807 5th Street

GEORGE RANDALL HOUSE -- Statement of Significance: In 1889, George W. and Mary Randall purchased this property and are responsible for the subsequent construction of the house. Mr. Randall was born in England in 1841 and, at age 16, worked his way across the Atlantic as a cabin boy. After years in the Connecticut mills, Randall and his wife Mary arrived in Oregon, via the Isthmus of Panama, in 1868. The couple purchased land on the outskirts of town and grew crops, which were shipped to San Francisco. The house was built in c.1905 for the Randalls upon their retirement. By 1931, the property had been sold to Lottie J. Crawford, who resided at 508 Jefferson. Although Crawford resided in the house in the late 1940s and owned it until 1981, it appears to have used primarily as a rental. Tenants during her ownership included Rose Hartley, a stenographer at the Oregon City Public Library and Charles A. Coffman, a mechanic for the local board of education.

This 1-1/2 story house sits under a side gable roof, with a gabled bay projecting out to the south from the east end of the primary façade. A recessed porch is present at the southwest corner of the house, where the eave is supported by Tuscan porch columns with entasis. A small shed dormer is centered above the porch in the main gable. All of the gables feature enclosed eaves, decorative barge moldings, and gable end returns. The first floor of the house is clad with horizontal drop siding above a prominent water table. A belt course surrounds the house between the two floors, providing a transition to the decorative imbrication at the second floor level in the gable ends. This imbrication is battered above the belt course, and features rectangular, hexagonal, fishscale, and octagonal courses. The windows in the house are primarily 1/1 double-hung wood sash with plain board surrounds, projecting sills, and apron moldings. Under the southeast gable the first floor is octagonally shaped, with a rectangular second floor above the belt course, which is ornamented with small pendants at the corners. The house sits on a board formed concrete foundation and has recently seen the replacement of the porch balustrade. There is a garage behind the house to the north.

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