United Nations Day ceremonies at City Hall, October 24, 1950.
United Nations Day ceremonies at City Hall, October 24, 1950: A2005-005.131.2
City Hall, 1950
Vintage Portland
United Nations Day ceremonies at City Hall, October 24, 1950.
United Nations Day ceremonies at City Hall, October 24, 1950: A2005-005.131.2
Vintage Portland 
And today….
For some reason I thought when I lived in Portland that the main entrance was on 5th avenue, not 4th. In fact, if I recall properly, there were always city cars parked in the space around the rotunda. Am I hallucinating or does someone else remember this?
The young man speaking at the mike in this photo is Guenther Holzhaeuser, then an AFS exchange student from Berlin at Grant High School (source: Oregonian 25 Oct 1950). Postwar euphoria and idealism spawned regular and elaborate observances of UN Day (still on 24 October) across the US, including Portland. These positive attitudes about the UN faded away after the 1980s. Several other foreign students and members of the consular corps attended these Portland ceremonies in 1950 in front of city hall. Alongside mayor Mccolough Lee, one of the organizers, the late prof. Frank Munk (I’m pretty sure) then with Reed College, can be seen standing in the front row in the center right. The man in the light suit standing behind Holzhaeuser looks like an emcee for the event and might be local radio-TV personality-sportscaster Johnny Carpenter??
I think I like the old ivy on the building. Must have been a lot of work to remove it.
In the mid-1990s City Hall was remodelled restored — both the 4th and 5th Street entrances were worked on — also the rock columns with Native Peoples carvings were removed from the 4th Street area and returned — I don’t know how long the City Hall had them.
I found the article:
GOING HOME
Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) – August 17, 1995
Author: CATHY KIYOMURA – of the Oregonian Staff
Summary: Portland is returning to the tribes a petroglyph that has been on City Hall grounds since 1910
“The petroglyph, a culturally significant artifact to the Umatilla tribes, stands at the Southeast side of City Hall unprotected from damaging elements and largely ignored.”
Edition: SUNRISESection: PORTLAND ZONER COAST ZONERPage number: D02Record: 9508170239Copyright: Copyright (c) 1995 Oregonian Publishing Co.