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5th Avenue Area <br />The 5th Street Market is one of the best loved and <br />most successful places downtown. It is a downtown <br />destination for workers, residents and visitors. A <br />number of other popular places are located along <br />5th Avenue, including shops and restaurants. <br />Rehabilitation of the train depot at the north <br />terminus of Willamette Street just north of 5th <br />Avenue is underway. Future improvements may <br />include a railway overpass, a vehicular and pedes- <br />trian loop and a public plaza. Much of the train <br />depot area is designated and zoned for industrial <br />uses. This area will be redesignated and rezoned to <br />allow commercial development compatible with the <br />adjacent downtown area. Projects that help to "fill <br />in" the missing pieces between activity areas are <br />especially encouraged. <br />Historic Properties <br />Historic properties are special places downtown. <br />Not coincidentally, many historic structures are <br />located along the Great Streets. These structures <br />remind us of the history of our community and the <br />architectural heritage that characterizes Eugene. <br />They deserve recognition through informational <br />plaques and walking tour brochures. Some of <br />the historic crown jewels include the WPA-era post <br />office and the McDonald Theater on Willamette <br />Street, the Oregon Electric Station on 5th Avenue, <br />and the Tiffany Building on 8th Avenue. <br />The Historic Places rnap on page 47 indicates <br />properties of historic interest downtown. Some <br />of these properties have been designated as City <br />of Eugene Historic Landmarks or as National <br />Register properties; the remainder are older <br />structures that reinforce the sense of history and the <br />walkable character of downtown. <br />New development needs to respect the quality of <br />historic structures. It is not typically necessary to <br />duplicate older buildings in terms of details or styles. <br />Instead, new design must be sensitive to historic <br />context and character; such as maintaining the same <br />street orientation, setback or quality of materials. <br />New buildings must preserve and capitalize on the <br />value of historic structures. <br />The City encourages listing of significant structures <br />in the National Register of Historic Places or as <br />City Landmarks. Historic preservation planning <br />identifies resources that are traditionally over 50 <br />years of age, so many modern era (1935-1965) <br />resources are coming into their own for consider- <br />ation as landmarks. Properties listed as historic are <br />eligible for financial incentives and special consid- <br />eration for flexibility with the land use code. <br />Listing of historic structures increases our under- <br />standing of local history, people and places and <br />helps preserve these properties for the future. <br />Listing of historic structures as city landmarks <br />requires consent of the property owner, public or <br />private. <br />ff <br />The First Christian Church, constructed in 191 I, <br />is one of the crown jewels of existing historic <br />properties downtown. <br />EUGENE DOWNTOWN PLAN APRIL 2004 21 <br />