National Park Service Lists Arthur H. Devers House in National Register of Historic Places

The Arthur H. Devers House in northwest Portland is among Oregon’s newest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. The State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) recommended the nomination at its October 2025 meeting for the property’s association with prominent turn-of-the-century Portland businessman and civic leader Arthur H. Devers. The National Park Service, which maintains the National Register, accepted the nomination in late February 2026.

Completed in 1891 and located at 1125 NW 21st Avenue, the Devers House served as the longtime residence of Arthur H. Devers during the most formative years of his commercial and civic career. Devers was a co‑owner of Closset & Devers, one of the Pacific Northwest’s first prominent coffee and tea importers, and by the early twentieth century had become one of Portland’s better known business figures. While living in the house between 1891 and 1908, he played a central role in shaping major regional initiatives, including planning the Lewis and Clark Exposition of 1905, securing political support and federal funding for the Dalles‑Celilo Canal, and helping establish the “City Beautiful” committee that evolved into the Civic Improvement League, which later commissioned Edward Bennett’s Progressive‑era plan for Portland. The house is the property most directly associated with Devers during this influential period, and it reflects the social aspirations and rising prominence of a self‑made leader whose impact on Portland’s commercial and civic development was widely recognized.

The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Properties listed in the National Register are:

• Recognized as significant to the nation, state, or community;
• Considered in the planning of federal or federally-assisted projects;
• Eligible for certain federal and state tax benefits;
• Qualified for historic preservation grants when funds are available;
• Eligible for leniency in meeting certain building code requirements;
• Subject to local laws pertaining to the conservation and protection of historic resources.

State law in Oregon requires local governments to offer a minimal level of protection for properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places; decisions about how to accomplish that goal reside with local governments, which also have the authority to create and regulate local historic districts and landmarks.

Interested in learning more about the National Register of Historic Places? Visit the National Register program webpage at https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/OH/pages/national-register.aspx to explore listed properties, review eligibility criteria and the nomination timeline, access research tools, and—if you are curious whether your property might qualify—submit a Historic Resource Record (HRR) form to receive preliminary feedback from State Historic Preservation Office staff.