bluff’s natural vegetation. The structure is constructed of lightweight concrete and is supported by an underground foundation of reinforced concrete. Routine maintenance has occurred over the years, but the tunnel, shaft and observation deck retain excellent integrity of design, materials, workmanship, site, location, feeling and association. In 2008, an art installation was installed. The floor is painted with a map of Oregon City and the tunnel and observation deck walls are covered in historic images of Oregon City. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description Setting The elevator is accessible from both downtown and from the bluff. Its lower entrance sits at the eastern terminus of 7th Street where it intersects with Railroad Avenue. The site is highly visible as the elevator and its tunnel sit directly in the middle of the intersection against the city’s dramatic bluff. To the west of the elevator, Oregon City’s historic downtown is laid out in a two-block strip bound by the Willamette River on the west and the bluff on the east. Downtown’s mix of historic commercial buildings is within easy walking distance of the elevator. From downtown, the elevator is accessed through a tunnel that begins at grade, then dips underground and runs 48 feet east below Union Pacific Railroad tracks that are cut into the foot of the bluff. The tracks predate the elevator and are still used today by commercial and passenger rail. The basalt cliff that rises behind the elevator shaft is partially covered by mature trees, shrubs and grasses. Outcroppings of basalt are visible. To the north of the elevator is a set of concrete stairs that mark one of the original paths used by Native tribes that came down from the bluff to trade on the river. The stairs run alongside the Singer Hill Creek Falls. The falls include a series of five manmade shelves; four are 10-foot drops, one is a 12-foot drop. They are constructed of concrete and stone. 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Oregon City Municipal Elevator Clackamas, OR Name of Property County and State At the top of the bluff, the elevator’s observation deck connects to the cliff to form a wide courtyard with benches for public seating. The McLoughlin Promenade, a pathway that runs along the bluff, passes directly in front of the elevator, connecting pedestrians to Seventh Street and Singer Hill Road on the north, and an urban park on the south. Seventh Street is a major corridor for vehicular traffic and is lined with civic and commercial buildings. Seventh Street connects with Singer Hill Road, the primary vehicular path between the city’s two levels. Public walkways allow for safe pedestrian access from the elevator to the bluff, to Seventh Street, and to the McLoughlin House Museum, the first National Historic Site in the west, which is located north of the elevator. Other pedestrian destinations include City Hall and Oregon City’s Carnegie library. The elevator shares the bluff with commercial and residential development. Directly east of the elevator are mid- to late-20th century commercial buildings. To the south, commercial buildings give way to residences dating from as early as the 1870s. These buildings are all included in the McLoughlin Conservation District. The McLoughin Conservation District encompasses the blocks between the bluff and Van Buren Street. The district is bound by Clinton Street on the South, and by 14th Street on the North.1 Physical Description The elevator is constructed of more than 751 tons of concrete and steel. The elevator is 130 feet high, and ascends from downtown to the bluff in 15 seconds. The elevator’s observation deck is cantilevered over downtown. It is constructed of a lightweight concrete called Haydite, provided by the Smithwick Concrete Product Company.2 Haydite “is made by heating carefully selected shale in a rotary kiln to a 2200 degree temperature.