The Malmgren Garage in Talent, Jackson County is among Oregon’s latest entries in the National Register of Historic Places.

Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the property’s nomination at their March 2024 meeting. The National Park Service—which maintains the National Register—accepted the nomination on May 9, 2024.

The Malmgren Garage was constructed in 1924 for Theodore and Frederika Malmgren. Theodore Malmgren was a southern Oregon physician and one of the first doctors in southern Oregon to purchase an automobile so he could provide patient care throughout rural Jackson County.

The property is locally significant under National Register Criterion A, in the area of Commerce, for its association with the commercial development of Talent and the community’s expanded economy in the years after World War One as the result of the development of the Pacific Highway and increased reliance on private automobiles that replaced train travel.

The Malmgren Garage is also significant under Criterion C, in the area of Architecture, as an exemplar of its type. The Malmgren Garage reflects the simple utilitarian garage building designs developed to respond to the shift toward automobile transportation that occurred in the early 20th century.

Restored and rehabilitated following damage resulting from the Almeda Fire in 2020, the Malmgren Garage retains the original material and exterior finish of its characteristic concrete walls, its auto-related deep setback from the public right of way, and the false front typical of the modest commercial designs of Talent’s downtown.

The Malmgren Garage is one of five individually listed historic properties in Talent. The National Register of Historic Places was established as part of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings can be found online at www.oregonheritage.org (listed under “designate”).