The Sights/Stops
Italic words are defined in the information packet
** All arranged in chronological order.
The first 27 sights in Northwest Portland’s Alphabet District (Couch's Addition), owes its existence to Captain John Couch, his family, and in-laws. Development in the area includes everything from fairly modest homes to mansions – not to mention vibrant commercial areas.
Dressed in magnificent architecture that still manages to create small, friendly blocks for strolling and saying hello to strangers, and adorned with a glistening necklace of a river and the snowy tiara of Mt. Hood, Portland remains the true beauty she was when Overton and Lovejoy fell in love with her all those years ago. You are bound to come away bewitched as well.
Italic words are defined in the information packet
** All arranged in chronological order.
The first 27 sights in Northwest Portland’s Alphabet District (Couch's Addition), owes its existence to Captain John Couch, his family, and in-laws. Development in the area includes everything from fairly modest homes to mansions – not to mention vibrant commercial areas.
- Rich Hotel – shortly before WWII, there were about 125 small hotels run by the Japanese here in what was known as Little Tokyo, including the Northern Hotel, now called the Rich. Within this area there were 2 dept. stores, a daily newspaper, bath houses & 2 Buddhist temples.
- The Merchants Hotel – 1880 – the Nicolai Brothers, natives of Saxony Germany, moved to Portland in 1868, where they founded the Nicolai Brothers Co., a lumbering, planning mills & a sash and door plant. Their sash & door plant was located on the entire block right there. With profits, the brothers built the merchants hotel in 1880. The large cast iron hotel was only 3 blocks from all the railroad and steamer landings and was first class in all its appointments, reads its ad. It appears the same as it did then. Rt. on Davis; Rt. on 1st
- Blagen Block – 1888 – Danish immigrant Neils Blagen constructed this cast iron building. He later used his construction skills to bring one of the 1st railroads over the Rockies importing 300 Chinese laborers to complete it. Constructed for the WC Noon Bag, tent awning & sail making business, one of the largest of its kind in the NW. 2 special steam elevators carried the canvas from the basement to the 4th floor. Especially durable elevator construction allowed for the weight & vibrations of the machinery. The building was, according to sources of the time, one of the most substantial pieces of architecture in the city, and remains the last of the many large 4th floor commercial palaces which once dominated this section of the city. It is presently owned by the University of Oregon and becoming a “green” building.
- Norton House – In 1877, the “West Shore” a famed promotional magazine, described the Norton House as “possessing all the modern Improvements and located near the railroad and steam boat landings with street cars passing the house every 5 minutes.” The sole brick building in the area may have had difficulty maintaining a 1st class hotel status, surrounded as it was by mud and squalor, sailor’s saloons, laundries, heavy industry and houses of ribald reputation. The original 3 story building was reduced by 1 when a fire raged through the 3rd floor. Rt. on 2nd, left of Davis
- Old Town Pizza: Portland’s Favorite Haunt
Rich in history, Old Town Pizza was founded in 1974. A constant presence at Old Town Pizza is Nina (pronounced “Nigh-na”), their resident ghost. Nina is often seen in a black dress observing diners and wandering the basement below.
Nina’s been there for more than 100 years. Old Town
Pizza sits in the original Merchant’s Hotel lobby. Underneath the floor boards are the Shanghai Tunnels.
Old Town Pizza sits in what used to be called the Old North
End, a section of the city with a rather questionable
reputation. Despite the upstanding clientele of the Merchant
Hotel, even it was known for offering one of the oldest
professions in the world: prostitution. As legend goes, one of
the young “working women” was Nina, sold into this life by a
thriving white slavery market. In an effort to clean up the
neighborhood, traveling missionaries convinced Nina to
share information in exchange for freeing her from a fate
she did not choose. Nina cooperated but soon afterward was
found dead in the hotel, now Old Town Pizza. Thrown down
the elevator shaft, Nina is reported to have never left the
building. Could it be Nina who carved her name in the brick
of the old elevator shaft, now the backdrop of a cozy booth in
the rear of the restaurant? Rt. on 6th - Union Station – 1896- originally the brainchild of Henry Villard, a businessman who controlled the Oregon and Transcontinental Company, owner of several railroads in the region, and the original designer of the Portland Hotel. Villard organized the Northern Pacific Terminal Co. to construct and operate a railroad station in Portland. Villard went bankrupt before the project was begun, so the subsequent owners, through a Missouri architectural firm designed this building. The building is Queen Anne, vaguely Richardsonian in style. The tower once offered a nice view of the city. In its day, it served 74 trains daily. In 1971, it became the Amtrak station.
- Customs House – (NW Davis & ?) Portland’s status as the northwest’s chief port caused so much activity that by 1897 a new Customs House was needed. When the US Treasury built it, no expense was spared---outfitting the imposing edifice with a grand staircase, cast-iron basastrades, brass fittings and oak paneling. Lavish courtrooms were added to use by the federal court. But, at the time, considered “too far out of town”, the courtrooms were never used.
- Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant Church/Swedish Tabernacle - erected 1912- (1624 nw Glisan) the church, organized in 1887, erected the building as their permanent home replacing an earlier Gothic-styled structure on the same site. A cross originally surmounted the central parapet. It served as the social and religious center until 1953,when the building, which has a balconied auditorium, became the local longshoreman’s union. And in the late ‘1990s, became the Mcmenamin's Mission Theatre.
- Wickersham Apartment Building - erected 1910- (410 nw 18) with its restrained parapet gables, oriel windows and mullioned windows, the structure is in the jacobethan style, as is the Heathman Hotel and the University Club. This handsome building is in near original condition and features four-story galvanized iron bay windows on three facades, and elaborately detailed exterior brickwork.
- Trenkmann Houses – 1890- (525 nw 17, 526 nw 18, 1704-1734 nw Hoyt), built as single-family rental units, the eight houses are all of balloon-frame wood construction on brick foundations and exemplify the Queen Anne / Eastlake style.
- Campbell Townhouses –1893- (1705-1719 nw Irving and 715-719 nw 17th). Consists of six attached buildings, located in the elite area earlier known as Knob Hill, and are the only examples of brick row houses in Oregon. With pairs of projecting bays on each facade, the townhouses exhibit Queen-Anne style detailing. The buildings retain much of their integrity, with virtually no structural modification, all of the original doors, and almost all of the original interior woodwork and moldings.
- Couch Family Investment Development –erected 1884-(1721-1735 N.W. Irving) Are 3 identical Queen Anne’s, which were originally a group of 8 residences, built on this block in the 1880s. They represent an eclectic mixture of Victorian, Queen Anne, and Eastlake styles, and are an early example of tract houses in Portland.
- Temple Beth Israel-erected 1926- (1931 nw Flanders) is in the Byzantine style tradition, and is significant as both an architectural and religious landmark. The sandstone, brick and stone structure was designed by noted Portland architect, Herman Brookman. When completed, a Portland newspaper commented “the edifice may be taken as a tribute to Portland art, as well as the foresight of those who planned it.” The congregation was organized in 1858.
- Dayton Apt. Building - erected 1907- (2056 nw Flanders) the edifice features an imposing tetra style portico with colossal fluted columns, characteristic of the Colonial Revival style. In addition to the exterior, many of the original interior details, such as the central stairway, steam radiator and beveled and leaded glass panels, remain intact.
- Day Building - 1907- (2068 nw Flanders) with the extravagant front façade is an apt. building. Its large fluted columns are topped with ornate Corinthian Capitals, making it a striking Colonial Revival building.
- The MacKenzie residence, (615 N.W. 20th Ave.), is one of the few entirely stone houses in Portland, and is ranked among the city’s best works of architecture. It was built in 1888 by Dr. Kenneth A.J. MacKenzie. It is of Richardsonian architecture. . . and seen for the 1st time in Portland is the eyebrow dormer above the entrance." Dr. Mackenzie died in 1920 and the house remained with the family until 1936. It is currently housing the William Temple House, a faith-based human services agency affiliated with the Episcopal Church.
- Lewis Mills House - 1916- (2039 nw Irving) Boston architect Charles Collidge designed this Colonial Revival style townhouse for noted Oregon lumberman Lewis Mills. The symmetrical house is located in the Nob Hill district. It is in excellent condition and has been well restored. Lewis Mills was Harvard educated and a leader in the lumber industry In Oregon. Upon completion, the house was given to his new bride, Miss Elinor Lewis, as a wedding present.
- Linnea Hall - 1909- (2066 nw Irving) the Swedish society Linnea was organized in 1888 and is one of the oldest cultural associations on the west coast. The fraternal lodge is an important landmark to the Swedish heritage in Portland. The building is of a Spanish Colonial Revival exhibiting an eclectic character with features of Scandinavian, Classical, and Baroque styles. The façade is distinguished by a tripartite panel above the entrance, which has two stained-glass windows on either side of a hand-carved Swedish national emblem.
- Nathan Loeb House – erected 1893-(726 N.W. 22nd) late 19th century Queen Anne. One of the most ornate in Portland. Features turned wood posts, segmental wood arches with central pendants and sunburst spandrel patterns, and a ground floor projecting slant bay with an ornamental three-bay round arch window. Nathan Loeb was a German emigrant who came to Portland in 1857. He established a general merchandising business, and was a founder of Temple Beth Israel
- Albert Tanner House – (2248 N.W. Johnson) it’s a well-preserved and rare example of the Stick style in the fashionable Kings Second Addition neighborhood. With its wrap-around porch and richly decorated front gables, it embodies the distinctive characteristics of its style. It was built for attorney Albert Tanner, son of an 1852 overland pioneer. He served as a municipal judge and in the House of Representatives
- Mary Smith House - 1906- (2256 nw Johnson) this 2 1/2 story is a well-preserved and somewhat unusual example of the ubiquitous Colonial Revival style. It features a central second-story bow window and a full-length veranda with a central bowed portico supported by Ionic columns. The facade is organized with bilateral symmetry, and the hipped roof has slightly bell-cast overhanging eaves and 2 corbelled brick chimneys.
- Joseph Bergman House – (2134 N.W. Hoyt) retaining the dignity of its original design, it’s recognized as one of Oregon’s best-preserved High Victorian Italianate styles. The house was built as an investment property for millionaire Amos King. He came to Portland in 1849, made his millions in the tanning trade and retired a real estate entrepreneur. Joseph Bergman, who purchased it in 1890, was one of the first butchers in town.
- Trevitt-Nunn House – (2347 N.W. Flanders) oldest extant residence of Whidden and Lewis, Portland’s most distinguished turn-of-the-century architectural firm. It’s an excellent example of Colonial Revival style. It was built for Theodore Trevitt, a Maine emigrant from 1851. Trevitt had 2 daughters politically active in women’s and civil rights issues, and the home was regularly used as a meeting place.
- Charles Adams House - 1904- (2363 nw Flanders) is an attractive example of the Georgian Colonial-style, and was designed for Charles Adams by Whidden and Lewis; one of several on this block. Adams arrived in Portland in 1890 and was the president of 1st National Bank, a collector of fine arts and patron of the Portland Art Museum. It has a red brick façade, laid in Flemish bond, a craftsman style hipped roof with wide overhangs, a classical cornice and an entrance supported by Ionic Columns.
- Bates-Seller House - 1908- (2381 nw Flanders) This Colonial Revival style was built in 1908 at a cost of $23,500 and encloses over 6500 sq. feet of floor space in its 2 1/2 stories. It was designed by Whidden and Lewis. Bates started his career building railroad bridges, helped form the Albina Light and Water Co. and served as state senator in 1896. In addition to the impressive exterior finishes, the interior details, including a magnificent stained glass skylight above the main staircase, it exhibits the highest quality materials and craftsmanship.
- Edward C. Giltner House - located at 2525 N.W. Everett St
- 705 Davis St. Apts. - 1913- (2141 nw Davis) home of such notable residents as Julius Meier, Max Hirsch (founder of White Stag), Edgar Lazarus (builder of Vista House) and Walter Gerke (landscape artist). These apts. are Portland’s finest example of the many elaborate apt. buildings constructed during the boom period prior to WW1. It was designed in the French Renaissance tradition and was designed by Whitehouse and Fouilhoux, who also did the University Club, the Federal Courthouse and the plans for OHSU.
- About 1/2 way through we'll ask the group if they want to stop at the oldest café in NW Portland, Anna Bannanas, or a different stop.
- Stratton-Cornelius House – (2182 S.W. Yamhill) this house is an outstanding illustration of Queen Anne architecture. It features Victorian-era detailing and was built for Howard Stratton, head cashier for Portland Savings Bank, auditor for the fruit growers union and a mining operator. He sold the home in 1900 to Dr. Cornelius, grandson of pioneer Ben Cornelius, for whom the town of Cornelius was named.
- George Heusner House – (1131 S.W. King) -erected 1894- It is a rare shingle style which came into vogue around the turn of the century. Same architect built Vista House and Portland’s U.S. Customs House.
- The Jacob Kamm House - 1425 S.W. 20th) Portland’s singular remaining great mansion from the 1870s. It survives because of a 1951 move from its original 15 acre site at Lincoln High School, about a ½ mile east. It’s one of the finest examples of French Second Empire Baroque architecture in the Pacific Northwest and is the oldest example in Oregon. Of particular note are the mansard roof and the use of quoins and exaggerated keystones as stylistic elements. Other features characteristic of the French Second Empire are: hooded, segmental-arch windows, round-topped dormers, paired entry doors, and a belt course that indicates on the outside the division of stories within the house. Though it doesn’t look like it, the siding is wood, smoothly fitted, painted, and coigned (quoined) to simulate masonry construction. The design is from Justin Krumbein. Jacob Kamm, a Swiss emigrant, came to Portland as a steamship captain. He became a partner of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company, and was vice president of U.S bank.
- Commodore Hotel - erected 1927- (1609 sw Morrison) erected as a business investment by Mrs. Sigmund Frank, eldest daughter of Aaron Frank, founder of Meier and Frank, the largest department store chain in Oregon. The structure is the only Art Deco-styled hotel in Portland. The same architect also designed Temple Beth Israel.
- Olive, Hyland and Ellsworth Apts.- built 1905- (716 sw 15) exhibits projecting polygonal bay windows, a highly ornamental plaster frieze, and elaborate entablature treatment are the distinctive features of this three-story, turn-of-the-century apt. building. It’s one of the first apt. complexes built in Portland, and is one of the oldest remaining examples remaining in the city.
- Mallory Hotel (Hotel Deluxe)– 1913 – Neo-Classical Revival
- Cotillion Hall (Crystal Ballroom) - 1914- (406 sw 14) is significant as the first and only Portland building designed primarily as a public dance hall and as the first commercial facility to have integral off-street parking. The 3rd floor houses the richly decorated dance hall with its unusual revolving “ball-bearing” dance floor, designed by Robert Tegan, known for his ball bearing dance floors in Chicago, Los Angeles, and new York.
- Whitney and Gray Building and Jakes Famous Crawfish Restaurant - erected 1910-1919- the building is distinguished by the Beaux Arts-inspired stylized iron cornice brackets and pendant pilaster ornaments. Jakes is a designated Portland Historic Landmark because of its distinctive turn of-the-century features and ambiance. Jakes has occupied the building since its construction, and is the second oldest continually operating restaurant in the city.
- First Presbyterian Church of Portland – 1886 – (1200 sw Alder) is of High Victorian Gothic architecture, and the first Presbyterian Church built in Portland. The richly carved interior woodwork of Gothic motifs is among the most elaborate in Oregon. The façade is black basalt with Bellingham Bay sandstone trim, and has a 185 foot spire. This church was one of the earliest congregations in the state. The church boasts a pipe organ built in New York and brought around the Horn of Africa.
- Seward (Governor) Hotel - 1909- An outstanding example of the architecture of William Knighton in the Zig Zag Moderne/Deco style, the 5-story hotel features a unique and elegant example of terra cotta decorative work. The brick edifice is built over a wood and cast iron frame and incorporates an eclectic mixture of styles. Inside, the ‘hotel of quiet elegance’ features mahogany and Circassian walnut.
- Calvary Presbyterian Church (old church) - 1882-(1422 sw 11) The Old Church is one of the oldest and most beautiful buildings in the Pacific Northwest. No longer a home to any one congregation, The Old Church is now a nonprofit historic site, available for a wide variety of community functions - from weddings, to concerts, to lectures, to plays. The exterior is typical Gothic, with slender pointed arches, elegant window tracery, a belfry tower, and buttresses. Details of an eclectic interior include Gothic vaulted ceilings of gilt wooden ribs and white plaster, Renaissance-style cast-iron columns, and ornate plaster window moldings in the Baroque style.
- The John Honeyman House - (1318 S.W. 12th) is embellished with impressive Italianate Eastlake style ornamentation and a slant-bay wrap-around porch, this Italian Villa is one of four similar houses built on the same block for John Honeyman. Honeyman, a noted Scotsman, came to Portland in 1862 and established the City Foundry and Machine Shops. The house features single and paired attenuated windows with cornice moldings repeated on each elevation, a rare example in the downtown area. The house is currently lawyer's offices.
- First Unitarian Church of Portland - 1924- (1011 sw 12) Georgian Colonial style building of red brick, trimmed with cast stone, and closely resembles Christ Church in Philadelphia. The Unitarian society was established in 1866 and was instrumental in founding Reed College. Rt. on Yamhill
- Central Library - 1912- designed by Portland’s leading architect of the time, Alfred Doyle, and is considered a masterpiece and an outstanding landmark of pre-Modern architecture. The Georgian Revival style of the façade, finished in Wilkinson sandstone, was extremely well adapted for the function of the building. In accordance with the progressive attitudes of the Beaux Arts architecture of the 1910s, librarian Mary Isom incorporated state of the art library theories into the interior layout, bringing wide acclaim and placing Portland and Miss Isom in the Nation’s forefront of public library facilities and direction. It has gated arched doorways into the building. It is the oldest public library west of the Mississippi River. Rt. on Park
- Portland Art Museum - 1932- was the first of local Pietro Bellushi’s buildings to receive national recognition, and was included in the 1938 Best Designs list compiled by the A. I. of A. for the preceding 20 years. Though the massive brick building, with its Travertine trim, displays some aspects of the Roman architecture popular in the 30s, the clean delineation of form, unencumbered by the normal classical ornamentation, demonstrates Bellushi’s contemporary aesthetic.
- St. James Lutheran Church – 1891- (1315 sw Park) a downtown landmark due to its stonework façade and tower, it was the first English speaking Lutheran Church in Oregon. It’s a rare late Gothic Revival architectural style. The original wood frame was built in 1890, and was replaced by the current limestone in 1908. The large tower deteriorated and was removed from the building in 1951. In 1974, a new tower was built looking at old photos.
- Simon Benson House - 1900- Is a Queen Anne style with detailed ornamentation.
- Oregon History Center - The eight-story-high mural was painted in 1989 by Richard Haas on the 1923 building, originally the Sovereign Hotel. The mural’s trompe l’oeil perspective depicts members of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Another mural, on the building’s south side, illustrates the early development of Oregon. The Oregon History Center, established in 1873, has exhibits, photo archives, historical collections and a research library.
- First Congregational Church – 1889 –(1126 sw Park) designed by the Swiss Henry Hefty (City Hall) at a cost of 110,000 dollars over a 5 yr. Period. It is Venetian Gothic, resembling Boston’s New Old South Church. Originally had 3 towers in the 1940s, only the main 185 ft. one remains in a modernization attempt. The main floor slopes downward, and seats 1100 people.
- Calumet (esquire) Hotel – 1907- (620 sw Park) is the older of only 2 remaining examples in the city of the French Renaissance or “Edwardian Baroque” style applied to a hotel. It was erected during a time of rapid economic growth following the success of the Lewis and Clark exposition in 1905. It exhibits a highly textured and detailed front elevation: a rare feature in small-scale hotel construction of the period
- Cornelius hotel - 1908- (525 sw Park) – 20th Century Baroque
- Benson Hotel – 20th Century Baroque. Lumber Baron Simon Benson built this hotel in 1912.
- First National Bank - 1916- (401 sw 5) is considered the finest example of Twentieth-Century Roman architecture on the west coast, and was the home of the first chartered national bank west of the Rockies. It bears a strong resemblance to the Lincoln Memorial and is made of marble, steel and concrete. It features Greek Doric columns supporting a pedimented main block. Surrounding the top of the main block is a finely carved frieze. The interior has as impressive upper chamber, featuring Ionic order columns, and a Boticini marble floor, and illuminated by a broad glass roof.
- Imperial (now Lucia) Hotel – (sw broadway)
- Charles Berg Building - (615 sw Broadway) - 1929/1902- Art Deco. Finished in 18 carat gold and terra cotta.
- Jackson Tower Clock - on the old Oregon Journal newspaper building. The building was constructed by the Oregon Journal, named for its founder and publisher, C. S. Jackson. The newspaper moved into it in 1912 and occupied it until the 1940s when it outgrew the premises. 20th Century Classical and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996.
- Pioneer Courthouse/ Post Office - (1869) the first major public building in the Pacific Northwest, now is the oldest remaining public building in this part of the country. It is in the Baroque Italianate style. The same architect, Alfred Mullet, built the S.F. mint and the state, war and navy building in Washington D.C. It has a refined and noble appearance. Extensively renovated in 1971 to become the U.S. 9th Circuit Court. it now includes a visitor's center, with a film and historic information center. Best of all, you can climb to the cupola above the third floor and enjoy a splendid view of the city and Pioneer Courthouse Square.
- Meier and Frank Building - 1909-1932 American renaissance style. Same architect, Alfred Doyle, designed Multnomah Falls lodge, Bank of California Building, Pittock Block, US Bank and the Library. It’s sheathed in white glazed Terre-cotta, earliest use of this treatment in the state. Meier and Frank, both German emigrants, joined forces in 1870 to form one of the most successful retail ventures in Oregon. Now, it is Macy’s in Meier and Frank Square.
- Heathman Hotel - erected 1927- designed in the Jacobethan style to complement the Italian Renaissance-styled Portland (previously Paramount) Theater next door. It is distinguished as the largest scale and most distinctive example of a pre-Depression hotel design in the state, and is the scene of numerous historic, cultural and social occasions in Portland. The façade is detailed by patterned brickwork, quoining of window surrounds and building corners, and base-relief ornamentation of lintels and mezzanine window pediments.
- Portland (Paramount) Theater - 1927- is the most prominent of Portland’s vaudeville/movie palaces constructed during the 20s. It’s now one of only three remaining such structures and is, fortunately, in near original condition. It’s designed in the Italian Renaissance style and has luxurious interior features, including cosmetic rooms for the ladies equipped with French dressing tables and maids and hairdressers in attendance, and clubrooms for the men with fireplaces, phones, phonographs, and attending servants. Recently renamed the Portland and renovated to house the Arlene Schnitzer Performing Arts Center, the theater was originally named the Portland Publix. It was renamed the Paramount in 1930 when its owners signed an exclusive first-run contract with Paramount films.
- Sovereign Hotel - 1923- (710 sw Madison) - Left on Madison, left on 6th
- University Club - 1913- (1225 sw 6) has enjoyed a rich and colorful history, since it’s founding in 1898 by a group of young college graduates. The present clubhouse, opened in 1913, is in the Jacobean Revival style and has old world charm, as well as spacious interiors, exquisite woodwork and elegant décor evoking the grace and ease of a time gone by.
- Ambassador Apts. - 1922- (1209 sw 6) - Rt. On Salmon; rt. On 5th
- Portland City Hall – 1895-(1220 sw 5) is in the 16th Century Mannerist Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style, and designed by Henry Hefty. He designed a building unlike any building on this continent. Resembling the Russian Kremlin, it has 5 stories and was layered in porticos, balconies and ornate decoration. Even though it was dubbed the ‘magnificent mess’, city leaders approved the design. The exterior is made of sandstone from Wyoming and granite columns from Scotland. The interior is of white marble from Italy and red marble from France. An exact replica of the Liberty Bell in front, a 4th of July gift from Baltimore Maryland, was bombed during the Vietnam War. A self-guided tour is available. left on Jefferson; left on 4th; rt. On Salmon; rt. On 3rd;
- Lotus Cardroom & Café – was established in 1924. In the early days it was a home for loggers, longshoreman, railroad workers and political bosses. It also was a haven of cigar smoke and “dime a dance” girls. There was a work board, letting the men know where work was available. Their checks were cashed and credit was given. The 30” long antique cherry wood back bar came around Cape Horn, to Tombstone Arizona and eventually to the Lotus. Eventually it became a social center for retiree’s living in the neighborhood. However, over the years the Lotus developed a notorious reputation. A bartender was hot and killed by a fellow employee who went berserk, and prostitutes & junkies called it home. left on Madison; across Hawthorne Bridge and back
- Hawthorne Bridge - Built in 1910, the Hawthorne Bridge is the oldest vertical lift bridge in the world, the second-oldest bridge in Portland, the oldest continuous span in Portland, and the oldest bridge for motor vehicles in Portland. It crosses the Willamette River. 1891 - A private wooden toll bridge, known as the Madison Bridge, is built across the Willamette River. Tolls are 2.5 cents per pedestrian and 5 to 15 cents for vehicles. A section of the bridge "swings" to allow ships through. Eventually the city buys this bridge.
1900 - The original Madison Bridge is replaced by another timber structure, also with a swing-type movable span. This is the last bridge built using wood construction. It is weakened by a flood in 1908.
1910 - The Hawthorne Bridge opens on the site of the previous wooden bridge. Cost of the new structure is just over $500,000. The structure includes concrete piers, steel truss spans, wooden roadway floor and wooden sidewalks. It has a vertical lift span that opens high enough to clear tall-masted ships. The wooden floor would later be topped by pavement when wear starts to show. The bridge is painted entirely black with streetcar tracks in the outer lanes. The bridge is named after Dr. James Hawthorne, who headed an asylum at the end of what is now Hawthorne Boulevard. This is only the third vertical lift bridge designed by J.A.L. Waddell, inventor of the modern-day vertical lift bridge (his two earlier lift bridges would be out of service by mid-century).
1931 - The Hawthorne Bridge’s timber deck is rebuilt. The streetcar tracks are removed from the outer lanes and repositioned into the center lanes after numerous accidents.
1941 - A new approach is built on the western end that is still in use today. Electric bus trolleys replace most of the rail streetcars.
1945 - The rotten wood deck is replaced by steel grating.
1957 - A new viaduct is built on the eastern approach from the bridge to Grand Avenue. This alleviates the traffic delays due to heavy railroad use near the existing approach. The new viaduct is also intended to carry traffic over minor flooding. Streetcar tracks are removed, ending use of the bridge by commuter rail traffic.
1958 - New approaches are built at the west end to provide better connections to city streets.
1964 - The black bridge is painted yellow ocher. The new color is selected by an architect hired by the County to recommend colors for all publicly-owned bridges over the Willamette in Portland. Only the Steel Bridge, owned by the Union Pacific Railroad, kept its original black color.
1970-76 - Mechanical and electrical equipment for operating the lift span is modernized. A new operator’s house is built on the lift span under the machinery house. Traffic gates and traffic signals are modernized.
1976 - Main counterweight ropes are replaced again.
1979 - Wooden sidewalks are replaced with precast concrete sidewalks on the fixed truss spans and steel plate sidewalks on the lift span (steel is used rather than concrete to save weight on the lift span).
1998 - Closed for one year, the Hawthorne Bridge underwent major renovations. The entire bridge was abrasive-blasted to remove the existing paint and rust, and was coated with a new, longer lasting, more environmentally-friendly paint. The steel grid deck was replaced by a thicker, galvanized grating that is more durable and has a better driving surface. The existing 6-foot sidewalks were replaced by 10-foot sidewalks to accommodate a larger volume of pedestrian and bicycle travel. Sidewalks at both ends of the bridge were widened. Also replaced were all 48 counterweight ropes and turnbuckles and all four operating ropes and drums. Dents and bends in the structural steel from marine and roadway traffic impacts were repaired by flame straightening and other methods.
You can see the black Steel Bridge down the Willamette. The bridge carries Union Pacific and Amtrak rail traffic on the lower deck, and cars and MAX on the upper span. The bridge is a double-lift drawbridge, which means it can raise the lower deck independently of the upper deck, allowing shorter river traffic to pass without disrupting the entire bridge. This is a unique configuration in Portland, and I understand it is fairly rare worldwide.
Rt. On 2nd - Multnomah County Courthouse - 1911- (1021 sw 4) when completed, it was Portland’s largest single building, and the largest courthouse on the west coast. It is Baroque Revival architecture, designed by the prominent Portland firm, whidden and Lewis, designers of the Portland City Hall. It is constructed around a central courtyard and occupies a whole block. Features include a limestone façade with major entrances framed in carved granite, Ionic order
- Yamhill Historic District - (Willamette river, 2nd, Taylor and Morrison streets) is located within a 22-block area of the city which was devastated by the Great Fire of 1873. The Northrup and Blossom-Fitch Building (1858) is the only structure still standing from the period before the fire. Seventeen of the buildings after the fire remain, primarily in the Italianate style, erected between 1878 and 1887, and defines the character of the district.
- Waldo Block – (431-433 sw 2) Judge John B Waldo built the Waldo Building in 1886 in the heart of Portland's original Chinatown. Judge Waldo, whose father came by wagon train to Oregon in 1843, was a Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, a state legislator and an explorer of the Cascade Range. His discoveries include Breitenbush Hot Springs near Mt. Jefferson in 1887 and Waldo Lake. The Waldo Building is an example of Victorian Italianate cast iron architecture and, with two adjacent structures, comprises one of the few full blocks of 19th Century street facades in Portland. The building has iron pilasters with modified Ionic Capitols adorned with a central female head. Above and below the capitols are scroll and leaf ornaments. The balcony in the third floor was added in 1920 by the Chinese residents of the building. The cast iron fireplaces on the second and third floors have been restored in the current renovation. The Waldo Building has been occupied by a bank and used as a residence and for religious and social activities by the Chinese community. It was also the headquarter for a Chinese tong which was involved in opium, gambling and other nefarious activities that flourished in Portland's original Chinatown. The basement was used for gambling and contained opium dens. Shanghai tunnels and passageways to adjacent buildings were used as escape routes.
- Grand Stable and Carriage Building and Adjoining Commercial Building – (415-521 sw 2nd) - First possible left, left on 3r
- Portland Police Block - 1912,1944,1955- (209 sw Oak)
- Railway Exchange Building and Huber’s Restaurant - 1910- (411 sw 3rd) the first major all concrete building in Portland. Huber’s Restaurant, established in 1879, is the oldest restaurant in Portland, and moved to its current location in 1910.
- Bishops House - (219-223 sw Stark) one of the finest examples of a Victorian Gothic front in Oregon. The same architect, P. Hearn, was responsible for the design of the Cathedral, which was originally next door, the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in Portland. It originally served as residence and meeting hall for Archbishop Blanchet, it changed hands many times after the razing of the Cathedral in the 1890s. It served as a Chinese tong for a while, and a speakeasy and offices for many clubs, including the Portland Architectural Club. Its façade is dominated by the large window, is significant for its “flamboyant” style tracery. The interior is extensively remodeled in 1965, but the façade was left intact and well maintained.
- Skidmore Historic District - encompasses twenty-one blocks in the downtown/waterfront area, and contains many of Portland’s most significant historic buildings. The area takes its name from the Skidmore fountain, built by an early Portland commissioner, Stephen Skidmore. Included are the The Hasseltine Building (1893; which defined the edge of Portland’s commercial core. It is a fine example of transitional architecture between the era of cast-iron, 1851-89, and high rise structures built after the 1900s), the Wachsmuth Building (1892; is an Italianate structure, and was the location of the Wells Fargo Express Co. from 1873-1894. Our local Wells Fargo Museum houses a shiny red and yellow Concord coach, built in 1854, is the oldest in the Wells Fargo fleet. Back when Wells Fargo was an express delivery service, all of its coaches were used to deliver “money, mail and people” from the East Coast, especially during the gold rush era. The idea was to get here as soon as possible, get as much gold and go back east. Left on Ankeny; left on 3rd The Wachsmuth Building was also the location of Portland’s 1st telephone exchange co., with 5 operators handling all the calls. And Voodoo Doughnuts, just to our left.
- Voodoo Doughnuts -- They started with nothing more than a dream and good looks. How these two Portland lads did became the biggest doughnut barons in the world? Their doughnuts are made fresh with love and care, and they do weddings! Their wedding service is performed by ordained ministers beneath the holy doughnut and a velvet painting of Isaac Hayes. Anybody care for a voodoo doughnut? It’s on us.
- New Market Theater (1872) the Skidmore Fountain Building (1888) and the New Market Annex (1889). The district achieves its significance not only for its notable buildings but also it marks the site of the first claim filed (via tomahawk slash marks) for the city of Portland by William Overton and Asa Lovejoy in 1843. Portland began when these two Americans laid out a town site at the mouth of the Willamette River. By a flip of the coin, it was named for one man's hometown in Maine, instead of the other's hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. From the beginning, residents preserved green areas and historical buildings as the city grew and modernized. The city of Portland developed with profits from the wheat and timber during the gold rush era, the city flourished here in the Skidmore/Old Town area. By 1860, the early wood framed buildings were being replaced by commercial palaces of brick and cast iron. To businessmen, cast iron construction was of obvious advantage. Prefab cast iron pieces could be erected more quickly by fewer workers and lower cost. Massive brick building fronts could be replaced with narrow cast iron columns, allowing more daylight into interiors. Decorative cast iron also allowed boundless opportunities for business owners to reflect material success. Captain Ankeny, for which the Ankeny arcade is dedicated, was a representative for this trend. He built numerous brick and cast iron buildings, including the Ankeny Block, which stood behind the Arcade. It was the largest brick building in the state at the time of its completion in 1869. Across 1st Ave., the New Market Theatre, the city’s most colorful and venerable landmark, remains as a tribute to Ankeny’s development prowess. Beginning in the 1940s with the improvement of front Ave. and the creation of Harbor Drive, scores of cast iron structures in the area were demolished. In order to enhance Skidmore/ Old Town, which was officially designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1978, and to display cast iron artifacts from the buildings which had been lost, Ankeny arcade was erected in 1978.
- Jeff Morris Memorial Fire Museum – The museum features equipment dating from Portland’s 1st volunteer fire dept., “Pioneer Fire Engine company #1” organized in 1850. After the big fire of 1873, when 22 blocks of prime commercial real estate were destroyed, the shortcomings of a volunteer force became obvious. In 1883, the city finally replaced the volunteer forces and officially found the Portland Fire Dept.
- Multnomah Hotel - 1911- was built during the rapid growth following the Lewis and Clark exposition in 1905, and was the largest hotel for over fifty years with 750 rooms. It is designed in the American Renaissance style. With its luxurious accommodations, elaborate interior appointments, and numerous banquet halls and dining rooms, the Multnomah was the focal point of much social activity during its heyday. And not long after its opening, was the site of a publicity stunt, in which a Curtis Pusher bi-plane took off from the roof.
Dressed in magnificent architecture that still manages to create small, friendly blocks for strolling and saying hello to strangers, and adorned with a glistening necklace of a river and the snowy tiara of Mt. Hood, Portland remains the true beauty she was when Overton and Lovejoy fell in love with her all those years ago. You are bound to come away bewitched as well.