We’ll end 2011 with a nice aerial view looking north down the Willamette River as it cuts through the heart of Portland. Construction of I-5 has begun through North Portland and the snarl of connecting ramps at the east end of the Morrison Bridge is well underway but demolition of buildings near the Hawthorne Bridge has not yet begun.
(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)
Wonder Bread has been available to generations of Portlanders as this 1937 advertisement on N. Vancouver Avenue attests. The view is east on Fremont Street.
(City of Portland Archives)
SW Kelly Avenue dips under the west end of the Ross Island Bridge on its way north to downtown. The diagonal on the left takes drivers up to Corbett Ave and access to the bridge. You can see an aerial view of the same area in this earlier VP post.
(City of Portland Archives)
It doesn’t look like we’ll be having a white Christmas in Portland this year. This 1952 photo shows snow removal efforts on SW 6th Avenue looking north toward Morrison. Note that the Portland Hotel had been demolished on our immediate left and the new Meier & Frank parking lot was just being constructed.
(City of Portland Archives)
That oddly configured power pole is still on the corner of NE 60th and Glisan Street. Even those super-tall poles farther north on 60th are still there almost half century later. The Lion’s Lair is now the popular Biddy McGraw’s neighborhood Irish pub.
(City of Portland Archives)
The City of Portland Vice Commission created a map of known and suspected immoral dwellings and businesses in the downtown area in 1913. The map has apparently faded to nothing but markers on a white page but by turning, scaling and fitting the known elements (Irving Street, 23rd Avenue, etc.) I was able to overlay the vice map on top of a modern Google map of the city. The resultant composite gives a pretty accurate indication of where much of Portland’s immoral activity took place. Click here to see a raw version of the original map. As always, click on any image to see a larger, more detailed version.
Legend:
Composite:
(City of Portland Archives/Google Maps)
Vintage Portland 