Bureau of Planning and Sustainability expands documentation of LGBTQ+ Historic Sites

News Article

This summer, the City of Portland's LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project identified and documented 45 sites associated with Portland's queer history. This adds to the list of hundreds of sites already identified by the project in recent years.

History is often erased as the built environment changes. This pattern is particularly prevalent for places significant to underserved communities. In 2024, the LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project uncovered hundreds of sites significant to Portland's queer history during the 20th century. In the summer of 2025, the project team documented 45 more sites, adding to the growing list. The team focused on documenting places and queer histories related to protest, art and entertainment, health, and social connections.

"As someone who has spent nearly two decades documenting LGBTQ+ historic sites, I'm honored to support the groundbreaking efforts of Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to recognize and preserve the city's queer history. This work is not just about protecting buildings -it is about affirming that LGBTQ+ lives, struggles, and communities have helped shape Portland's cultural landscape." - Shayne E. Watson, Architectural Historian and Preservation Planner

Learn more about the report findings and key themes, and the historical significance of each property.

Uncovering history

Former residence of Portland couple Lynn Nakamoto and Jocelyn White. Nakamoto and several others formed Asian American Pacific Islander Lesbians and Gays in the house's living room in 1990.

One of the properties documented in 2025 for association with LGBTQ+ history is a home located near SE Hawthorne Blvd. that was once owned by Portland couple Lynn Nakamoto and Jocelyn White. In 1990, Nakamoto and several others founded Asian Pacific Islander Lesbian and Gays, a meet-up group that built community around queer Asian Pacific Islander experiences. Two years later, this group organized Asian American groups to speak out against the 1992 anti-LGBTQ+ Ballot Measure 9. This group is still in existence today and is now known as Asian Pacific Islander Pride. During a time when there was heightened public scrutiny around queer identities, the Nakamoto residence provided a safe space for a community to flourish.

The Nakamoto residence is one of 15 sites documented this summer that had no prior historical recognition. This site is an example of how historic preservation tools can illuminate underrepresented histories and connect those stories to present day events.

Rediscovering history

Portland City Hall was originally designated as a historic landmark in 1974 for its architectural significance. Since the early 1970s, it has been the location of important decisions related to LGBTQ+ rights.

In addition to documenting previously undocumented historic sites, there is also value in reassessing the historic significance of well-known community landmarks. Of the 45 sites surveyed in 2025, 15 were previously designated as historic landmarks for significance outside of queer history.

Portland City Hall is an example. The building was designated as a historic landmark in 1974 for its architectural significance. Since then, Portland City Hall has served as the site of several critical decisions related to LGBTQ+ rights. For example, in December 1974, City Council adopted a resolution protecting City employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation. These protections were then expanded to all places of employment in Portland in 1991. This important history is now captured alongside the original documentation, expanding knowledge of City Hall's significance to different areas of history.

"Re-evaluating historic resources showcases different sides of our histories and challenges how we tell those histories. All across the city, queer histories are intertwined in designated and undesignated landmarks waiting to be made visible. I'm proud to bring so many of Portland's rich queer histories to the forefront through the LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project's continued survey documentation." - Cayla McGrail, Associate Project Manager

What's next?

The ways in which we document, interpret, and share about history is ever evolving. Though the work of the LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project has concluded, queer history is woven into the fabric of our city, and there is more to be discovered.

As resources become available, future historic resource projects may continue to record yet-to-be-documented LGBTQ+ sites, either on a citywide or neighborhood scale. Such historic resource documentation lays the groundwork for stronger preservation tools, such as landmark designation, which requires owner consent and a formal nomination document.

More about the LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project

In the wake of erasure, gentrification and demolition, the LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project aimed to protect LGBTQ+ historic resources through a variety of historic preservation tools. Beginning in 2022, the project partnered with historians and community members to:

• Identify over 400 sites in Portland relevant to LGBTQ+ history
• Bring these historic sites to life in a narrative known as a historic context statement
• Nominate three LGBTQ+ resources in Portland to the National Register of Historic Places
• Produce a StoryMap that provides an overview of the project's findings in a compelling and accessible format

The LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project is part of the City of Portland's broad portfolio of historic resource programming. The Historic Resouces Program includes advancing historic preservation planning projects aimed at honoring histories and experiences of groups that have been underrepresented by past historic preservation activities. Special appreciations are extended to Cayla McGrail, Shayne Watson, Ernestina Fuenmayor, Kristen Minor, and countless community members for their assistance with the project.