US Navy Ships at Rose Festival, 1908

This photo was probably taken during the 1908 Rose Festival when the “Mosquito Squadron” visited Portland. The destroyers Preble, Perry and Farragut, and the torpedo boats Fox and Davis were among the ships in attendance. This photo shows two destroyers (larger ships in the background) and two torpedo boats. Coincidentally, the Fox and Davis, along with a third torpedo boat Goldsborough, were built in 1898-99 at Wolff & Zwicker Iron Works at the foot of Hawthorne on Portland’s east side.

This spectacular photo features some of downtown Portland’s skyline. The Lewis & Flanders Block/Ankeny Block (center with water tower), and the Kamm Block with distinctive finials, featured here last week, both stand out. Between them, the Crane Co. sign can still be seen today on the New Market Annex building. This photo comes to us via Roxanne Cummings, whose friend Eric Ammerman found some old glass photo plates in a friend’s attic. This is a great find and perhaps published here for the first time.

(Eric Ammerman/Roxanne Cummings)

Dr. Carlton Mast, circa 1940

Dr. Carlton Mast operated his chiropractic practice out of this building at 7434 N. Charleston St. for many years, into the 1970s. The St. Johns-area building still exists, with some structural changes, but it retains its distinctive glass block front windows. VP fan Justin Wassinger purchased a photo album at an estate sale last year and then found it once belonged to Dr. Mast.

(Justin Wassinger)

Kamm Block, circa 1900

The 1884 Kamm Block was one of Portland’s most richly decorated cast-iron buildings. It was situated on the north side of SW Pine St. between Front and 1st Avenue; this undated photo looks northwest. The building had an imposing tower above its mid-block entry; an 1892 fire destroyed that. Another fire, this time in 1939, destroyed the eastern end of the building. The remaining, 1st Avenue end, was demolished in 1948. As is so often the case, the site is a surface parking lot today.

(University of Oregon Libraries)

NE Sandy & 38th, 1947

I-84 had not widened Sullivan’s Gulch in 1947 and only the train tracks traveled along the old river bed. It’s many times wider now, the freeway chewing up the north half of the residential block in the foreground. For most of its life a 7Up sign adorned the tower at Sandy where 37th cuts through; today we see a Budweiser sign. VP fan Jeff LaDoe says the building started as a dairy and he believes there’s a bottle-shaped tower under the cylinder shaped tower.

(City of Portland Archives)

President Eisenhower, 42nd & Prescott, 1956

A bit late for President’s day, this photo shows President Dwight D. Eisenhower passing the intersection of NE 42nd and Prescott in 1956. The little grocery building is still on the corner today. Here’s another photo of Ike on that same campaign swing.

(City of Portland Archives)

Eastbank Freeway Construction, 1962

The Eastbank Freeway, or I-5, begins cutting through North and Northeast Portland in this 1962 aerial photo. The Memorial Coliseum parking lot at center right, and Lloyd Center in the distance, were both about a year old at the time of the photo. All the houses in the lower right are gone now.

(City of Portland Archives)

Chamber of Commerce Building, circa 1912

The Chamber of Commerce building occupied the half block on the north side of SW Stark between SW 3rd and 4th Avenues. You can see it nearing completion in 1892 in this Portland panorama of the same year; it’s just to the left of center with all the derricks on its roof. Economic difficulties, taxes and maintenance dictated its demolition in 1934. The site remains a surface parking lot to this day.

(University of Oregon Libraries)