Historic Context Statement, Cottage Grove, Oregon, August 1992

Guzowski, Kenneth

Preface: "For Cottage Grove, the proximity of the past is a blessing since so much of its history is represented in its remaining historic buildings, landscapes, views and local landmarks. In earlier years, Cottage Grove was not subject to the economic pressures t resulted in wholesale destruction of cultural resources. Because of its small size, and location at the bottom of the Willamette Valley, Cottage Grove remained a self-contained community until the 1950s when the construction of lnterstate 5 allowed for rapid transit to the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area. Lacking the demand for development Cottage Grove was left to fend for itself during the 1960s and 1970s. As Cottage Grove evolves into a tourist destination point and retirement community increasing attention needs to be given to historic preservation planning. Development pressures seem to be inevitable as more people discover the pleasant atmosphere and high degree of livability that is maintained in this town. Over the years Cottage Grove has lost a number of historic resources, mostly due to the vagaries of fires in frame buildings built prior to 1900. Other structures were lost because of changing times and modern trends and needs for building usage. Most notably on Whiteaker, Gibbs and the north side of Washington Street, where parking lots, retail establishments and office buildings were constructed. Cottage Grove has the opportunity, with its first comprehensive survey and inventory of cultural resources, to incorporate and integrate its history into future planning goals and decisions. It is hoped that this project will help to establish an identity for the community so that they can continue to work towards consensus planning and management of their cultural resources... Using the guidelines set forth by the State Historic Preservation Office in Oregon this document is a compilation of months of research that explains the history of the built environment after Euro-American Settlement in 1848. This is a context statement that discusses local history and the cultural resources that best exemplify the historic periods that were identified during the research. Principally, it is a planning document. It is also a reference document which serves as an index to the historic resources found in Cottage Grove. Through careful analysis it identifies, evaluates and suggests protection strategies for historic resources that exist within the Intensive Level Study Area of Cottage Grove, and to a much lesser degree, resources identified in the reconnaissance survey." Funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Historic Context Statement, Cottage Grove, Oregon, August 1992

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