East side business groups had designs for a grand auditorium and museum on their side of the river in 1913. They asked the city to build it somewhere in a large area bounded north-south by Broadway and Hawthorne and east-west by 12th Avenue and the river. Seems the businessmen were a bit miffed that all the public buildings were being going up on the west side. This never got off the ground.
(City of Portland Archives)
The building on the northwest corner of SW Broadway and Oak Street has had various names over the years. Built in 1908 as the Beck Building, it became the Artisans Building in 1920, and later the Commerce Building. It lost many of its ornate architectural features during a 1942 modernization. Now named Broadway Commons, the building is undergoing another renovation.
(The Field Museum)
An unusually highly detailed look at the Forestry Building following the Lewis & Clark Exposition of 1905. This view is looking north; that’s likely a bit of the Oriental Palace showing in the background. Thanks to Scott Smith for pointing out this image, courtesy of The Field Museum.
(The Field Museum)
VP fan Scott Blyth sent in this great photo of Portland’s 1919 Armistice Day parade. “My paternal grandfather Reginald Arthur Blyth was heading up the Canadian contingent and is marching with his officer’s cane directed towards the ground.” The parade is heading east on SW Alder at Park Avenue; both the 1908 Cornelius Hotel and the 1912 Woodlark Building in the background are still there. Thanks again, Scott!
Update: This is actually the Rose Festival Military and Naval Parade, held on June 12, 1919. See the comments for more information.
(Scott Blyth)
Portland’s impressive Union Station is shown here in 1918, 22 years after its 1896 opening. The building itself has remained remarkably unchanged in 117 years but the forecourt, parking and roadways have changed many times over the years. The “Union Station” and “Go By Train” signs at the top of the clock tower were not installed until 1948.
(City of Portland Archives)
This map shows the territorial expansion of Portland through annexation over the years, from the original 1851 incorporation through 1915 when this map was produced. A quick modern-day map overlay shows the boundaries were roughly Lombard Street Columbia Blvd. in the north, 82nd Avenue in the east and Sellwood in the south at that time.
(City of Portland Archives)
The 1898 home of prominent Portland architect Emil Schacht is the only example of the Shingle Style in Portland’s King’s Hill neighborhood. Shown here circa 1910, it still stands at 733 SW Vista Avenue, just south of Burnside.
(University of Oregon Libraries)
