Two historic downtown Portland buildings got a temporary reprieve from the wrecking ball.

The Hotel Albion and the United Order of Workmen Temple—both of which are 100-plus years old—in November were removed from the city’s Historic Resource Inventory (HRI) at the property owner’s request, leaving them vulnerable to possible demolition.

Restore Oregon, a nonprofit focused on preserving historic buildings, petitioned to the state Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA), claiming the city should have required a state mandated 120-day delay before removing the buildings from the HRI.

In late January, the developer, Arthur Mutal, agreed to delay the demolition until at least April 30 to allow time to settle the LUBA claim, according to information from Restore Oregon.

Sara Hottman, a spokesperson for Mayor Charlie Hales, says the city is currently looking into ways to close the loophole that almost allowed these buildings to be removed without a state mandated delay.

"[The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability] hopes to have the new zoning code finished by sometime in the fall," Hottman wrote in an email. "Brandon Spencer-Hartle has provided code language that BPS will take into consideration during its revision process."

Restore Oregon last year submitted a list of proposed policy changes that Spencer-Hartle says will close