On select Sundays from May through the Sunday before Christmas Day, old-style trolleys run along the MAX tracks on the Portland Transit Mall. Leaving NW 5th & Glisan: Union Station was the brainchild of rail baron Henry Villard who suffered financial setbacks and lost ownership of the project before it was completed in 1896.
Proceeding southbound on NW 5th Ave: We now traveled along the edge of Portland's Chinatown. This area was a center for railroading, lumbering, and both river and ocean-going ships. It was also known for bawdy houses, saloons, and gambling parlors.
Southbound on SW 5th at Stark: The old First National Bank Building was the first national bank west of the Rocky Mountains. It as built in 1916 in a style reminiscent of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and many think it is the finest example of Roman architecture in the West.
Southbound on SW 5th leaving Oak St: Here stands Pioneer Courthouse, which offered a splendid view of the countryside from its cupola when built on the edge of town in 1869.
Southbound on SW 5th at Madison: The Renaissance Revival style Portland City Hall was completed in 1895. This early steel-framed structure was one of the first buildings in the Northwest to feature electric lights and central heat. It was considered to be fireproof.
Southbound on SW 5th approaching PSU: Fifth Avenue has a long railway history. Cablecars ran here for 15 years, starting in 1890. They were replaced by the very trolleys that we rode in were patterned after; the Council Crest cars. Portland cablecars were ordered from the same firm that built San Francisco's historic cars and look just like them.
Northbound on SW 6th at Mill: Now a well-regarded urban university, Portland State began as a non-accredited Junior College. It can trace its roots to an extension center wiped out in the Vanport Flood of 1948.
Northbound on SW 6th at Jefferson: The University Club is a rare example of Jacobethan style. It was built in 1919 for a socially prominent club founded in 1898. Next door is the city's oldest continuously fashionable apartment building, and one of the most ornate, the Ambassador Apartments built in 1922.
Leaving Pioneer Courthouse: The cream colored tiles on the buildings across the street identify them as part of the Terra Cotta Historical Area. The "last of the handmade buildings" include Macy's, Portland's oldest and largest department store. It was built in 1909 as Meier & Frank.
Northbound on SW 6th at Stark: Well-known architect A.E. Doyle designed two bank buildings along the city's financial blocks: The U. S. National Bank was built in 1916 and the old Bank of California next door in 1924. The Bank of California is considered Portland's most impressive Italian Renaissance building.
Northbound on NW 6th after Burnside: Now back in Chinatown…Portland's Chinatown was once bigger than any other on the West Coast outside of San Francisco. It sported a Erickson's Saloon, which had the 'longest bar in the world.' It was also infamous for shanghaiing of sailors. The Classical Chinese Garden is now in this district.
Northbound on NW 6th at Glisan: The Steel Bridge served the Northwest's first electric trolley. The Albina Line began running across this bridge to Albina in 1889. The Steel Bridge also holds the distinction of being the world's only double decked, telescoping, lift span.
It was great to see even more of Portland's history. Thanks Diana for sharing in it with me.
No comments:
Post a Comment