NW Hoyt Street was paved with Belgian blocks when this 1917 image was taken. You can still find a few streets in the area paved with these natural stones but Hoyt is all asphalt now. A couple of buildings are still with us in this view to the west looking through the intersection at 11th Avenue.
(City of Portland Archives)
Another man holding another number. Perhaps this was to document the sad state of repairs of the curb and street paving along NE Broadway at 11th Avenue in 1929. The East Side Franklin Authorized Service Station referred to the Franklin automobile, manufactured between 1902 and 1934.
(City of Portland Archives)
Circa 1882 Portland was only on the west side of the river as Albina and East Portland had not yet been annexed. To call this North Portland, as the label states, makes sense but it’s most definitely Southwest Portland now. The view is similar to this earlier VP entry where we look north on the block between SW 11th and 12th; The Old Church is nearing completion in the center. There are some handsome mansions fronting the South Park Blocks on the right; the side-by-side white Italianate homes belonged to brothers Ralph and Isaac Jacobs.
(City of Portland Archives)
The western-most North Bank Freight Depot building on the northwest corner of NW Hoyt & 11th is shown in the 1917 photo. The building (and its sister across the street) is still with us, a fine luxury condo building in the Pearl District. The remnants of that sign on the end of the building can still be seen.
(City of Portland Archives)
This 1976 aerial photo shows the downtown core area looking east centered on SW Alder. The cross street at the bottom is SW 11th Avenue. It’s instantly recognizable but greatly changed over the years.
(City of Portland Archives)
Both of these apartment buildings still stand on the west side of SW 11th Avenue. The one on the right is at the corner with Columbia St. Both buildings look better now than they did 35 years ago. The vacant lot on the left is now a high-rise apartment building.
(University of Oregon Libraries)
This view looks east on W. Burnside from NW 11th Avenue. It’s still a pretty recognizable area after all these years. We’d be looking into the coffee shop at Powell’s City of Books in the lower left corner today instead of a new car showroom.
(City of Portland Archives)
