In their 1991 report, Eugene Downtown Core Area Historic Context Statement, the City of Eugene Planning Division and historic preservation expert Jonathan M. Pincus highlighted what was then the Westside neighborhood as an area of important historical significance, noting:

The area between 7th Avenue and 13th Avenue and Jefferson and Lincoln contains one· of the highest concentrations in the city of houses of potential significance, architecturally and through association with historically significant persons or broad cultural history. The concentration of resources differs only slightly between Jefferson and Monroe. Potentially significant resources are liberally distributed throughout the western portion of the neighborhood from all periods of the neighborhood's development. 

The authors expressed concern that economic pressures could have negative impacts on the preservation of historic resources in the neighborhood and recommended a follow-up survey to assess those resources. Fortunately for the JWN, the Eugene Cultural Resource Inventory, which surveyed 287 structures, the Eugene Westside Survey Completion, which surveyed 733 structures, and the Eugene Westside & Jefferson Survey, which surveyed 68 structures, were conducted in the mid and late 1990s. While these surveys do not account for every structure in the JWN, the results reveal that much of the neighborhood’s construction dates back to the early and mid 1900s. In fact, unlike the core downtown area where most older buildings were demolished using federal urban renewal funds, adjacent areas such as the JWN were spared the wrecking ball and “retain character-defining features from the periods prior to 1941.” 

Research on historic districts has found that the process of exploring if an historic district is possible—even if the end result is no historic district—promotes active community participation, encourages inclusiveness among diverse groups, and creates lasting bonds among community members. In addition, researching historic areas provides a space for documenting the diverse stories of past and present neighbors.  That is, historic preservation also involves cultural preservation, as with the Lane Arts Council Eugene Historic Sites Tour. The JWN has a long history of promoting belonging and inclusiveness, as with our epic summer picnic that highlights neighborhood businesses, nonprofits, and other groups and draws a diversity of neighbors for good conversation, good food, and good fun.