This lovely 1903 image from Portland Heights encompasses Goose Hollow on the left, Union Station on the right, out to Mount St. Helens in the distance. The large white residence near the center was the Monroe Bennett Rankin home. Mr. Rankin made his fortune in the timber industry and built this fine home in 1890 on the block bounded by SW 16th and 17th Streets, Clifton and Myrtle Avenues. It’s no longer in existence and the four homes now on that block date from the late 1930s.
(Library of Congress)
Tags: Historic Photo, Oregon, Portland, Portland Heights, Portland High School, The Old Church
January 27, 2012 at 7:20 am
Just above the Rankin residence, you can see an early photo of the Marabba West.
http://vintageportland.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/marabba-west-apartments-1977/
As to the large building to the far left center, I believe it may be the old exposition center that predated Multnomah (Jeld-Wen) Field. Can anyone confirm? From this angle it looks more like a huge warehouse.
January 27, 2012 at 9:45 am
I agree Jim. That is the old Exposition hall. I have studied many old photographs of it from different angles. Nice spotting of the Marabba West BTW.
January 27, 2012 at 11:48 am
wow, how awesome is that 4 masted ship docked up at about what would be the Hawthorne bridge?
also, anyone know what those two long buildings would be that sit just west of Union Station would be?
January 27, 2012 at 12:20 pm
Yes, that’s a nice four-masted schooner, with what appears to be a tugboat and a sternwheeler. I think you meant the Broadway Bridge.
The long buildings are freight houses. They had tracks on one side and vehicle loading docks on the other. They are still there, converted to condos.
January 28, 2012 at 3:48 pm
The house at the very bottom of the photo slightly to the left of center with the finials (I think that’s what they’re called) at the peaks of the gables is still there on the SW corner of 17th and Spring. Zillow shows it as being built in 1896 (and last sold two years ago for $1.4M!)
The photo must have been taken from the high ground above where 17th ends at Elizabeth. It’s steeply uphill there giving a nice vantage point over the top of the house on Spring. Looks like the homes there now between Elizabeth and Hawthorne Terrace were all built after 1910 or so and into the 20′s so it was probably just empty hillside then.
February 19, 2012 at 1:34 am
I love the houses and neighborhoods on the east side that are now the Coliseum, Rose Garden, Portland Public Schools building and I-5. There has been a lot written about the effects of this development on the families that once lived there. Not good. Also, just to the left of where this shot was taken is where the Council Crest trolley ran up Vista. The turn around for the trolley still exists under I-405.