The MAX Orange Line. Image: Trimet

With the introduction of Trimet’s Orange Line to downtown Milwaukie, there is sure to be renewed investment in the downtown area. The city block adjacent to the new Main Street Station is already seeing the introduction of shops and restaurants that provide everyday services like cell phone repair. As Portland continues to grow at an astounding rate, Milwaukie will undoubtedly receive new attention and interest as a place to live for people who want to live outside Portland urban center while maintaining accessibility to its resources.

Milwaukie’s Main Street is significant for displaying an eclectic mix of commercial architecture constructed in the 20th century – from Italianate, to Steamline Moderne, to Brutalist architecture, the buildings of downtown Milwaukie are a sight to be seen and are worthy of preservation. Main Street Milwaukie has distinctive historic character that has the potential to substantially add to the prosperity of the downtown area in the coming years. In 2006, a three and half story tall condo building replaced the only grocery store that remained in the downtown area just north of Harrison Street, removing yet another everyday service that would regularly draw residents to downtown Miwaukie regularly. New construction can threaten the character and livability of Main Street areas if the historic built environment is not considered in urban planning.

As of now, the city’s of Milwaukie’s historic resource inventory includes structures with significance architectural character from the 1800’s into the early 1900’s. The city is due to update this inventory to include structures that exhibit more recent, yet historic, architectural trends from the time of World War II to the 1970’s. In addition, Milwaukie’s historic resource inventory offers little protection from demolition to the resources that are on the list. It would be wise for the city to update the protections that this inventory offers to historic places, if the citizens wish to see Milwaukie grow with respect and deference to its history.

Additionally, should the city council and citizens be interested in such an endeavor, Milwaukie’s Main Street could be eligible for a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office’s Oregon Main Street Program. This program awards substantial monetary funds and technical assistance to downtown areas to revitalize them using design, promotion, and economic restructuring. More information is available at http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/hcd/shpo/pages/mainstreet.aspx. With careful planning in the coming years, Milwaukie has the potential to promote responsible development in tandem with realized historic stewardship.