PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - With its nomination accepted on Feb. 10, the Juniper House in the Buckman neighborhood is now the fourth LGBTQ+ site in Portland to become a part of the National Register of Historic Places.
The first HIV/AIDS end-of-care home of its kind, not only in the Pacific Northwest but across America, cofounders Doug Foland, Jen Weyeneth and John Trevitts were looking for a place to provide compassion during a time when it was essentially non-existent.
"We would see someone living here and they were a person, they were an AIDS patient, but they were a person and that's how we treated everyone," Weyeneth said.
Lasting from May 1987 to September 1989, the facility on 2006 Ankeny Street not only showcased the importance of dignified treatment for patients but also went a long way in pushing local and national healthcare facilities, along with the state and national government, to reform their policies on the human immunodeficiency virus.
"The topic was such a leper topic," Foland said. "People treated you like you had leprosy."
"With the AIDS conversation, there were whispers, there was an AIDS patient on the respiratory floor of a hospital, and the nurses were like, 'he has AIDS,'" Weyeneth said. "I was like it's common sense, lets figure this out."
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Converting a former single-family home, the long-time Portland residents helped take care of around 90 people during that time and their legacy will now live on through this distinction.
Cayla McGrail, associate project manager of the LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project, said it's a well-deserved honor.
"Juniper House joining these sites across the state and country can help tell the stories of HIV and AIDS, survival, community, and grassroots efforts from people like Doug and Jan," McGrail said.
The house itself was built in 1902 and for the past 15 years, the property has been owned and managed by mental health professionals Kay Gage and Joe Doherty. The pair has made it a point to continue its legacy of helping others.
"It's continuing in its original intention, it's like the building was destined to be a healing center," Gage said.
The long-time therapists say they're waiting to hear from those groups working with the National Register of Historic Places about a potential plaque or monument, and a place to share its deep-rooted connection to the Rose City.
"Whether it was women, mentally ill patients or people dying of HIV/AIDS, it's always been about people coming together to help other people," Doherty said. "That's what I love that this building represents, supporting others."
As part of the National Register, the site is now protected from demolition as well as eligible for grants and additional funds needed for any possible upkeep. Ensuring this historically inclusive space will be there for others to admire for decades to come.
"I think you can just feel it, that warmth of comfort kind of feeling," Weyeneth said.