Bluegrass house concert Sept. 29 to benefit JWN historic district

from Jefferson Westside Neighbors

A house concert featuring the all-women, all-star bluegrass band Pants with Pockets will perform at a benefit for the Jefferson Westside Historic District Sunday, Sept. 29, 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 971 W. Broadway.

Pants with Pockets is a group of Eugene string queens. Each one of these stellar musicians hails from various local bluegrass groups including Meadow Rue, Cherry Hill, and Bake Club. Joining us will be Heather Davis (voice, washboard), Bonnie McDonald (voice, bass, guitar, and more), Tanya Bunson (fiddle), and Sarah Holtschalg (accordion, saw, guitar, voice).

A tax-deductible donation of $20 is suggested and larger donations are greatly appreciated. All proceeds will go toward Phase 3 of the Jefferson Westside Historic District Task Force Project. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. and the show starts at 4 p.m.

Jefferson Westside is a historic neighborhood. The National Trust defines houses, apartments, and other buildings as historic when they are 50 years old or older. A 1991 report about Eugene’s history included this about our area: “Potentially significant [historic] resources are liberally distributed…from all periods of the neighborhood’s development.”

Jefferson Westside Neighbors (JWN) has formed a task force to explore the possibility of creating one or more historic districts within our boundaries. Historic districts produce many positive outcomes, such as:

• Increased community participation and commitment to the neighborhood.
• Greater diversity in residents’ income levels, consistent with what we have in the JWN.
• Stabilized property values, more reinvestment, affordable housing, and job creation.

Several facts dispel common misconceptions about historic preservation and historic districts:

• Historic preservation means maintaining the neighborhood’s character, not keeping everything the way it is or was. Projects that need a building permit are reviewed by the planning department to ensure compatibility and overall fit with the neighborhood.
• Historic districts promote diversity because of built-in advantages: a mix of housing, good access to public transit, and built-in social infrastructure. That’s the JWN!
• Historic districts include a mix of housing. The JWN has a large share of the city’s affordable middle housing and historic rental properties.

The JWHDTF exceeded our initial fundraising goal, raising $3,500 from individual neighbors including a $1,500 matching grant from the Eugene Emeralds. This funded exploratory efforts and retained the services of Jonathan Pincus, a respected historic preservation expert, to guide our volunteer/unpaid research and to help us determine whether the JWN should apply for historic district status.

Jonathan is a longtime resident of the area who has worked closely with the Eugene Planning Department and other local, regional, and national clients. To date we have trained volunteers, converted the old scanned assessment files to an editable format, and mapped resource locations. We are in the process of updating the resource surveys.

The JWHDTF earned a city of Eugene Neighborhood Matching Grant of $5,000 in summer 2024. We were awarded funding to more completely research and document the feasibility of a national historic district designation in the JWN, as well as continue our outreach efforts. The next round of funding will continue to support our consultant’s in-depth research and development of a report on the historic elements in the neighborhood.

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation! To donate online, go to the project’s GoFundMe page at gofundme.com/f/jwn-historic. We also accept checks. Make checks payable to Eugene Neighbors Inc. and put “JWN Hist Dist” in the memo. Mail to or drop off checks at 971 W. Broadway, Eugene, OR 97402.

Eugene Neighbors Inc. is a nonprofit umbrella organization that allows donations to neighborhood associations to be tax-deductible. All funds contributed are dedicated to this project.

The JWN Historic District Task Force includes Joanna Bell, Sandra Bishop, Stephanie Coopman, Sue Cummings, Mary Farrington, Kathy Grey, David Gusset,  Dave Hurst, Rene Kane, Penelope Melquist, Marty Moran, Rockey Sigloh, and Charlotte Young.