Before SE Powell was excavated to pass under 17th Avenue, the two streets, and railroad tracks, met at the same grade. This 1954 photos shows that intersection looking north on 17th. This aerial view from 1965 puts the intersection into perspective.
(City of Portland Archives)
Tags: Auto Repairing, Hancock Station, Morton's, Oregon, Portland, Shell
July 11, 2012 at 7:06 am
Growing up nearby (14th and Division) I can remember the trains would sometimes stop their and cause the traffic to pile up. Ed Grover
July 11, 2012 at 9:03 am
Like they still do at 11th & 12th.
July 11, 2012 at 10:02 am
Notice the towers on the right side about two blocks North … they were on the old Greek Orthodox Church ….. I think the building is still there ……….. seems that 17th ended on S.E. Division where it ran into the playground for St. Phillip’s Catholic School and the old Parish Church
July 11, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Soon they will be redoing at least the 17th Ave portion of the overpass to accommodate the new Orange Line light rail. It was unclear to me if they are planning to redo the heavy rail portion of the overpass as well.
July 12, 2012 at 8:03 am
I remember the intersection at 17th. Hey, does anyone else ever notice how little owners cared about the appearance of their cars back then? In most of ’30s through ’70s photos, all filthy and dinged up…a lot of bent bumpers (‘er…I’ll just push my way into this parallel parking spot / oops, I backed into that car…oh well, I’ll just drive off and lump it’) LOL!
July 12, 2012 at 10:00 pm
The heavy rail overpass will stay. This overpass holds two tracks, but has room for two more. There will be new bridges built west of if for light rail, and a rebuilt 17th Ave. north, with a wider sidewalk. The sidewalks on the north and south sides of Powell will be rebuilt so there are less blind spots for the homeless to camp in.