516 2nd Street

A.B. AND IDA HERMANN HOUSE -- Statement of Significance: In 1907, Adam Bernard and Ida Hermann purchased this property and are credited with the construction of the residence. Mr. Hermann, who was born in Germany in 1878, first settled in the Beaver Creek area before teaching shorthand in Mount Angel. While living in Oregon City, he worked as a shipping clerk at the Hawley Paper & Pulp Company. In 1946, Ida Hermann executed a deed to Elizabeth Moloney, who resided in the house with her daughter Mary. By 1953, the property was in the ownership of Lester O. and Delia P. Hyle. The couple continued to own and occupy the house until at least 1967.

This one-story bungalow sits under a side gable roof with a shed dormer on its north side. The gable and shed roofs feature open eaves and chamfered knee brackets that project through the wide barge boards. A recessed porch runs the full width of the north façade, where large square posts support the eave. A solid balustrade runs between the posts. The house is clad with wood shingles and features cantilevered rectangular bays on the east and west sides. These bays are covered by small shed roofs with the same elements as the main gable and shed dormer. The windows are primarily 1/1 double-hung wood sash, and leaded fixed sashes exist at the bay windows and at the east end of the north porch. The windows typically feature board trim with decorative hood molding and 1/4 round apron molding. The front door, near the west end of the north side, appears to be original and is an eight-pane-over-one-panel door. At the east edge of the lot, a garage and workshop are detached from the house. The workshop features the same wood shingles as the house, with a gable roof and open eaves. The two-car garage is clad with wide wood shingles and has shallower eaves than the house or the workshop and may be a later addition to the lot. It is accessed by two large ten-panel roll up doors on the east side.

This property is a locally designated historic site located within the McLoughlin Conservation District. Contact ocplanning@orcity.org for more information.