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Of the 650 nationally recognized historic landmarks in Portland, only one 鈥� Leach Botanical Garden 鈥� lies east of 82nd Avenue. When the city last inventoried its historic resources in 1984, much of East Portland, which now represents 20 percent of the city, hadn’t been annexed, and many of the properties there hadn’t reached the 50-year mark needed to qualify as 鈥渉istoric.鈥� Preservation advocates say East Portland properties need to be re-examined before historical ones are lost.

鈥淭hese early neighborhoods are a product of the post-war GI dream,鈥� said Alyssa Starelli, a real estate agent and co-founder of the Mid-Century Modern League.

With a $12,000 grant from the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, the city recently commissioned a preliminary survey of approximately 500 mid-century buildings in 28 East Portland areas. Preservation advocates say the survey will help protect some of the city’s significant historic buildings from being torn down or compromised, and will also help people looking to develop properties.

鈥淚t takes out the surprises from either end,鈥� architect Peter Meijer said.

A survey can inform developers of a property’s significance and whether there would be much resistance to its demolition or renovation.

鈥淎n inventory is a good way to get a baseline knowledge: how many historic properties there are, what condition they’re in, and the cultural value of one building versus another built in one period,鈥� Meijer said.

The city doesn’t have money to update its inventory, but the recent survey offers a preliminary look at a large unexamined area of history, said Liza Mickle, historic resources program specialist in the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

East Portland was mostly developed after World War II, and now is the best time to start thinking about its preservation, said Bernadette Niederer of Historic Preservation Northwest, a consulting firm that performed the recent survey.

The survey team found that many of the mid-century commercial buildings were gone or significantly renovated, Niederer said. 鈥淭here wasn’t really much from that period that you could say still had a lot of original elements,鈥� she said.

But a large number of neighborhoods and a handful of architect-designed homes in the area are still standing 鈥� for now.

鈥淲e’ve learned from the demolition of the Queen Annes and bungalows,鈥� Niederer said. 鈥淲e’ll come in at the front end and look at this period before we start replacing it with something 鈥榖etter.’ 鈥�

A number of large, planned developments of similar homes are still relatively intact in East Portland. The neighborhoods, not just individual houses, reveal the era in which they were built.

鈥淚t may look like a cookie-cutter ranch, but if you think of what it really represents, it’s so much more than that,鈥� Starelli said. 鈥淚t’s Portland growing up as a city, the postwar era, and the suburban lifestyle of the home as a kingdom.鈥�

鈥淚t’s a good thing that we did this study in neighborhoods and clusters,鈥� said Val Ballestrem, education manager at the Architectural Heritage Center. 鈥淚f this period of history is reduced to one house here and one house there, you lose context.鈥�

Starelli and other mid-century modern architecture enthusiasts have grown concerned about remodelers painting over mahogany paneling or installing granite countertops in mid-century kitchens.

鈥淥nce you change out windows and roof lines, you don’t have a house of any specific era anymore. It becomes architecturally insignificant,鈥� Starelli said. 鈥淭he city’s work shines a light on these homes, to focus more on preservation and less on their remodeling.鈥�

The study recommends that the city choose a geographic cluster of East Portland for more in-depth study, and perhaps work with a neighborhood on preserving its own history. For a property to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, its owner must give permission, so a grassroots effort would be essential, Niederer said.

鈥淭hat’s the role of the city and Architectural Heritage Center 鈥� to help neighbors understand that they have something significant before it gets too 鈥榤essed with,’ 鈥� Ballestrem said.

And that would at least be progress, Niederer noted.

鈥淎t least then you know what was there,鈥� she said.