The following test is taken from the NRHP Nomination Form to describe this district's significance:
Roseburg Downtown Historic District is a roughly rectangular shape located in downtown Roseburg, Oregon. The district encompasses 94.3 acres and covers portions of 36 city blocks. The district is located in Township 27 South, Range 5 West, Section 19 and Township 27 South, Range 6 West, Section 24 in Douglas County, Oregon. The district is comprised of commercial and residential buildings associated with early proprietors and professional people who worked in the downtown area. In addition, there are also public, fraternal, and religious buildings.
The district is roughly bounded on the north by Deer Creek, a small stream flowing west into the South Umpqua River; on the east by Fowler, Chadwick, and Kane Streets; on the south by Mosher Street; and on the west by the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. It encompasses the areas of the Original Downtown Roseburg Plat, registered by Aaron Rose in 1857, and the Second Railroad Addition, registered in 1873.
There is a total of 199 resources in the district. Of these, 122 are considered historic contributing resources, 51 are considered historic non-contributing resources and 26 are considered non-historic non-contributing resources in the district.
There are also six resources that were previously listed on the National Register and 14 vacant lots.
The period of significance for the district is from 1890 to 1961. This period begins with the earliest extant building remaining in the district with a high degree of historic integrity dating to its period of construction (there are earlier buildings that are extant, but alterations date to later periods) and ends with 1961, two years after a devastating explosion rocked downtown Roseburg, damaging or destroying most of the buildings in the area. The explosion is locally referred to as the Blast (and is referred as such throughout this document). [See Section 8 for detailed information about the Blast and Criterion Consideration G.] The majority of the buildings in the district retain integrity from this period of significance.
ARCHITECTURAL STYLES, BUILDING TYPES, MATERIALS AND USES
Building dates in the downtown Roseburg area range from the late 1860s to the 1990s. More than half were constructed prior to 1930, with thirty-six dating to the late 19th century and eighty-nine dating to 1900-1929. Due to the effects of the relocation of the major rail line through the Natron pass and the consequent bypassing of Roseburg in 1927, coupled with the effects of the Great Depression, only eighteen buildings were constructed in the downtown area of Roseburg between 1930 and 1949. By the early 1950s, Roseburg was experiencing a strong resurgence, in large part due to the booming lumber industry. Between 1950 and 1958, twenty-two buildings were constructed within the district area. Another fourteen were constructed between 1959 and 1961, the period of rebuilding in downtown Roseburg following the Blast that damaged or destroyed most the downtown buildings. From 1962 to the present, there have been twenty-six buildings constructed within the district.
EFFECTS OF THE BLAST
The 1959 Blast and the subsequent rebuilding that occurred had a substantial effect on the downtown district. The explosion demolished a number of buildings nearest the blast site; damage to others within the district ranged from extensive to moderate. Many of the alterations that occurred as part of this rebuilding are still intact today and have become, in their own right, character-defining features of the buildings damaged by the Blast. A number of buildings retain elements of their earlier history, although almost all include some elements of history associated with the Blast.
It should be noted that almost all buildings that pre-date 1959 have had most or all of the windows replaced; particularly hard hit were the stained glass windows in the churches. Some of the window replacements included the replacement of window frames as well as glass; others included slightly enlarged openings for the newer windows. Typically the window replacements were metal framed rather than wood framed, taking advantage of the then-current building trend to use metal framed windows.
In addition to window replacement, a number of buildings in downtown Roseburg received exterior damage to walls, roofs, parapets and cornices. Roofs were repaired or rebuilt where necessary. A number of cornices were removed and a number of parapets, especially along the east side of Jackson Street, were shortened giving some buildings a rather "lopped" off at the top appearance. Walls that were structurally damaged were repaired. Damaged wall surfaces were covered with applied finishes, such as stucco, or with attached materials like corrugated steel sheeting or plywood. The resulting appearance on some buildings is a mix of architectural stylistic elements and building materials, a blending of the original and the "modern." In a few cases, the business owners took full advantage of the situation to completely "modernize" their building fronts, which now bear almost no resemblance to the buildings' pre-blast appearances.
The interiors were damaged as well, although of little consequent to this district nomination. The concussion from the explosion not only broke the windows, but in many cases resulted in plaster and wall-board failure, cracked chimneys, and extensive damage to furnishings and inventories (mostly due to glass caused damage).
The 1959 Blast was, unarguably, the most significant event in Roseburg's history. It changed the face of downtown Roseburg in many ways. The results, many of which are still clearly apparent on buildings within the district, are as important to the history of Roseburg as historic buildings that are intact from their earlier dates of construction. The rebuilding that occurred following the Blast is significant in its own right and the alterations that remain from that time period are a significant piece of the fabric of the downtown district.
Unlike many other historic districts, the Roseburg Downtown Historic District contains a very detailed list of contributing buildings and structures and each is listed with a specific inventory number along with a date of construction, an address and classification.
My posted coordinates place you at the heart of the downtown historic district at Eagles Park and a good starting point to tour the historic district.