Portland History:
Today Portland's Old Town encompasses roughly the first three blocks west of the Willamette River, from the Burnside Bridge area south to the Morrison Bridge. Many of the 19th-century stone, brick and cast-iron-fronted buildings are lively pubs, but not as many as in the 1870s, when Portland had one saloon for every 40 inhabitants.
This is the historic core of Portland, once upon a time a rough-and-tumble waterfront where sailors and loggers went carousing in the muddy streets. Some claim it was the source of the term 'Skid Row'-the expression refers to the path along which cut logs were ushered toward the river. In those days, this area flooded several times a season. (& before the sewer system was installed, so you can imagine). Old town is also home to the legendary Shanghai Tunnels, where drunken sailors would be dropped into tunnels below bars , then dragged aboard ships as slaves or indentured servants.
Old town suffered from neglect and was considered pretty sketchy until a few years ago, when the city helped revitalize the neighborhood. There are obviously gritty elements, but Old Town and Chinatown tend to be lively at night with many entertainment options.
Part of this part of town's appeal is its old architecture. In particular its character-rich brick and cast-iron buildings--in fact, Portland has the 2nd biggest collections of historic cast-iron in the country, only surpassed by Soho New York. Preservation efforts beginning in the 1970s helped to keep alot of the city's historic charm intact.
Today Portland's Old Town encompasses roughly the first three blocks west of the Willamette River, from the Burnside Bridge area south to the Morrison Bridge. Many of the 19th-century stone, brick and cast-iron-fronted buildings are lively pubs, but not as many as in the 1870s, when Portland had one saloon for every 40 inhabitants.
This is the historic core of Portland, once upon a time a rough-and-tumble waterfront where sailors and loggers went carousing in the muddy streets. Some claim it was the source of the term 'Skid Row'-the expression refers to the path along which cut logs were ushered toward the river. In those days, this area flooded several times a season. (& before the sewer system was installed, so you can imagine). Old town is also home to the legendary Shanghai Tunnels, where drunken sailors would be dropped into tunnels below bars , then dragged aboard ships as slaves or indentured servants.
Old town suffered from neglect and was considered pretty sketchy until a few years ago, when the city helped revitalize the neighborhood. There are obviously gritty elements, but Old Town and Chinatown tend to be lively at night with many entertainment options.
Part of this part of town's appeal is its old architecture. In particular its character-rich brick and cast-iron buildings--in fact, Portland has the 2nd biggest collections of historic cast-iron in the country, only surpassed by Soho New York. Preservation efforts beginning in the 1970s helped to keep alot of the city's historic charm intact.
In this photograph Simon Benson poses in front of one of the twenty bronze drinking fountains he donated to the city. He hoped that the fountains, which cost $317 apiece, would encourage temperance.
Benson was an inventive lumberman, concerned with efficiency. At his lumber company, Benson replaced oxen, used to drag timber, with railroad engines made of salvaged parts thereby reducing both labor costs and saving time. When Benson decided to send his logs directly to San Diego, he designed log rafts, 835-feet in length, in order to avoid what he considered exorbitant freight rates. A wise decision—Benson’s company saved $150,000 dollars a year with this alteration in business standards.
Benson also felt strongly about the state’s need to invest in good roads to accommodate the growing number of automobiles. Benson’s practicality was teamed with his desire to preserve the Columbia Gorge and at the same time make its beauty more accessible. As a result of the combined efforts of Benson and some like-minded friends on both the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River, the scenic Columbia River Highway was opened in 1915. In order to prevent commercial development in the area, Benson purchased land near Multnomah Falls and Wahkeena Falls for use as public parks.
In 1917, as a result of his strenuous efforts to pass a six million-dollar bond issue for roads, he was named the first chairman of the reconstituted Oregon State Highway Commission. Benson’s legacy lives on in Portland with the once derelict 100-year-old Benson family home renovated and moved in 2000 to the campus of Portland State University. Outside the stately home stands another Benson legacy: a Benson fountain that continues to splash fresh water for passers-by to enjoy.
Benson was an inventive lumberman, concerned with efficiency. At his lumber company, Benson replaced oxen, used to drag timber, with railroad engines made of salvaged parts thereby reducing both labor costs and saving time. When Benson decided to send his logs directly to San Diego, he designed log rafts, 835-feet in length, in order to avoid what he considered exorbitant freight rates. A wise decision—Benson’s company saved $150,000 dollars a year with this alteration in business standards.
Benson also felt strongly about the state’s need to invest in good roads to accommodate the growing number of automobiles. Benson’s practicality was teamed with his desire to preserve the Columbia Gorge and at the same time make its beauty more accessible. As a result of the combined efforts of Benson and some like-minded friends on both the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River, the scenic Columbia River Highway was opened in 1915. In order to prevent commercial development in the area, Benson purchased land near Multnomah Falls and Wahkeena Falls for use as public parks.
In 1917, as a result of his strenuous efforts to pass a six million-dollar bond issue for roads, he was named the first chairman of the reconstituted Oregon State Highway Commission. Benson’s legacy lives on in Portland with the once derelict 100-year-old Benson family home renovated and moved in 2000 to the campus of Portland State University. Outside the stately home stands another Benson legacy: a Benson fountain that continues to splash fresh water for passers-by to enjoy.
Dekum Building
The Dekum Building is in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, made prominent by American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Elements typical of the style include rough cut stone on the base of the building, red brick in the upper stories, terra cotta ornamentation, and the prominent use of massive stone-block arches. The style was popular in Portland from 1889 to 1895.
When the Dekum Building opened in 1892, the department store Lipman, Wolfe & Co. occupied the first two floors.
The Dekum Building is one of the oldest buildings still standing on Southwest Third Avenue. The intersection of Southwest Washington Street and Third Avenue contains a high concentration of architectural styles, including two examples of Second Renaissance Revival Style, the Postal Building (1900) and the Hamilton Building (1893), both designed by Whidden & Lewis, and the Twentieth Century Classical styled Spalding Building (1910), designed by Cass Gilbert. The stark contrast in style between the Dekum Building and the Hamilton Building, built one year apart, shows the shift in architectural aesthetic in Portland away from Richardsonian Romanesque and toward classic detailing.
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The Dekum Building is in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, made prominent by American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Elements typical of the style include rough cut stone on the base of the building, red brick in the upper stories, terra cotta ornamentation, and the prominent use of massive stone-block arches. The style was popular in Portland from 1889 to 1895.
When the Dekum Building opened in 1892, the department store Lipman, Wolfe & Co. occupied the first two floors.
The Dekum Building is one of the oldest buildings still standing on Southwest Third Avenue. The intersection of Southwest Washington Street and Third Avenue contains a high concentration of architectural styles, including two examples of Second Renaissance Revival Style, the Postal Building (1900) and the Hamilton Building (1893), both designed by Whidden & Lewis, and the Twentieth Century Classical styled Spalding Building (1910), designed by Cass Gilbert. The stark contrast in style between the Dekum Building and the Hamilton Building, built one year apart, shows the shift in architectural aesthetic in Portland away from Richardsonian Romanesque and toward classic detailing.
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Benson Bubbler
In this photograph Simon Benson poses in front of one of the twenty bronze drinking fountains he donated to the city. He hoped that the fountains, which cost $317 apiece, would encourage temperance.
Benson was an inventive lumberman, concerned with efficiency. At his lumber company, Benson replaced oxen, used to drag timber, with railroad engines made of salvaged parts thereby reducing both labor costs and saving time. When Benson decided to send his logs directly to San Diego, he designed log rafts, 835-feet in length, in order to avoid what he considered exorbitant freight rates. A wise decision—Benson’s company saved $150,000 dollars a year with this alteration in business standards.
Benson also felt strongly about the state’s need to invest in good roads to accommodate the growing number of automobiles. Benson’s practicality was teamed with his desire to preserve the Columbia Gorge and at the same time make its beauty more accessible. As a result of the combined efforts of Benson and some like-minded friends on both the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River, the scenic Columbia River Highway was opened in 1915. In order to prevent commercial development in the area, Benson purchased land near Multnomah Falls and Wahkeena Falls for use as public parks.
In 1917, as a result of his strenuous efforts to pass a six million-dollar bond issue for roads, he was named the first chairman of the reconstituted Oregon State Highway Commission. Benson’s legacy lives on in Portland with the once derelict 100-year-old Benson family home renovated and moved in 2000 to the campus of Portland State University. Outside the stately home stands another Benson legacy: a Benson fountain that continues to splash fresh water for passers-by to enjoy.
In this photograph Simon Benson poses in front of one of the twenty bronze drinking fountains he donated to the city. He hoped that the fountains, which cost $317 apiece, would encourage temperance.
Benson was an inventive lumberman, concerned with efficiency. At his lumber company, Benson replaced oxen, used to drag timber, with railroad engines made of salvaged parts thereby reducing both labor costs and saving time. When Benson decided to send his logs directly to San Diego, he designed log rafts, 835-feet in length, in order to avoid what he considered exorbitant freight rates. A wise decision—Benson’s company saved $150,000 dollars a year with this alteration in business standards.
Benson also felt strongly about the state’s need to invest in good roads to accommodate the growing number of automobiles. Benson’s practicality was teamed with his desire to preserve the Columbia Gorge and at the same time make its beauty more accessible. As a result of the combined efforts of Benson and some like-minded friends on both the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River, the scenic Columbia River Highway was opened in 1915. In order to prevent commercial development in the area, Benson purchased land near Multnomah Falls and Wahkeena Falls for use as public parks.
In 1917, as a result of his strenuous efforts to pass a six million-dollar bond issue for roads, he was named the first chairman of the reconstituted Oregon State Highway Commission. Benson’s legacy lives on in Portland with the once derelict 100-year-old Benson family home renovated and moved in 2000 to the campus of Portland State University. Outside the stately home stands another Benson legacy: a Benson fountain that continues to splash fresh water for passers-by to enjoy.
Erickson's Saloon
- Reputation as the grandest and rowdiest bar in the nation in the late 1800s
- Fame spread world-wide as sailors carried word of Erickson's 16-ounce nickel beer, hard drinks - 2 for a quarter, its free meal of gargantuan proportions (as long as you kept drinking), its 684 ft. long bar (they say it was the longest bar in the world) & its delightful lady performers in the Cabaret Grill.
- Erickson's was so well known that on a railroad water tank in the Dalles, an outburst from an eastbound hobo returning from Portland reads,
I came out West for change and rest;
But the whores got my change,
And Erickson's got the rest"
That's quite poetic.
- The place appealed to the transient workers then washing up on the banks of the Willamette River as Portland morphed from wilderness outpost to urban center. His customers included, according to various accounts, “loggers in mackinaws and corked boots,” railroad construction workers, gold miners sitting out the Alaskan winter, merchant sailors, halibut fishermen, “Chinese, Malays and Mexicans,” and “drug fiends, thieves, wantons, and beachcombers.”
- They employed at least 30 bartenders at a time, and from time to time would be called upon to quell knife fights and drunken brawls. To do so they’d form a flying “V” and charge into the crowd, laying hands on the recalcitrant and tossing him into the street, his hat spiraling out behind him.
- When it burned in 1912, and accounts of the conflagration noted that the hundred or so boarders upstairs “were stupefied with liquor and fright, and firemen and policemen literally had to beat them into consciousness before they could be taken out.” As far as we know, this is the only instance of people being beaten into consciousness, and somehow speaks to the fable-like quality of drinking at Erickson’s. Quickly rebuilt, nothing would stop Erickson's until Prohibition a few years later. In 1926 a customer recalled “the delicious concoctions Erickson’s accomplished bartenders could conjure from the mysterious looking bottles on the back bar—bottles that teased my imagination by their odd shapes, suggestive names and attractive colors.”
- A trough ran along the foot of the bar, so a patron need not abandon his seat (or pilsner) to relieve his bladder.
- The bar served Manhattans with a “genuine maraschino cherry on a toothpick,” and it was noted for its hot toddies on cold days—made in “a thin glass, delicate almost, half full of boiling water, a silver teaspoon of powdered sugar, a generous modicum of gurgling, amber colored Jamaican rum, a touch of lemon peel and the merest dash of nutmeg.” It was, the customer reported, “a drink that would have thawed Paul Bunyan in the memorable winter of the blue snow!”
- A sign above its entrance read, "A Workingmen's Club Known as Erickson's", well into the 1960s. The powerful & elite also came to Erickson's. The balcony afforded those of wealth a view of the stage and of the "sea of life" undulating below...And there were card rooms and small cubicle-like rooms for entertainment of a more private kind",
- The plaque on the building reads, "loggers, farm hands & other robust working men came to Erickson’s, some to spend their stakes in one nights reveries, buying drinks all around, but others were not so fortunate."
- Stopping for a drink in such innocent looking but notorious establishments as Erickson's Saloon; suddenly a trap door would drop open and you would plummet into a dark underground. You didn't know it yet, but you've just been 'shanghaied' by the 'crimps**'...There was no other place like it throughout the entire United States....America's Most Dangerous City & the Shanghai Capitol of the World MORE.
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In 1913, Portland's population was 276,000 people. The city changed from its mud, blood and beer dominated early days, to the newer, gentler Portland with Benson's Bubbler's and the sweet-smelling Rose Festival. This great city that we know today was a river town whose beginnings we often look upon as being nothing more than a humble Victorian settlement... But this "split-personality" Portland was one of the busiest ports on the globe in the early 1900s, and it happened in spite of the colorful types who resided here...
Walking around today you would never know it, but the next time you're having a nice quiet pint at Kelly's Olympian, Dan & Louis's Oyster Bar or Erickson's Saloon, take a look around... the place you're relaxing in was, not too long ago, the most dangerous place in America to go out drinking. Today Portland is amongst the countries most desirous places, but it secretly harbors an underworld darker than you can possibly imagine...
100 years ago, this vice-filled city was a Wild West port town and had more dark places than any medieval dungeon... where gambling, drugs and murder were on every street corner, and you could be kidnapped and sold into slavery. It was easy to find a good time with Speakeasies, brothels and drug dens and you could get anything in one of the edgier neighborhood saloons --including shot, stabbed, clobbered, swindled, stupefied with opium, knocked out with chloroform, infected with syphilis, poisoned with bad moonshine or shanghaied by crimps with trap doors called 'dead-falls' used to kidnap unsuspecting victims.... Today Portland's seedy past is buried beneath its streets.
The shanghaiing trade is over largely because of the disuse of sailing ships and because of an event which caused an international uproar that started an international investigation centering on Portland's crimping practices...
The Tales of the crimps Bunco Kelly, Jim Turk & Larry Sullivan
-- Tales of Old Shanghai
In the Ankeny St alleyway, several bars share the block. Drink at your own risk--but this is a fun and lively warm-weather hangout, and the bars are all worth checking out if its too cold outdoors. At the corner is Voodoo Doughnuts, with its huge line outside. Go ahead, i'll be here in the alley.
The Wachsmuth Building -
Built in 1892, is an Italianate structure & was the location of the original Wells Fargo Express Co. from 1873-1894 and Portland's 1st telephone exchange with 5 operators handling all the calls.
Dan & Louis Oyster Bar
Since 1907 the legendary shellfish restaurant is famous for its oyster stew and clam chowder. The interior is as fascinating as the food is good, the theme of ocean & ships, walls adorned with china plates, ship models and collectibles from around the world.
Built in 1892, is an Italianate structure & was the location of the original Wells Fargo Express Co. from 1873-1894 and Portland's 1st telephone exchange with 5 operators handling all the calls.
Dan & Louis Oyster Bar
Since 1907 the legendary shellfish restaurant is famous for its oyster stew and clam chowder. The interior is as fascinating as the food is good, the theme of ocean & ships, walls adorned with china plates, ship models and collectibles from around the world.
The Hasseltine Building (1893) -
Defined the edge of old Chinatown and Portland's original commercial core to 2nd ave.
Originally a storage warehouse and hardware store, it is a fine example of transitional architecture in the Richardsonian Romanesque style between the era of cast-iron, 1851-89, and high rise structures built after the 1900s.
And August Erickson was not a man to let a little deluge slow his business. So when the Willamette River’s “Great Flood of 1894” hit Portland 125 years ago, Erickson moored a houseboat in the middle of W Burnside Street. Patrons rowed up in little boats, homemade rafts, and even caulked packing crates for shots of whiskey and to meet ladies.
Defined the edge of old Chinatown and Portland's original commercial core to 2nd ave.
Originally a storage warehouse and hardware store, it is a fine example of transitional architecture in the Richardsonian Romanesque style between the era of cast-iron, 1851-89, and high rise structures built after the 1900s.
And August Erickson was not a man to let a little deluge slow his business. So when the Willamette River’s “Great Flood of 1894” hit Portland 125 years ago, Erickson moored a houseboat in the middle of W Burnside Street. Patrons rowed up in little boats, homemade rafts, and even caulked packing crates for shots of whiskey and to meet ladies.
Portland's Oldest Building 1857 -- Hallock-McMillan Building (237 SW Naito); the first and oldest commercial brick building in downtown Portland, currently being restored to original.
In 2010, Portland developer John Russell purchased the building for $700,000. In 2011, Russell announced his plans to restore the building's exterior to its original appearance. Plans include three "graceful" Romanesque-style cast iron arches on the first floor and partial arches above the second floor's windows. Exterior renovation plans must be approved by the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.
In 2010, Portland developer John Russell purchased the building for $700,000. In 2011, Russell announced his plans to restore the building's exterior to its original appearance. Plans include three "graceful" Romanesque-style cast iron arches on the first floor and partial arches above the second floor's windows. Exterior renovation plans must be approved by the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.
Portland began as a riverside clearing where Multnomah Indians occasionally camped.
In 1845, when entrepreneur Asa Lovejoy stopped for lunch in this clearing with a drifter named William Overton in 1843, he offered to front the 25-cent filing fee if Overton would claim the 640 acre site as a homestead and deed him half the land. They marked the site with tomahawk blazes on a tree (a spot made by chipping away a piece of the bark).
Skidmore Historic District -
By 1860, the early wood framed buildings were being replaced by massive palaces of brick, which in turn were being replaced by narrow, decorative cast iron, which could be erected more quickly and cheaply, and allowed more daylight into the interior.
This area contains many of Portland's most significant historic buildings, including...
The New Market Theater (High Victorian; 1872), was modeled after London's Covent Garden. It provided a touch of class to early Portland. On the 2nd floor was a plush theater hosting famous performers and dignitaries; while on ground level, produce stalls with marble counters gave the city a 1st rate public market.
Ankeny Arcade - Captain Ankeny, for which the Ankeny Arcade is dedicated, built numerous brick and cast iron buildings in old town, including the Ankeny Block (PLACARD), which stood behind the Arcade. It was the largest brick & cast-iron building in the state at the time of its completion in 1869.
In 1845, when entrepreneur Asa Lovejoy stopped for lunch in this clearing with a drifter named William Overton in 1843, he offered to front the 25-cent filing fee if Overton would claim the 640 acre site as a homestead and deed him half the land. They marked the site with tomahawk blazes on a tree (a spot made by chipping away a piece of the bark).
Skidmore Historic District -
By 1860, the early wood framed buildings were being replaced by massive palaces of brick, which in turn were being replaced by narrow, decorative cast iron, which could be erected more quickly and cheaply, and allowed more daylight into the interior.
This area contains many of Portland's most significant historic buildings, including...
The New Market Theater (High Victorian; 1872), was modeled after London's Covent Garden. It provided a touch of class to early Portland. On the 2nd floor was a plush theater hosting famous performers and dignitaries; while on ground level, produce stalls with marble counters gave the city a 1st rate public market.
Ankeny Arcade - Captain Ankeny, for which the Ankeny Arcade is dedicated, built numerous brick and cast iron buildings in old town, including the Ankeny Block (PLACARD), which stood behind the Arcade. It was the largest brick & cast-iron building in the state at the time of its completion in 1869.
We'll cross First Street to the soothing water sounds of the 1887 Skidmore Fountain:
- Not far from the constant buzzing of Old-Town, the Skidmore Fountain stands gurgling; tall & proud.
- Pioneer Stephen Skidmore arrived in Portland at age 12 in 1850 by covered wagon & left $5,000 in his will for a fountain to quench the thirst of "horses, men, and dogs".
- This district takes its name from the Skidmore fountain (Classical style) and was the center of downtown when this bronze fountain (Portland's oldest public art work) was placed here. In its early years, horses and dogs drand for the troughs and people drank from tin cups that hung from the lions' heads at the base of the fountain, but...drink at your own risk.
- Dedicated in 1888, it has embodied Portland's values for 130 years through the inscription at its base, "Good citizen's are the riches of a city.".
- It costs $18,000 to build (about $500,000 in today's $)
- It is styled after fountains at Versailles.
- The inscription reads. "Stephen Skidmore-A citizen of Portland who died January 1883 gave this fountain to beautify and bless his adorned home."
- Praised by art critics, one eastern critic quipped in a backhanded compliment, "...it was too good for that provincial little town in the Pacific NW".
Here is the White Stag sign, a beloved landmark and another beneficiary of the Old Town preservationist spirit. The large warehouse beneath it is an example of the kind of restoration going on here. As we travel from here, you'll see some of the grittier street life in the area, and some claim its the source of the term "Skid Row". Burnside was Portland's Slid Road.
Part of old towns appeal is its historic architecture, particularly its character rich brick and cast-iron buildings. In fact, the 2nd largest collection of cast iron in the U.S., after Soho NYC. Preservation efforts have been going on since the 1970s.
Blagen Block - 1888 -
- Danish immigrant Neils Blagen constructed this imposing High Victorian Italianate cast iron building in 1888.
- The building was ‘the best remaining example of cast-iron buildings with increasingly opulent decorative elements in the city and perhaps on the West Coast', and remains the last of the many large 4th floor commercial palaces which once dominated this section of the city.
- Lovingly restored in the 1980s, it is presently owned by the University of Oregon.
- When built, its colonnade was echoed by rows on rows of columns in adjacent buildings.
- Constructed for the Noon Bag, Tent Awning & Sail making business--
- 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.
The Merchants Hotel - 1880 - The High Victorian Italianate 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. But like the Norton House. it had difficulty maintaining a 1st class hotel status. It appears the same as it did then.
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.
Old Town Pizza: Portland's Favorite Haunt
Rich in history, Old Town sits in the original Merchant's Hotel lobby. Underneath the floor boards are the Shanghai Tunnels. 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.
(R rated) - Old Town Pizza is located 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?
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.
Old Town Pizza: Portland's Favorite Haunt
Rich in history, Old Town sits in the original Merchant's Hotel lobby. Underneath the floor boards are the Shanghai Tunnels. 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.
(R rated) - Old Town Pizza is located 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?
Society Hotel
The Portland Seamen's Friend Society was formed to fight the evils of crimping, and to better the lot of seamen by providing lodging, provisions, books, advocacy, and evangelism. In his 1887 annual report, Portland chaplain Richard Gilpin noted that he had preached to 3,478 individuals in the bethel, visited 114 ships, taught Bible study and singing classes, and succeeded in persuading forty sailors to sign "the teetotaler pledge", that's about 1%! The society built this 4-story, Justus Krumbein-designed Mariners' Home in 1882, an alternative to the waterfront lodging houses that were often complicit in crimping. After struggling financially, they sold the hotel in 1903.
oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/portland_seamen_s_friend_society/#.XoIo3RvsaAJ
The Portland Seamen's Friend Society was formed to fight the evils of crimping, and to better the lot of seamen by providing lodging, provisions, books, advocacy, and evangelism. In his 1887 annual report, Portland chaplain Richard Gilpin noted that he had preached to 3,478 individuals in the bethel, visited 114 ships, taught Bible study and singing classes, and succeeded in persuading forty sailors to sign "the teetotaler pledge", that's about 1%! The society built this 4-story, Justus Krumbein-designed Mariners' Home in 1882, an alternative to the waterfront lodging houses that were often complicit in crimping. After struggling financially, they sold the hotel in 1903.
oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/portland_seamen_s_friend_society/#.XoIo3RvsaAJ
Lan Su Chinese Garden - (recommended 3/4 hour or less; if applicable)
The idea of a garden was initially sparked when Portland established a sister-city with Suzhou, China. Gradually momentum grew, funds raised and plans made. It opened in 2000, adding an important degree of solidarity to the hopeful notion that Old Town was really on its way up. It's a tranquil place, especially remarkable considering its location, and it has a magical ability to seem much larger on the inside than how it looks from outside.
Built in Suzhou, and assembled by 65 Chinese craftsmen, it is, in essence, a Ming Dynasty work of artistry air-dropped into Old Town. Today it’s considered the most authentic outside of China.
This walled Garden encloses a full city block. Serpentine walkways, a bridged lake, and open colonnades set off meticulously arranged landscape of plants, water, stone, poetry, and buildings. Architects and artisans from China who designed and constructed the Garden mean for each aspect of the Garden to convey artistic effect and symbolic importance. The yin and yang of the Garden take you to another place and time.
See the:
The idea of a garden was initially sparked when Portland established a sister-city with Suzhou, China. Gradually momentum grew, funds raised and plans made. It opened in 2000, adding an important degree of solidarity to the hopeful notion that Old Town was really on its way up. It's a tranquil place, especially remarkable considering its location, and it has a magical ability to seem much larger on the inside than how it looks from outside.
Built in Suzhou, and assembled by 65 Chinese craftsmen, it is, in essence, a Ming Dynasty work of artistry air-dropped into Old Town. Today it’s considered the most authentic outside of China.
This walled Garden encloses a full city block. Serpentine walkways, a bridged lake, and open colonnades set off meticulously arranged landscape of plants, water, stone, poetry, and buildings. Architects and artisans from China who designed and constructed the Garden mean for each aspect of the Garden to convey artistic effect and symbolic importance. The yin and yang of the Garden take you to another place and time.
See the:
- Tower of Cosmic Reflections
- Hall of Brocade Clouds
- Courtyard of Tranquility
- Scholars Study
- And there's an adjoining tea shop & more
Hobo's Restaurant (120 NW 3rd).
- This 1880's Victorian-era historic building is a unique antique Old Portland bar of yesteryear and includes the ornate mirror from a former "Red Light" establishment (that was tactfully labeled in the old City Directory as a "woman's boardinghouse").
- All of this, coupled with the fact this was a former shanghaiing and "white slavery" joint --- known back then as "Lasso Saloon" --- makes it the perfect place to gather after your tour and have a meal or a place to toast the old shanghaiers and their infamous and colorful maritime history. But, a word of caution: A trap door in the floor is reportedly still operational and yearns for those good ol' days.
- The Starbucks next door is a spot where shanghaiers once grabbed so many victims that Portland's reputation boasted of being the "Worst Port in the World", and where you can view photographs of the infamous catacombs of the past.
Here is a beloved relic of a few years past, the enormous neon sign for the departed Chinese restaurant Hung Far Low (it's OK if you can't keep as straight face). Dedicated barflies adored Hung Far for its minuscule corner bar, dark as night, with its cheap and powerful drinks, impassive bartenders, glowing Buddha statue and perilously long, narrow staircase that led up from the street. When it closed, a touchingly sincere effort was made to preserve the sign. It worked. Now it's a fantastic pan-Asian restaurant called Ping, co-owned by Andy Ricker, chef at Pok Pok.
The oddball Church of Elvis, Floating World, a good comic book shop and the 38 foot tall Chinatown Gate. installed in 1986.
This block is full of fun enterprises including an imported-toy store and gallery, coffee shop-art gallery=music venue called Backspace, and an intimate music lounge. Explore at your leisure.
Ground Kontrol is a playground for Portland-style grown-ups (AKA permanent adolescents). It's got all the arcade games you remember as a kid.The pinball collection alone is awesome.All cheap to play--and they have beer and occasionally live-music.
Ground Kontrol is a playground for Portland-style grown-ups (AKA permanent adolescents). It's got all the arcade games you remember as a kid.The pinball collection alone is awesome.All cheap to play--and they have beer and occasionally live-music.
Former site of Satyricon, the longest-running punk club on the West Coast, the equivalent of CBGB in NYC.
Union Station – 1896- "Don't miss the train"
- Vintage neon signs atop the clock tower calling out to travelers: GO BY TRAIN, make this a great landmark. Even if your plans don't include a rail journey, the Queen Anne Romanesque revival building deserves a close look.
- Restored for the station's centennial in 1996, the ticket hall's marble panels glow under giant pendant lights that descend from ornate box-beam ceilings.
- But this is no mere museum: The stately structure continues to serve as an important nexus for Western travel, welcoming trains heading north to Canada and south to California. In its heyday, it served 74 trains daily. In 1971, it became the Amtrak station.
- The tower once offered a nice view of the city.
- Attached to the station is a fittingly old-school restaurant-piano bar, Wilf's, with wingback red-velvet chairs, brick walls, chandeliers and live jazz on the weekends.
