The iconic Pagoda Chinese restaurant and lounge opened on the northwest corner of NE 39th and Broadway in 1940. It closed on the last day of 2008 and has been remodeled into a Key Bank. The Pagoda was one of Portland’s first Chinese restaurants outside of downtown. Later patrons were unimpressed with the food but had high praise for the lounge. The Rankin Building would become Poor Richard’s restaurant in 1959. NE Sandy passes on a diagonal just beyond the barricades.
(City of Portland Archives)
Tags: Chevron, History, Lucky Lager, Photos, Portland, Rankin Building
August 13, 2010 at 5:26 pm
So if I have my bearings correct here, on the right (the lot where the white car’s parked) is now a Radio Shack and a couple other businesses in a new building which comes out to the sidewalk, and that Chevron station is now a Starbucks?
Scene looks somewhat familiar from riding the 75 bus up 39th / Chavez, this is straight two blocks ahead of where it turns onto Halsey to hit Hollywood TC.
A couple blocks over, Chin’s Kitchen (SW corner of NE 42nd & Broadway) has awesome retro neon signage. “Portland’s Original Chinese Food To-Go”, or something like that. Love walking by that place (never eaten there), looks like it hasn’t changed in 50 or 60 years. Wonder if it was there when this shot was taken?
August 13, 2010 at 5:33 pm
And it looks like those houses behind the Pagoda are gone too, now. Just checked Google Maps – in their place is a (wait for it) giant parking lot, and the strip mall housing My Canh, a salon, a hobby shop and a few other things. Think there’s also a drive-thru Baskin Robbins there, as well.
August 14, 2010 at 11:14 pm
This may be an odd query, but I’ve been wondering if the Woodstock area was shooting for a Bavarian Theme at some point. Otto’s Sausage Kitchen & Meat Market and the nearby Plaid Pantry seem like remnents. Have you run across any photos that my indicate one way or the other?
April 6, 2011 at 9:16 pm
A rare shot with both an old-style yellow stop sign and a “new” red stop sign in the same photo.
March 20, 2012 at 8:35 am
Chins Kitchen, yes! I remember the early ’60s Falcon Econolines with the ‘chinaman-eyes’ headlights! They delivered all the way down to our house in the Kenilworth neighborhood. Takes me back…
June 28, 2012 at 11:52 am
Saw an ad on Craigslist recently for the archway that used to be inside the Pagoda. It’s on display (for sale?) over at Old Portland Hardware on SE Division (http://www.oldportlandhardware.com/).
July 4, 2012 at 5:07 pm
The Baskin Robbins is not a drive thru. It is actually a pretty small one. Grant High School is just a few blocks Northwest of here.
December 17, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Chin’s Kitchen is still alive and well and they still deliver .We order from them about every 6 weeks or so as we have for the last twenty five years. All we do is mention our name when ordering and that is about all we have to do. Talk about great customer service.
I remember the Pagoda well as I ate there for almost 40 years that I can remember. I always liked the bridge over the wishing pond even as a kid. The place was very ornate and I am sorry it is gone. Across from Fred Meyers on 41st was another Chinese restaurant, The Mandarin. I used to eat there too. It is a steak house now.