Historic Landmarks Commission

An extensive network of preservation agencies at the national, state, and local levels coordinates public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our cultural and historic resources. The National Register of Historic Places was created to catalog and protect properties worthy of preservation because of their significance to our nation’s history, architecture, landscape, archeology, engineering, and/or culture. The Deschutes County HLC maintains a similar catalog of properties that contribute to the historic fabric of the county.

Not everything should be preserved. Just because a place is old doesn’t mean it should be saved. To be considered for designation, the resource must represent and reflect elements of the county’s culture, social, economic, religious, political, architectural, or aesthetic heritage.

More than 50 buildings, structures, sites, and districts have been designated for heritage preservation in rural, unincorporated Deschutes County and within the City of Sisters. These include churches, schools, bridges, homesteads, cemeteries and travel corridors.  Historic designation has many potential benefits for the community including improved public profile, heightened local pride, increased property values, attraction of new business and residential investment, and preservation of the area’s unique "look" and heritage.

In 2015, the HLC adopted the Deschutes County & City of Sisters Historic Preservation Program 2015-2020 Strategic Plan.  The strategic plan provides a framework for shaping the county and City of Sisters’ preservation programs and services over the next five years and creates a blueprint for allocating Certified Local Government (CLG) grant funding.

Other future projects include on-going research and designation of eligible sites and districts as local landmarks, public education and community outreach programs, and the integration of historic preservation with community planning and development activities.