Peacock Lane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Peacock Lane Historic District
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House on the street, decorated for the holiday season
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 Location in Portland, Oregon
Location in Oregon
Location in the United States
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| Location | Portland, Oregon, roughly along SE Peacock Lane between SE Stark and Belmont Streets |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1923–1930 |
| Built by | Richard F. Wassell |
| Architect | Richard F. Wassell |
| Architectural style | Primarily English Cottage and Tudor Revival; some Colonial Revival and Spanish Revival |
| MPS | Historic Residential Suburbs in the United States, 1830-1960 MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 100001774 |
| Added to NRHP | October 30, 2017 |
Peacock Lane is a famous four-block street in Portland, Oregon, USA. It is well-known for its amazing Christmas and holiday decorations. Every year, thousands of people visit to see the bright lights and displays. They can also buy hot cocoa, enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides, and sing carols. In 2017, Peacock Lane was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
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History of Holiday Lights
The tradition of decorating homes on Peacock Lane started way back in the 1920s. Since then, this special event has happened every year. There was only a short break during World War II. At that time, the United States was saving important resources like electricity.
Many homeowners on Peacock Lane help keep the tradition alive. When someone sells their house, they often pass their decorations to the new owners. This helps new residents join in the fun. No one has to put up lights or displays, but most choose to.
Popular Decorations and Characters
Over the years, many fun displays have become favorites. You might see Peanuts characters ice skating on a small pond. There is also a wooden Oregon State Beaver. A large wooden Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! has been a main attraction since the 1980s. The Grinch has been fixed up a few times over the years. Today, he wears a red bow to hide any old repairs.
More recently, you can find characters from Doctor Who and The Muppets. There are also displays from The Nightmare Before Christmas and Star Wars. Some houses feature characters from popular Nickelodeon cartoon shows. A life-sized picture of "Buddy" from the movie Elf (2003) is on a stand. This stand sells hot chocolate and coffee to visitors.
Keeping the Tradition Safe
As the yearly tradition grew, more and more people visited. This led to some problems for the residents. They worried about damage to their property and too much trash. There were also concerns about heavy traffic and other issues.
To help with these problems, Peacock Lane is now closed to cars on certain evenings. This makes it safer and more enjoyable for people walking. The Portland Police department also helps out. They have officers direct traffic during the busiest times.
Becoming a Historic District
In June 2017, a company bought one of the homes on the lane. They started building on the property. Residents became worried that new buildings might not match the old style of the street. Many homes on Peacock Lane were built in the English Cottage and Tudor Revival styles.
To protect these unique homes, the area was nominated for a special listing. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2017. This listing helps keep the historic look and feel of the street. Peacock Lane has 27 historic buildings. It also has six buildings that are not considered historic.
