The Oregon Historic Theaters Project is spearheading a statewide initiative. Together with Oregon Main Street, Travel Oregon, and Pacific Power, the goal is to inventory, survey, and develop strategies to save and utilize threatened, historic Oregon theaters. My team and I have started the project by inventorying Oregon’s historic theaters. One question as we set out though, “What makes a theater historic?”

Well, way back in 1966, the United States Congress felt strongly enough about the preservation of historic resources to merit the creation of policy directing the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to increase nationwide preservation efforts.

Part of this new policy included the authorization to maintain the National Register of Historic Places. This list would include buildings, structures, and significant objects, designated as significant through a nomination process. The basic criteria consists of integrity, significance, and age. Integrity and significance would require at least another article to dissect. Age, however, would appear to be pretty straightforward.

The general rule of thumb for historic is at least 50 years old. But why 50?

The story goes, that when the architects of the National Register were considering their requirements, they decided that maintaining the integrity of such a list was essential. It was recognized that popular culture might sway in favor of a property that, in a few years, might lose its significance. To allow for proper study and impartiality, a retrospective two generations would allow enough time to fully understand the historic context.

So the answer to ‘why 50?’ To allow two generations of history to run its course — establishing authentic context.Two generations, twenty-five years each, or 50 years total.

However, there have been properties listed within the 50 year time span due to their exceptional importance. It seems there are always exceptions to the rule. The World Trade Center site, for example, was recently added to the Register.

So although it’s not carved in stone, the 50 year old mark was the starting point for our investigation. As of press time, our list is up to 103 theaters! That’s a lot of history.

Please stay tuned with the team blog for updates on our Oregon Historic Theater Project.

 Reference: United States Cong. Senate. “National Historic Preservation Act.” S 102-575. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print

About the Author: Rodney Bohner is a concurrent Master’s student in Community and Regional Planning as well as Historic Preservation at the University of Oregon. Originally from Pennsylvania, Rodney has worked on cultural resource projects in the Keystone state as well as Colorado, West Virginia, and Massachusetts.