The City of Beaverton plans to demolish a midcentury building and shutter 60+ small businesses, replacing it with temporary parking while a long-term redevelopment plan for a mixed-use high rise building is in the works. 

For 55 years The Peaks have served a variety of historic businesses and their customers. It has been the Design Center, Brothers Trading Post, Washco Garden center, the Ski Shack, Ludeman’s Home Center, and now Curiosities Vintage and the Beaverton Flea. The City took ownership of the building in January 2018 and on June 20, 2019 gave the current tenants 60 days notice to vacate the property. The building is part of a planned redevelopment area and the City has stated it plans to use the land as temporary surface parking, citing its legal requirements to provide parking during construction, even at the expense of displacing small businesses. While a previously completed historic resource survey of the area identified nearby buildings as "not eligible," it appears to have skipped over the Peaks building and did not make a determination one way or the other as to the building's eligibility for listing as a historic site. 

Docomomo US/Oregon is asking members of the public to sign a petition (link below) and/or send an email to the Beaverton Mayor’s Office/Community Development Department. 

So far, over 3,300 testimonials and petition signatures have been collected. Here is what people are saying:

"Stop tearing down your history for the benefit of the developers. People and iconic buildings and thriving small businesses are what make areas like this desirable communities. Your citizens and their tax dollars deserve better."

"This building is a retail space for 60 small business owners, many of whom utilize this space as a major source of income. Furthermore, this building and it’s retail businesses supply the character, uniqueness and appeal that is disappearing as the city of Beaverton moves towards “developing” the area."

"The value of vintage architecture can be hard to calculate, but this mid century building is a landmark and treasure. Beaverton has more than its share of malls - it needs to work in preserving what little history it has left, not destroying it. This deserves protection."

Visit SavethePeaks.org to read more.

Threatened Sites