Comments on: SW 1st & Lincoln, 1963

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:54:57 +0000

Don’t forget it was some rich transplant from back east, ira Kellar, came to Portland as big wig of Willamette industries( think Mr. Burns from the Simpsons) and decided to” modernize” by destroying the soul of this part of town and make it a concrete wasteland. For this atrocity, his fellow fat cats named the Auditorium and Fountain after him. I refuse to call them anything but the Forecourt Fountain and the Civic Auditorium..

By: bailey

bailey — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:00:11 +0000

I saw Jimmy Buffett!… lots of fins there that night!

By: joan

joan — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:40:03 +0000

Thanks for the 1958 picture. Forgot what it looked like. I just remember going there once and seeing an elephant on the stage. I loved the new Civic Auditorim:Tony Bennett, Ella Fitgerald, the Pretenders, the Portland Symphony, the ballet, my high school graduation…wonderful memories!

By: Dan Davis

Dan Davis — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:49:26 +0000

Here was the front of the auditorium in 1958.

http://vintageportland.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/municipal-auditorium-1958/

By: mark

mark — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:48:06 +0000

yeah, quite a change.. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=sw+1st+and+lincoln,+portland,+or&ll=45.507437,-122.677953&spn=0.003993,0.009645&sll=45.507972,-122.678601&layer=c&cbp=13,355.68,,0,2.82&cbll=45.507924,-122.678601&gl=us&hnear=SW+1st+Ave+%26+SW+Lincoln+St,+Portland,+Multnomah,+Oregon+97201&t=m&z=17&panoid=C965tJ1ypZdxhTL_6AmJmg

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 23:42:10 +0000

@Gerhard: Totally agree. The South Auditorium area is a concrete wasteland and I’m always saddened every time I see another historic photo of glorious neighborhoods long destroyed. Particularly those that made way for I-405 and I-5.

@David Johnson: As I learned today, the Keller is not an original 1968 building, though it looks it. It’s evidently a renovation of the 1917-era auditorium visible in the picture above. I personally like the 1917-vintage better.

By: Gerhard

Gerhard — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:08:03 +0000

I lived in the area in the 1950′s. Went to Failing School, (now pcc) and neighborhood house. Great neighborhood, Mosler’s bakery was there and it was a wonderful community. It had a significant Jewish population and a lot of artists, bohemians and just regular working folks. Urban renewal just ruined the area and killed a vibrant community. Urban renewal and the PDC have screwed this city since the 1960′s.

By: David Johnson

David Johnson — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:06:49 +0000

What happened in 68?

By: Eric C

Eric C — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:44:35 +0000

@Tom – email is a go for launch!

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:32:21 +0000

I was 2 years old in 1968, and until today, I had no idea the auditorium was a renovation of a 1917 building. I had always assumed it was built as part of that district’s urban renewal program in the the late 60′s-early 70′s. My stepfather worked for PDC at the time and helped guide a lot of that development – he never mentioned this little factoid …

Thanks, Vintage Portland, for the fantastic history lessons on a daily basis!

By: Tom Paul

Tom Paul — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:25:01 +0000

Test for email

By: Mike Slama

Mike Slama — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:16:06 +0000

Sim City 1963…