You can still buy a travel trailer along this stretch of SE 82nd Avenue, just like you could in 1959, but you’d have a little more trouble finding a Lucky Lager in a stubby bottle. Turn right here and you’ll be turning in to Eastport Plaza today.
(City of Portland Archives)
Tags: A-1 Plumbing & Electrical, Brohlin Trailers, Gas, History, Lucky Lager, Portland, Time
December 3, 2010 at 10:11 am
I have to assume that the vantage point isn’t actually Francis st. That’d be further north, and the incline in the road we see in the background would be much closer.
Also, the signal must be Powell, and Francis st. is north of Powell.
December 3, 2010 at 10:38 am
I think Francis cuts between the Trailers sign and the Realty office on the left, and between the Electrical and Auto Parts buildings on the right. The two buildings are actually offset somewhat which gives them the appearance of being jammed together. There’s a street sign attached to the pole in front of the Hudson(?) which might say SE Francis St., and a stop sign right next to that.
Francis is south of Powell, and yes, the signal is probably Powell.
December 4, 2010 at 9:06 am
Note the dirt trail coming from the East side street as the pavement ended for many residential streets at 82nd which was often the City limits.
December 4, 2010 at 11:46 am
I stand corrected Dan, you are correct. Francis St. would be south of Powell. This vantage point has gotta be pretty close to where the old Roaks restaurant stood before it burned down.
December 22, 2011 at 5:15 pm
A year later, a shopping mall called Eastport Plaza would be built (the official grand opening date: October 27, 1960) near this particular intersection. I wonder who has any 1970s and ’80s photos of this mall? Around 1962 an Albertson’s store was added just south of the mall (4330 SE 82nd Ave.), as well as a Firestone tire center, and in 1976, a Burger King restaurant was added (3830 SE 82nd Ave.).
In the late spring of 1979, a G.I. Joe’s store was constructed at the north end of Eastport Plaza (3900 SE 82nd Ave.), and just south of the BK, another restaurant (at 3908 SE 82nd Ave., which is a Taco Bell since 1991) appeared. Mervyn’s took over the Lipman’s space that October.
J.C. Penney moved out of Eastport around 1987-88 (this particular location was small and aging, and by then they already had a much-newer location at Clackamas Town Center, since March 1981), followed by Mervyn’s shortly thereafter (becoming a part of Clackamas Promenade May 5, 1989).
~Ben Edge