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NR Nomination

LOCATION AND PROPERTY NAME
address: historic name:Peacock Lane Historic District
Portland, Multnomah County current/other names:
assoc addresses:
block/lot/tax lot:
location descr:[District] twnshp/rng/sect/qtr sect:
PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS
resource type:district height (stories): total elig resources:27 total inelig resources:6
elig evaluation: eligible/significant NR Status: Individually Listed
prim constr date:c. second date: date indiv listed:10/30/2017
primary orig use: Single Dwelling orig use comments:Commerce and Trade: Specialty Store
second orig use: Multiple Dwelling
primary style: English Cottage prim style comments:Colonial Revival, Spanish Revival
secondary style: Tudor Revival sec style comments:
primary siding: Wood:Other/Undefined siding comments:
secondary siding: Brick:Other/Undefined
plan type: architect:
builder:
comments/notes:
3-27-2017 - Note that the survey was updated with some style and building height changes on 3-27-2017. A note was added to the 2-2016 survey file that a few changes have been made. DJP
GROUPINGS / ASSOCIATIONS
Survey/Grouping Included In: Type of Grouping Date Listed Date Compiled
   Historic Residential Suburbs in the United States, 1830-1960 MPS
   Peacock Lane Historic District Listed Historic District 10/30/2017 2017
   Portland - Peacock Lane RLS 2016 Survey & Inventory Project 2016
SHPO INFORMATION FOR THIS PROPERTY
NR date listed: 10/30/2017
ILS survey date:
RLS survey date:
106 Project(s): None
Special Assess Project(s): None
Federal Tax Project(s): None
ARCHITECTURAL / PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
(Includes expanded description of the building/property, setting, significant landscape features, outbuildings and alterations)
The Peacock Lane Historic District is a residential neighborhood composed primarily of single-family, detached houses located in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. It is within the limits of the Ex-Mayor Simon’s Addition, roughly bounded on the north by SE Stark Street; on the east by the west property line for the Laurel Park Apartments; on the south by SE Belmont Street; and on the west by the rear property line of properties facing SE Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard (39th Avenue). One building faces SE Stark Street and one faces SE Belmont Street; otherwise all buildings face Peacock Lane, forming a cohesive group of 1920s Revival style homes. The district encompasses approximately five acres. It is a rectilinear, planned community developed by a single developer and designer, surrounded by older residential neighborhoods. Peacock Lane contains thirty-three properties. Thirty-two of the properties are residential, and one is in commercial use. Of the thirty-two residential properties, one is a multi-family fourplex, while the rest are detached, single-family houses, eight of which have detached garages (Figure 6). All of these properties were built between 1924 and 1930. The majority of lot sizes for individual homes is 0.10 acres. The average square footage of residences is approximately 1,960 square feet. Architectural styles within the development are mostly English Cottage and Tudor Revival for the single-family houses, and Spanish Revival style for the multi-family and commercial buildings. The most common alterations to the buildings are the application of vinyl siding, roof material changes, garage-door replacements, minor additions, and the replacement of original windows. Changes to the overall development include the repair and partial replacement of sidewalks, replacement and/or expansion of driveways, and replacement of some trees. The scale and scope of these modifications do not affect the district’s ability to convey its historic significance. It retains its integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.
HISTORY
(Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period - preferably to the present)
The Peacock Lane Historic District, located in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon is locally significant under National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Criterion A in the area of Community Planning and Development, as an excellent and unique example of a planned community and early automobile suburb designed by a single developer, Richard F. Wassell. It was designed in the early 1920s using the English Cottage and Tudor Revival styles as a common architectural theme to create a village-like setting. Each house on the street has a unique design and incorporated a garage. Under Criterion A, Peacock Lane clearly reflects the historical development patterns and conventions of community planning in Portland during the 1930s. Peacock Lane’s physical characteristics, however, convey how the automobile influenced circulation patterns and streetscape design, as well as individual lot development, during the period of significance. The district is also eligible under Criterion C in the area of Architecture for its collection of English Cottage and Tudor Revival-style houses, most of which were designed by Richard F. Wassell. The architecture of the district is cohesive without being repetitive, an uncommon trend in the 1920s. The period of significance begins in 1923 with the erection of the first building, and continues to 1930 with the construction of the last building. These areas of significance fall within the established registration criteria of the “Historic Residential Suburbs in the United States, 1830-1960,” MPDF as a planned residential community under the Subtype III: Early Automobile Suburb. Peacock Lane is an early and unique example of a single developer, R.F. Wassell, creating a community already prepared for the automobile, seen not only in the incorporation of garages within the design of each house, but also the improved streetscape with “curbs and gutters, durable pavements, sidewalks, driveways.” The subdivision is additionally an early example of creating long blocks and reducing cross streets, a circulation hierarchy that was not commonly seen until the post-war period.
RESEARCH INFORMATION
Title Records Census Records Property Tax Records Local Histories
Sanborn Maps Biographical Sources SHPO Files Interviews
Obituaries Newspapers State Archives Historic Photographs
City Directories Building Permits State Library
Local Library: University Library:Reed College
Historical Society: Other Respository:
Bibliography:
“4 P.2d 625 (Or. 1931), Gray v. Wassell.” vLex. Accessed February 1, 2017. http://case-law.vlex.com/vid/4-p-2d-625-621773086. “35 Houses to Be Built. Wassell Estate Takes over Property East of Laurelhurst.” The Sunday Oregonian. November 25, 1923, Sunday Morning edition, sec. 2. “61 Doctors Admitted. Only 35 Fail to Pass State Board Quiz. Nine Women Practitioners among Successful Candidates.” The Morning Oregonian. August 16, 1911. “250 Dance in Lane.” Oregonian. September 7, 1941. “1902. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957.” Database on-line. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Provo, UT, USA, 2010. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=7488&h=4024843056&ssrc=pt&tid=106516032&pid=260059692455&usePUB=true. Ames, David L., and Linda Flint McClelland. “Historic Residential Suburbs. Guidelines for Evaluating and Documentation for the National Register of Historic Places.” U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, September 2002. Ames, David L., Linda Flint McClelland, and National Register of Historic Places. Historic Residential Suburbs: Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic Places. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, 2002. “Ancestry.com - U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.” Accessed February 19, 2017. www.ancestry.com. Askin, Timothy, and Ernestina Fuenmayor. “National Register of Historic Places Inventory / North Buckman Historic District.” Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, 2013. Askin, Timothy, and Tanya March. “Peacock Lane Reconnaissance Level Survey and Brief Historic Context Peacock Lane, Portland, Multnomah Co., Oregon.” Portland, Oregon: Peacock Lane Neighbors Association, September 2016. Buhl, Laura. “The Impact of Transportation Developments on Urban Form and Society in Portland, Oregon 1851-1990.” Master of Community and Regional Planning, Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management. University of Oregon, 2000. University of Oregon. Bushell, Barbara. Interview. Oral Not-Recorded, October 16, 2016. Carter, Thomas, and Peter Goss. Utah’s Historic Architecture, 1847-1940: A Guide. University of Utah Press, 1988. “City News in Brief. Lane Decorated.” The Oregonian. December 23, 1949. “City of Portland Proclamation Peacock Lane Day.” City of Portland, Oregon, August 12, 1989. Peacock Lane Neighbors Association. Clyde, Velma. “Doctor Honored by University.” The Oregonian. December 9, 1963, sec. 2. Hostess House, News for and about Women. Curran, Christine A. “National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Laurelhurst Park Historic District.” National Park Service, 1999. National Park Service. “Dance Scheduled in Peacock Lane.” The Oregonian. June 9, 1947. “Dr. N. M. Wade Services Held.” The Oregonian. December 10, 1940. Eichler, Edward P., and Marshall Kaplan. The Community Builders. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 1970. “Fine House Completed.” The Morning Oregonian. July 30, 1916. Gottfried, Herbert. American Vernacular Buildings and Interiors, 1870-1960. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2009. “Gray v. Wassell, 4 P.2d 625, 138 Or. 274.” Non-Profit Free Law Project. CourtListener, N/A. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4081508/gray-v-wassell/. Herst, Herman Jr. “The Geographical Expansion of Portland.” Bachelor of Arts in the Division of History and Social Sciences, Reed College, 1931. Reed College Library. History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea. Vol. III. Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies. Oregon: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1928. http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/wademd1388gbs.txt. Hutchison, Helen H. “Six Weddings of Importance Are Record of Week.” The Oregon Daily Journal. June 20, 1920, sec. In Society. “Individual Historic Resources and Landmarks. Historic Resources and Preservation. The City of Portland, Oregon.” Government Website. City of Portland. Planning and Sustainability, 2017. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/39750?a=132551#hri. “Jaycee Tree to Get Lights. Chamber Splits Contest.” The Oregonian. December 19, 1948, Sunday edition. Karol, Gayle. “Peacock Lane Yule Lights ’Off-On".” The Oregon Journal. December 17, 1973, sec. 4M. Linda Flint McClelland, and David L. Ames. “National Register of Historic Places Inventory /Historic Residential Suburbs in the United States, 1830-1960. Multiple Property Documentation Form.” U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, 2002. Linda Flint McClelland, David L. Ames, and Sarah Dillard Pope. “Historic Residential Suburbs in the United States, 1830-1960. Multiple Property Document.” National Park Service, 2002. National Park Service. Http://www.kshs.org/resource/national_register/MPS/HistoricResidentialSuburbsintheUS1830-1960_MPDF.pdf. “Longview Homes to Rise. Miller & King to Begin Construciton of 39 Houses.” The Sunday Oregonian. January 11, 1925. Lucia, Ellis. “Happy People of Peacock Lane. Portland’s Cheery Street.” The Oregon Daily Journal. December 14, 1958, sec. Northwest’s Greatest Features. McAlester, Virginia, and Arcie Lee McAlester. A Field Guide to American Houses. 2005th ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1984. McFadden, Nancy Kimball. “House and Home in Portland, Oregon : A Study of Ordinary Houses in Some Southeast Portland Neighborhoods at the Turn of the Century.” University of Oregon, 1993. Montgomery, Charles. Happy City. New York, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013. “New Block Planned.” The Morning Oregonian. July 15, 1917. “New Handsome Home Along the River.” The Oregon Sunday Journal. September 7, 1916, Sunday Morning edition. “Obituary. Richard F. Wassell.” The Morning Oregonian. 1927. Patricia Figuero. “National Register of Historic Places Inventory/ Ladd’s Addition Historic District.” National Park Service, 1988. National Park Service. “Peacock Lane Darkened. Gas Light Contract Expires and Residents Refuse New.” The Sunday Oregonian. November 10, 1929. “Peacock Lane Now Dark.” The Morning Oregonian. May 28, 1930. “Peacock Laners’ Party Biggest Yet.” The Oregonian. August 27, 1953. Photographic Business and Professional Directory, 1916, Portland, Oregon. American Publishing Company, 1916. “Richard Fleming Wassell.” Database on-line. Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Provo, UT, USA. Accessed February 4, 2017. http://person.ancestry.com/tree/107408380/person/100060223632/facts. “Sales and Happenings in Real Estate World. The Week’s Big Deal.” The Oregon Sunday Journal. April 12, 1914, Sunday Morning edition. Schneider, Walli. “Peacock Lane Lights Give Portland Giant Yule Card.” Oregon Daily Journal. December 22, 1945. “Selling Out.” The Sunday Oregonian. March 15, 1925, Sunday edition, sec. Advertisement Real Estate. Sheila Finch. “National Register of Historic Places Inventory/ Ambassador Apartments.” National Park Service, 1979. National Park Service. Https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/3bf365dc-6046-4ab4-8fe6-e4078d1a7861. “SIMON, Joseph - Biographical Information.” Government Website. Beographical Directory of the United States Congress. 1774-Present. Accessed February 1, 2017. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000422. “Space in Strong Demand.” The Sunday Oregonian. January 11, 1925. “State of Oregon. Motor Vehicle Registrations and Transfers. Chauffeur Registrations. Convictions.” Motor Vehicle Registration. Chauffeur Registrations. Salem, Oregon: Secretary of State, 1919 1915. Susan O. Wade. “National Register of Historic Places Inventory/ Sovereign Hotel.” National Park Service, 1980. National Park Service. Https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/6a109340-7b4a-4240-a99e-cb5ba4118ce4/. Swett, Naomi. “The Building of Peacock Lane. R.F. Wassell, Portland Builder, Succeeds with English Cottage Designs.” American Builder, 1925. Tess, John M. “National Register of Historic Places Inventory/ Morgan Building.” National Park Service, 1996. National Park Service. Https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/96001003.pdf. Tess, John M., and Richard E. Ritz. “National Register of Historic Places Inventory/ Tudor Arms Apartments.” National Park Service, 1993. National Park Service. Https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/9dd07051-3b21-40f4-8791-404d6a63b489/. “The Tudor Arms Apartments at Eighteenth and Couch Strs., Completed At/A Cost of $125,000.” The Oregon Sunday Journal. August 29, 1915, Sunday Morning edition. “W. L. Morgan, 61, Dies. Prominent Builder Long Active in Portland.” The Morning Oregonian. April 6, 1928. “Wassell, Joseph D. and Fleming A. T.” Wisconsin Genealogy Index. Marriage Record Entry for Kenosha County. Wisconsin Historical Society, June 23, 1887. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Content.aspx?dsNav=N:4294963828-4294963811&dsRecordDetails=R:MR1821689. Who’s Who in the Northwest. A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the Northwest. Vol. I. II vols. Portland, Oregon: Western Press Association, 1911. Young, Morgen. “Harriet Lawrence (1883-1974).” Educational. The Oregon Encyclopedia, 2017. https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/lawrence_harriet_1883_1974_/#.WKlOXH9Frts. “Yule Lights to Remain. Jaycees Divulge Contest Entries.” The Oregonian. December 24, 1954. Zisman, K., J. Koler, J. Morrison, B. Grimala, and A. Yost. “Portland Oregon’s Eastside Historic and Architectural Resources, 1850-1938. Amended Multiple Property Document.” Edited by Timothy Askin and Ernestina Fuenmayor. National Park Service, 2012.