The Benson Hotel located at 309 SW Broadway, 1894.
City of Portland (OR) Archives, A2004-002.583.
SW Broadway, 1894
Tag Archives: Benson Hotel
W Burnside & Broadway, 1933
The West Burnside widening project appears to be at its peak in this 1933 photo looking west through the intersection with Broadway. The 1910 Lowengart building is losing quite a bit of its north face to make way for the street. On the left, the top two floors of the Scott Hotel have already been removed and the ground floor is not far behind.
(City of Portland Archives)
Pittock Block Excavation, 1913
This massive excavation was a three-story sub-basement for the Pittock Block, which originally housed the Northwestern Electric Company’s electric sub-station and west side distribution plant. Portland newspaper publisher Henry Pittock’s home was on this site before construction began. This view looks down on the corner of SW 10th and Washington, facing northeast. I’d featured a cropped version of this image previously; VP fan Mike Slama was kind enough to point me to this full version.
(University of Oregon Libraries)
W Burnside & SW 10th, 1939
There are many classic signs to be savored in this 1939 photo of a popular Portland intersection; the Wentworth & Irwin logo at far left is a beauty. The view is east on W Burnside and 10th Avenue, with SW Oak angling off to the right. I believe you can see one of the surviving “Great Light Way” arches down Oak at 3rd Street.
(City of Portland Archives)
Pigeon Hole Parking, 1955
Pigeon Hole Parking came to Portland with the wave of parking-lot mania that swept the city in the 1950s. This one, at SW Stark and Park, lasted until the mid-60s when it was moved two blocks south to SW 9th and Alder. Like many of these parking systems, it was plagued by bad electrics that would strand cars until repairs could be made. The Stark and Park site is still a surface parking lot.
(City of Portland Archives)
Eisenhower in Portland
President Dwight D. Eisenhower is riding down SW Broadway in this undated LIFE magazine photo. I believe this is 1956, as he made a west coast swing in October of that year during the presidential campaign. He’s riding in the “bubbletop” 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan limousine which I don’t think would have been available to Ike in 1952.
The cross street immediately behind him is Washington Street. The Plaza Hotel is now Hotel Vintage Plaza and the Bank of California building replaced the Union Pacific and Liberty Theater block on the left.
(LIFE)
Vintage Portland 