This 1964 aerial photo shows the South Auditorium urban renewal area and construction of the I405 freeway. Many blocks of neighborhoods south of the auditorium (upper center before remodeling) have been wiped clean in preparation for office buildings and high-rise residence buildings. Harbor Freeway snakes across the right edge with the river just out of view. And the I405 freeway is just a ditch as it passes under the 1st Avenue and Front Avenue overpasses at lower right.
(City of Portland Archives)
February 9, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Does anyone else call this area “New Town”. It is kind of an old-term. However, I had a research project at PSU about this area. The term stuck with me, but I seem to be the only one who uses it.
The area was once the “Jewish quarter” of Portland. Many of the houses in this neighborhood were taken down for this and a few other developments in the 60s and early 70s.
Great picture!
~n
February 9, 2010 at 3:36 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by loadedorygun, Dave Knows PDX. Dave Knows PDX said: You know that really dead southern part of downtown? In 1964 they thought that was a great idea http://bit.ly/cqm9HU [...]
February 15, 2010 at 8:32 am
looking in detail, you can see the original convergence of Front Ave. and Harbor Drive, and the Temporary viaducts that were created.
Really cool photograph. Plus, it looks like 1st Ave used to go south towards Barbur Blvd too, unless that’s also a temporary viaduct to control traffic.
February 16, 2010 at 10:12 am
Chris, 1st Ave continues to cross south over 405 today; see http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=45.506144,-122.677642&spn=0.002884,0.005456&t=k&z=18 . It’s a useful way, particularly with the Sheridan St cutoff between the 1st Ave and Front Ave viaducts, of getting to the Ross Island Bridge approaches while avoiding the heavier traffic of Front Ave and US 26.
What’s interesting is that, looking at the google maps link, you can still see the ghost ramps from Harbor Drive as they came up to the Front Ave viaduct.
(BTW, thanks, dan, for the awesome blog! I love seeing what shows up!)
August 7, 2010 at 3:15 pm
I can see the construction crane is ready to put up the first tower of the Portland Center Apartments. This is right around the time I started exploring downtown Portland. I thought of the Standard Plaza as being such a tall modern skyscraper (nothing else to compare it to.) Skidmore, Owings & Merrills Portland office was located there and they used to let me come in and visit. They had a mock up of downtown inside with their future designs highlighted in white. It was a very cool world to this 15-year-old!
August 27, 2012 at 7:02 pm
I started my search looking for the old jerry’s gables or maybe it was seven gables .it was a restaurant that specialized in fish .some of the greatest crab luie I ever ate.. I can t find it in the pictures ?
August 27, 2012 at 7:41 pm
618 SW Grant St. Jerry’s Gables. Went there once-memorable, fun, loved it.