EDUCATION&CAREERS
Page 6
July 22, 2020
Photos by i ntisar a bioto / courtesy P orltand P lanning and s ustainability
Dean’s Beauty Salon and Barber Shop at 215 N.E. Hancock St. was established in 1954 by Mary
E.D. Cannady and Beatrice Morrow Cannady, editors of the newspa-
Rose Dean and her husband Benjamin Dean.
per The Advocate, resided at this home at 2516 N.E. 26th Ave.
Black Historic Sites Approved
c ontinued froM P age 3
as a historical black community
resource.
The designations follow three
years of coordinated research,
documentation and writing by
city staff, community members
and cultural resource experts to
recognize — not just the physi-
cal artifacts of Black history in
Portland — but the cultural as-
sociations that make them im-
portant.
Particularly for Portland’s
Black population, which has
endured displacement several
times over, the significance of
longstanding businesses, church-
es, fraternal organizations, and
other cultural and community
touchstones cannot be underes-
timated.
Stephanie Whitlock, execu-
tive director of the Architectur-
al Heritage Center and contrib-
utor to the listings application
said, “Many African American
properties that could have been
candidates for National Reg-
ister listing have already been
demolished. Even more import-
ant buildings and other resourc-
es risk disappearance from the
landscape and from our memory,
unless we take steps right away
to identify, designate, and pro-
tect them.”
The Billy Webb Elks Lodge
on the corner of North Williams
Avenue and Tillamook Street is
one such place, and marks the
first listing to occur under the
sites listed in the 191 page docu-
ment. In addition to recognizing
the importance of historic build-
ings and districts, listing in the
National Register provides dem-
olition protections and eligibility
for financial incentives, such as
grants and tax benefits.
Since its establishment in
1966, more than 700 Portland
places have been listed in the
National Register, ranging from
iconic landmarks like the Bag-
dad Theater to unique areas like
the Skidmore/Old Town District.
But prior to the National Park
Service’s announcement this
week, only three of Portland’s
700 National Register sites had
been designated for their asso-
ciation with African American
history.
The now-approved frame-
work under which properties
significantly associated with the
Black experience in Portland can
be listed in the National Register
is based on their cultural — rath-
er than architectural — signifi-
cance, including business, jour-
nalism, religion, and civil rights.
“This is another step toward
equity,” said Historic Landmarks
Commissioner Derek Spears.
“We need to continue to identi-
fy and remove barriers, allowing
all communities equal access to
protect their presence as we con-
tinue to strive for justice.”
The Bureau of Planning and
Sustainability initiated the his-
toric recognition project in
2017 following directives in
the Portland African American The Dude Ranch at 240 N. Broadway was a popular African
Leadership Forum’s People’s American nightclub in the 1940s. The venue was popular amongst
both white and Black Portlanders during World War II and shortly
c ontinued on P age 12
thereafter.