Name: Oak Hills Historic District
Address: Roughly bounded by NW West Union Road, NW 143rd Avenue, Cornell Road and Bethany Blvd
City: Beaverton
Status: In Use
National Register of Historic Places: Listed 7/10/2013
Description:
Located in Beaverton, Oak Hills was a precedent-setting master-planned community in the Portland metropolitan area in the 1960s and early 1970s. The Planned Unit Development (PUD) is distinguished by its harmonious combination of clustered residences, open space, circulation patterns that balanced both pedestrian and automobile needs, and the architectural eclecticism emblematic of mid-1960s land use planning and architectural design. In addition to a broad range of single-family house types of various styles, the self-contained development included the state’s first FHA-insured townhouse development, a dedicated public school, church, as well as a recreational center.
In 2013, Oak Hills became Oregon’s first mid-century modern historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The special qualities of Oak Hills were noted by Diana Painter, former National Register coordinator for the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) who said “Oak Hills epitomizes the best in post-war development, emphasizing varying residential densities, mixed uses, the incorporation of open space, and land conservation.” Oak Hills was cited for setting precedents for progressive master planning and implementing self-governance in suburban developments through a homeowner association.
The Oak Hills Historic District encompasses approximately 240 acres and consists of a single, master-planned that includes 627 single-family, detached homes, 24 townhouse units in the state’s first FHA-insured townhouse development, an elementary school, a church, a former sewage plant building, a community recreation center, an entrance sign, and two parks. The district’s cohesively designed setting is characterized by a curvilinear road network, single-family residential clusters, townhouse blocks, as well as a centrally located park that includes passive open space, recreational fields, and pedestrian walkways. The individual houses feature a diversified but intentionally limited set of design schemes. A majority of the houses were constructed between 1965 and 1974. A cluster of five lots were subdivided and developed in 1978 and an additional cluster of 27 lots were developed between 1994 and 1995.
The architecture of the neighborhood consists of an eclectic blend of traditional and modern designs. Approximately 81 percent of the homes within the subdivision appear to have been built from two home-design catalogs created by the original developers; United Homes and Rummer Homes. The range of model homes and the designs in the catalogs discouraged monotony through its range of choices but nonetheless controlled the overall appearance and quality of home construction.
References
• Oak Hills Homeowners Association. 2013. “At Last, National Recognition for Oak Hills!” August, 2013 Board Newsletter. http://www.oakhillsoregon.com/uploads/2/9/8/1/29817837/_oak_hills_national_recognition_aug13boardnewsletter_5.pdf
• URS. 2013. Oak Hills Historic District National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. National Park Service.
Image Gallery
