National Park Service Lists Two Former City Halls in the National Register of Historic Places
Former city hall buildings in Canby and Milwaukie are among Oregon’s newest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the nominations for the two properties at its June 2026 meeting. Both city halls were constructed in the 1930s with financial support from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The National Park Service (NPS), which maintains the National Register, accepted the two nominations in September 2026, for their significance in the areas of Politics/Government and Architecture. The two nominations are the most recent to be associated with the Oregon New Deal Resources from the PWA and WPA, 1933-1943 Multiple Property Document approved by NPS in 2022.
Located on Holly Street in downtown Canby, the former Canby City Hall was designed by architect George Howell Jones in the popular Colonial Revival style and completed in 1937. When first constructed, the Canby City Hall property included council chambers, city offices, a library, firehouse, and jail. It served as City Hall until 2016. Completed in 1938, the Milwaukie City Hall, located on Main Street in downtown Milwaukie, was designed by architect Walter E. Kelly in the Classical Moderne style with art deco flourishes. Like its counterpart in Canby, the building once served multiple purposes, with council chambers, city offices, fire station and library. It served as City Hall until 2022.
The Oregon New Deal Resources from the PWA and WPA, 1933-1943 Multiple Property Document (MPD) provides an overview of PWA and Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded construction projects in Oregon, establishing a framework for identifying and listing properties, built with funding through these two New Deal programs, in the National Register.
The National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Properties listed in the National Register are:
- Recognized as significant to the nation, state, or community;
- Considered in the planning of federal or federally assisted projects;
- Eligible for certain federal and state tax benefits;
- Qualified for historic preservation grants when funds are available;
- Eligible for leniency in meeting certain building code requirements;
- Subject to local laws pertaining to the conservation and protection of historic resources.
State law in Oregon requires local governments to offer a minimal level of protection for properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places; decisions about how to accomplish that goal reside with local governments, which also have the authority to create and regulate local historic districts and landmarks.
Visit the National Register program webpage at: https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/pages/national-register.aspx to explore listed properties, review eligibility criteria and the nomination timeline, access research tools, and those interested in seeing if their property is eligible can submit a Historic Resource Record (HRR) form to receive preliminary feedback from State Historic Preservation Office staff.
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