Welcome to Eastside Portland Streetcar!
Introduction:
This (unofficial) tour explores the route of Portland’s new
Eastside Streetcar. The new Central Loop (CL) will run from
SW Market in downtown Portland, along 10th and 11th to
the Pearl District, then across the Broadway Bridge to the
Eastside. This website highlights interesting things along the
route.
Portland became the first city nationally to reinvest in
streetcars, on July 20, 2001. The initial 8 mile loop (4 miles
in each direction) ran from Portland State University to
Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. A total of 46 stops were
located about every 3-4 blocks. In August 2007, passenger
service was extended to the South Waterfront District.
The new 3.35-mile Streetcar Loop opens Sept 22, 2012. It
opens a few months behind schedule because of
manufacturing delays producing the only American-made
modern streetcar. The new Eastside line goes from the Pearl
District, across the Broadway Bridge, connects to Lloyd
Center at NE 7th Avenue, then south along MLK Bvd
through the Central Eastside Industrial District and
terminates at OMSI. It returns via Grand Avenue.
1
Beginning in December, five new streetcars will be delivered
to serve the expansion. The system’s existing streetcars were
made in Czechoslovakia, while the new ones are being made
in Portland by United Streetcar, which is in a good position
to serve a growing demand for streetcars throughout the
United States. Officials cut one of the original six streetcars
to bring it in on budget.
The Loop Project cost about $148 million. The Eastside
Extension is funded primary with money that cannot be spent
on other projects. Funding (pdf) comes from the Federal
Transit Administration ($75 million), Portland Development
Commission ($27.7 million), and local improvement districts
($15.50 million), where property owners share in the cost of
transportation infrastructure improvements.
Metro chipped in $3.62 million and the Oregon State Lottery
($20 million) will pay for five streetcars manufactured by
United Streetcar, a subsidiary of Oregon Iron Works in
Clackamas.
2
Colas Construction built the new Maintenance Facility,
designed by Waterleaf Architects. It’s located under the
Fremont bridge in the Northwest, between Lovejoy and
Northrup. The building will service existing and new
streetcars.
The Eastside Streetcar Loop has 28 new stops. Later, as a
separate project, the Loop will be completed via a new
bridge at the south end, allowing continuous connections
around the entire Loop.
The grand opening and ribbon cutting celebration was
September 22, 2012 with Portland Mayor Sam Adams, a
strong supporter of the streetcar expansion officiating. He
was joined by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Rep. Suzanne
Bonamici and dignitaries from the Federal Transit
Administration, TriMet, Metro, Portland Streetcar Inc.,
Oregon Transportation Commission, OMSI and Portland
State University.
When all the cars are ready to go, streetcar frequency will be
about every 18 minutes between 9:30am and 5pm. Streetcar
Fare is $1.00, valid for 2 hours on the Streetcar only.

Next Page: Stop One
3
Stop 01
Stop 1: NW Lovejoy & 9th.
Our tour starts in The Pearl District, on the West Side of
Portland, near the Broadway Bridge at NW Lovejoy & 9th.
We’re waiting for a train headed East, over the Broadway
Bridge.
Moon Shadow Glass, of Sandy, OR, did the glass etching on
all the streetcar stops. They can now accurately reproduce
photographic images in glass.
4
Stacy and Witbeck was the general contractor for the original
Portland Streetcar Project and provided streetcar extensions
for the Eastside Loop.
The “Pearl District” was coined by a local gallery owner, to
suggest that some of its urban decay industrial buildings
were like crusty oysters, and that the galleries and artists’
lofts within were like pearls.
5
Hoyt Realty Group has developed more than 50% of the
Pearl District. The area used to be abandoned rail yards and
“brownfields,” and is now home to 14 mixed use and
condominium buildings, as well as restaurants, retail,
galleries, parks and other attractions.
Vintage Portland has an aerial shot from 1939. The Lovejoy
ramp meets the Broadway Bridge at the top. Union Station is
to the right.
We’re about 3 blocks from the “Y” in the bridge. The 17
blocks between the Willamette River to Interstate 405 was
once packed with warehouses and train yards.
Oregon once had one of the most extensive streetcar systems
in the United States. OPB has some vintage footage of
streetcars and a nice collection of photos.
Richard Thompson may have the definitive collection of
trolley photos and has written several books about Trolleys
in Portland and the region.
6
Recently TriMet announced a $12 million budget hole that
required the elimination of downtown’s Fareless Square as
well as numerous service cuts, all while raising ticket prices.
Get your buck ready for the Streetcar. We’re headed East!
We’ll pass by the Albers Mill building on the left. Albers
Mill is home to the Oregon Wheat Commission, the Wheat
Marketing Center and other tenants in the wheat and
agriculture industry.
Portland is the nation’s largest wheat exporter and has long,
colorful history. Barney Blalock has a terrific Pictorial
History of the Portland waterfront (below).
7
The opening of Albers Mill in 1911 rode the boom that
began in 1885; when the railroads arrival brought wheat to
the Portland shipping docks from Central and Eastern OR.
Grain elevators on the Willamette River are used to load
wheat and barley for the Asian and Middle Eastern markets.
Half of the nation’s wheat exports flow through Portland and
Puget Sound ports. The Eastside elevator was a joint venture
between Cargill and Louis Dreyfus, two of the world’s
largest private companies, which did business under the
name CLD.
8
Louis Dreyfus (LD) assumed full control over the Broadway
grain elevator this year, but with a longshoremen contract
expiring this October, managers of Northwest grain
terminals are preparing for an epic showdown, reports the
Oregonian.
9
Cargill and CHS operate a 50-50 joint venture, known as
Temco, in Tacoma, Kalama, and Portland. The Port of
Portland leases Terminal 5 to Columbia Grain. The world’s
four largest grain companies – Archer Daniels Midland,
Bunge, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus, (the “ABCDs”),
collectively control anywhere from 75 to 90 percent of
global grain trade.
Development of Portland west side of the Willamette began
in the 1840s with the first docks to service the young port
town. Before long steam engines had hammered in thousands
of pilings and by the early 1900s nearly the entire waterfront
from the Hawthorne Bridge to the Broadway Bridge
consisted of pile-supported docks, warehouses and
boardwalks.
NEXT: Stop 2
10
Stop 02
Stop 2: NE Weidler and Ross Avenue.
We have just crossed over the Broadway Bridge and our
streetcar has arrived on the East side. Just like 60 years ago.
11
Portland Railway, Light and Power opened the Broadway
Line in August, 1903. In 1906, Portland Railway, Light and
Power took over the hodgepodge of private rail companies
and grew until the city ranked as the third-largest narrowgauge street railway system in the nation.
In 1906, they operated 40 lines over 172 miles of track. The
name, Portland General Electric (PGE), remained in use as a
division of the trolley company and, after subsequent
reorganizations in 1930 and 1940, eventually PGE became
once again fully independent as a power utility company.
Our Skoda and United Streetcar vehicles are easier to board
and more comfortable to ride than those 40′s era streetcars.
The 99 year-old Broadway Bridge, however, needed major
renovation to carry the new load.
Mowat Construction removed a portion of the concrete road
deck and sidewalk. Balancing the draw span required
utilizing 500,000 pounds of concrete block weights
strategically placed and adjusted as renovation progressed.
12
David Evans and Associates provided engineering assistance
for the rehabilitation of the Broadway Bridge replacing the
steel open-grid deck with a new fiber-reinforced polymer
deck system. Work to repair the non-slip coating on both
sidewalks of the Broadway Bridge will begin September 24,
2012. This work is scheduled to take two weeks.
Elcon provided System Design including cost estimating and
signal engineering for the Streetcar project. LTK helped with
the final design, specification and procurement of the new
streetcars, the traction electrification system, traffic signal
interfaces and a streetcar maintenance facility.
13
Portland Public Schools headquarters, a big orange building
is to our left, behind the trees. PPS was founded in 1851, and
has some 47,000 students in 81 schools, the largest school
district in the Pacific Northwest.
The Left Bank Annex, straight ahead at 101 Weidler, is an
extension of the Leftbank Project, which was created to
provide work space for Portland’s mission-focused
community.
The Annex was a machine shop for WWII airplane parts in a
previous life.
Two large-scale public artworks were funded through the 2
percent for art for the Eastside Streetcar.
Jorge Pardo is creating a sculptural shelter at the east end of
the Broadway Bridge near Weidler. Inversion: Plus Minus, a
pair of sculptures on Grand Avenue near the on-ramps for
the Hawthorne and Morrison Bridges was created by Lead
Pencil Studio.
14
To the North is the lower Albina Neighborhood with limited
housing but an historical architecture heritage.
15
Vintage Portland has this 1947 shot of the Union Pacific
Albina yards. The old roundhouse and most of the railroad
buildings are gone except for the iconic 1887 smokestack
which was refurbished.
Looking ahead, just to our left is the Econolodge. The
Leftband Project, a community of mission-driven tenants is
straight ahead one block. Leftbank is fully leased to creativeclass tenants involved in bikes, brewing, coffee and
community. The Willamette Pedestrian Coalition sponsors
walks. The cafe is open M-F.
To our right is the Memorial Coliseum (below) and the Rose
Garden Area.
The Memorial Coliseum was the home court of the Portland
Trail Blazers. Three NBA Finals have been played in the
Coliseum; in 1977 (when the Trail Blazers won) and in 1990
and 1992. Construction began on the nearby Rose Garden
16
soon after the 1992 NBA finals, and it became the team’s
home arena when it opened in 1995.
Negotiations with the Portland Winterhawks to renovate the
place could collapse, reports The Oregonian. Paul Allen’s
Portland Arena Management are months behind schedule
negotiating a potential $31.5 million deal. The Winterhawks
are willing to commit $10 million toward the renovation, but
team officials want to play at the coliseum for 20 years.
17
Two light rail stations also serve the arenas to the south. A
MAX Yellow Line is the first stop northbound on the
Interstate MAX. About 200 yards away is the Rose Quarter
Transit Center’s MAX station, where transfers to the
eastbound MAX Blue and Red lines are possible. Several
bus lines also serve the transit center.
The nearby Rose Garden is the primary indoor sports arena
in Portland. Large indoor events, including basketball, ice
hockey, rodeos, circuses, conventions, ice shows, concerts,
and dramatic productions are held here. The arena has a
capacity of 20,000 spectators
18
The primary scoreboard is a Mitsubishi-manufactured high
definition video scoreboard, which hangs from the ceiling
over center court, features four 15 feet by 22.5 feet (4.5 m by
6.75 m) video screens, among the biggest in the NBA. The
arena also features over 650 television monitors placed
throughout, showing the action on court.
In 1976, Portland became the first American city to host a
team in the Western Hockey League. The Portland Winter
Hawks have racked up numerous pennants and playoff
championships and are the go to source for America’s
National Hockey League recruiting.
We passed by Interstate Avenue, and will pass over
Interstate 5, a few blocks ahead.
NEXT: Stop 3
19
Stop 03
Stop 3: NE Weidler and 2nd.
We are headed west Weidler Street.
Portland’s trolley system and Interurban line was extensive
100 years ago. From this spot you could catch a train to
Sellwood, Estacata or Bull Run.
20
Construction on Portland’s Interurban lines began in 1890.
Sellwood had a horse track and became a popular destination
when the line opened in June of 1892. The streetcar building
in Sellwood is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. The line was extended to Milwaukie where car barns
and shops were built. Service to Oregon City was
inaugurated on February 16, 1893, and lasted until 1958.
The Broadway Line was relatively short but served the
theater and shopping districts. It received the last new
streetcars in town in 1932, according to Portland Vintage
Trolleys.
Today this stop has numerous light industry and commercial
businesses. To our left is Performance Coating, owned and
operated by Miller Paint are experts in architectural coatings,
from floors, roofs, fire protectants, applied metal coatings,
and other light industrial coatings. Competitor Sherwin
Williams is down the street.
Rhino Lacrosse, behind Performance Coating, ranks among
the premiere lacrosse training and instructional programs in
North America. In 2005 at the age of 24, Angela Batinovich
became the youngest owner of a professional sports team in
the US. Her lacrosse team, The LumberJax, ended operations
after the 2009 season. Rhino Lacrosse was founded in 2005
in Portland, Oregon, by professional lacrosse player and
instructor Ryan Powell.
21
To our right are two large hotels. Shilo Inns (1506 NE 2) has
a newly refurbished 44 room hotel.
Crowne Plaza (1441 Ne 2nd) offers a complimentary area
shuttle that will take you anywhere you need to go within
five miles of the hotel and runs a shuttle to the airport.
Planners and stakeholders envision a new Lloyd district
stretching from the Broadway Bridge to the Lloyd Center
Mall and the Oregon Convention Center. It would have new
office buildings, slender residential towers and a
headquarters hotel.
22
It’s part of a larger $400 million proposal to widen Interstate
5. A lid over the freeway, similar to the one in downtown
Seattle, would stretch over I-5 from Northeast Broadway
Street to Northeast Weidler Street.
A final version will be presented for approval to the Portland
City Council in October and to the Oregon Transportation
Commission in December.
23
This Vintage Portland shot shows I-5 construction in 1962.
In the upper right corner are NE Weidler and Broadway
going east-west.
24
When the PDC, city of Portland officials and the federal
Model Cities program tore down Albina homes and
businesses for Emanuel’s expansion in 1971, it was the last
straw after having been moved by the I-5 freeway
development and then Memorial Coliseum. Tom Robinson
of HistoricPhotoArchive.com created a slide talk illustrating
some of those events.
The Skanner News made a special tribute to the families who
lost their homes and businesses over the years with an
interactive Google map. The map pinpoints small businesses
that once existed on North Williams Avenue, which runs
parallel to Interstate 5.
Half a century ago, Emanuel Hospital razed nearly 300
homes and businesses in North Portland, destroying what
was then the heart of the area’s African American
community and leaving a bitterness that still lingers, reports
25
The Oregonian. The displaced residents told their stories in
oral history interviews, conducted by the students of PSU
instructor Felicia Williams. African Americans had already
been displaced by construction of Veterans Memorial
Coliseum and Interstate 5.
With Legacy Emanuel’s centennial approaching, hospital
officials hope to make amends. Ultimately, through the
Emanuel Hospital expansion, Memorial Coliseum, and I-5,
789 housing units in the Lower and Central Albina areas
were lost, 188 of them from the Emanuel project, 476 from
Memorial Coliseum, and 125 from I-5.
26
Stop 04
Stop 4: Weidler and Grand
We are at the Eastern most point of the route. We will turn
right and now go South towards OMSI.
Hungry? This is a great fast food stop with Burger King,
Taco Bell, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Muchas Gracias, Mashita
Teriyaki, Starbucks, Wendys and several others within a
block or two. You can work it off at the Lloyd Athletic Club
at 815 NE Halsey or wash it down with a beer at Devan’s
Pub, 715 NE Broadway.
The Lloyd District Community Association is the business
and neighborhood association located between the
Willamette River and NE 16th.
27
They have a good list of apartments and restaurants in the
area.
Phone stores are as numerous as fast food at this stop. Radio
Shack is to our left, Sprint, T-Mobile and Cricket are back
one block, and Walgreens is one block north. Automotive
services include Oil Can Henry’s, Washman Car Wash and
Les Schwab.
We’re at the Northeast edge of of Lloyd_District, our train is
now going to turn right and go South towards OMSI.
Lloyd Center Neighborhood Guide lists some of the
interesting things around the neighborhood. Elmer’s Flag &
Banner, on 13th and Broadway for example, has largest
selection of flags in the world, and most of them are onsite.
Laying the track was complicated and time consuming. Stacy
& Witbeck contracted with concrete paving specialist
Gomaco. It was the first project in the United States to use
rail that was only five inches from top to bottom instead of
the normal seven inches. That meant they didn’t have to
relocate every utility they crossed. Typical railroad tolerance
for rail is .125 inch (3 mm) in 60 feet.
28
The Gomaco Trolley Company also manufacturers vintage
streetcars. Bill and Sam Naito bought six trolley cars from
Portugal in the early 1980s, with the dream of bringing back
trolleys to Portland. Eventually, four new replica Gomaco
trolleys were purchased. They ran from downtown to the
Lloyd Center.
Although the modern Portland Streetcar did not come to
fruition until five years after Bill Naito’s death, Bill Naito
was one of the Streetcar’s most influential and ardent
supporters, serving on the board of the non-profit Portland
Streetcar.
29
Portland Vintage Trolley has four replica Council Crest
trolleys made by Gomaco Trolley Company, which are
reproductions of our streetcars running in the early 1900s. It
travels through Portland’s Transit Mall although operation in
now only a few days a year.
Two of the original Council Crest streetcars, 503 and 506,
are preserved by the Oregon Electric Railway Historical
Society at its museum in Brooks, Oregon, which is the
largest trolley museum in the Northwest.
You can see Portland’s working vintage trolleys in their car
barn, under the I-5 bridge. It has big windows and is adjacent
to the Rose Quarter Max stop. Most minor maintenance is
conducted there.
Next: Stop 5
30
Stop 05
Stop 5: Halsey & NE 7th
We’re now headed South, passing through the Lloyd
District. The north end of Lloyd Center is at this stop, the
south enterance is the next stop.
The Lloyd Center Tower is on our left. At 290 feet and 20
stories, it’s the tallest building in Oregon outside of
downtown Portland.
31
Lloyd District apartments, such as the Cornerstone
Apartments, directly to our right, are expected to flourish
with the new Eastside Streetcar service.
Streetcar executive director Rick Gustafson said there are
active plans to build 1,000 units of new housing near the new
route. Since it was first launched, streetcar advocates say,
private developers have built more than 10,000 housing units
and 5.5 million square feet of commercial space within a
block of the streetcar route.
The tall building a few blocks down is the south Lloyd
Center Tower at 825 N.E. Multnomah Street. It’s
headquarters for PacifiCorp, among other corporations.
Many Lloyd District businesses are in the office towers,
along Broadway or along the E/W Max line, which goes by
the tall building, about 3 blocks ahead to the right.
PNGC Power, a Portland-based electric generation and
transmission cooperative is behind us and the Temple Baptist
Church is in front.
A major new development for the Lloyd District is planned
at the SW corner of the Lloyd Center shopping mall.
32
The proposed $250 million dollar mixed use project would
be located between NE 7th and 9th and Multnomah and
Holladay Streets. They are planning 780 apartments and
50,000 square feet of retail in three towers of 13, 18 and 32
stories each.
Designers of the proposed 780-unit “superblock,” say it
would be one of the city’s largest apartment projects, and
may create a new neighborhood. Money for the $250 million
project would come from American Assets Trust, a San
Diego-based company. Langley Investment Properties, a
local firm, will serve as project manager.
Ralph Lloyd came to the Northwest in 1907. He believed the
East Side should be the center of the city. In 1911, Lloyd
returned to California to manage the family ranch where he
brought in his first oil gusher in 1920. Almost overnight, he
became a very wealthy man. Over the next three decades, the
millionaire oilman bought his first two lots on the NW
corner of Union Avenue (now Martin Luther King) and
33
Multnomah Street. He continued to buy land until his death
in 1953, without seeing his dream realized.
His four daughters and their families realized Lloyd’s dream
when construction of the Banfield Freeway through
Sullivan’s Gulch began. In August 1960, Lloyd Center, the
then-largest shopping center in the country, opened its doors.
Next: Stop 6
34
Stop 06
Stop 6: Multnomah & NE 7th
The South entrance to Lloyd Center is here.
Get off here if you want to catch a Max train. The Max trains
go to the Airport, Clackamas Town Center and Gresham. It
passes by the Convention Center (to our right) and the
Double Tree hotel (to our left). The Double Tree is across
the street from the Lloyd Center and a small park by the Max
train stop.
The Lloyd Center mall opened August 1, 1960 in a 100store, open-air configuration. At the time it was the largest
shopping center in the Pacific Northwest and claimed to be
the largest in in the world.
35
Currently, Lloyd Center is the largest shopping mall in
Oregon. it has a great ice rink.
The Lloyd Farmers Market is held on Tuesdays, June
through September, from 10am – 2pm, between NE 7th Ave
and NE 9th. It’s right next to the Max train.
36
Behind Oregon Square is the domed Oregon State Office
Building. It was the first major building in Portland to meet
State Seismic Zone III code requirements and houses the
Depart of Geology, Nature of the Northwest book and map
store, and Oregon Public Health. The Columbia River InterTribal Fish Commission which gives a unified voice in the
overall management of the fishery resources, and protects
their treaty-reserved property and salmon heritage is across
the street.
Bonneville Power Headquarters up the steet, is the marketing
agent for power from all of the federally owned hydroelectric
projects in the Pacific Northwest. The BPA provides about
35% of the electricity used in the region. It transmits and
sells wholesale electricity in eight western states:
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah,
Nevada, and California.
37
The Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood runs along Sullivan’s
Gulch which was a river bed, then a route for trains, and now
the I-84 freeway.
It was formed between 15,000 and 13,000 years ago at the
end of the last ice age when the ice dam containing Glacial
Lake Missoula thawed some 40 times, causing some of the
largest floods known on earth.
Next: Stop 7
38
Stop 07
Stop 7: Oregon & Grand
The Oregon Convention Center, with its twin spire towers, is
straight ahead at this stop. You’ll have to walk across busy
Martin Luther King Bvd, here. There’s another stop across
the street.
The Oregon Convention Center is the largest in Oregon at
nearly 1,000,000 square feet, with 255,000 square feet of
exhibit space.
The original building opened in 1990 and was expanded in
2003.
39
Construction on a 30,000-square-foot, full-block “outdoor
plaza” facility for convention-related activities started in
2011 across the street from the center, right by this stop. The
plaza, known as the Oregon Convention Center Plaza,
opened in January 2012.
The new outdoor park may actually be a space holder for the
planned convention hotel. Metro and PDC gave the green
light this September. Officials hope to lure more national
conventions and trade shows to the Oregon Convention
Center.
40
Metro restarted the dormant hotel talks earlier this year. Two
teams answered the RFP, the Hyatt team led by Mortenson
Development and a second team led by Langley Investment
Properties that offered a Sheraton-flagged proposal.
Metro, the regional government, owns and manages the
Oregon Convention Center, the Portland Center for the
Performing Arts, and the Portland Expo Center in North
Portland, through the Metro Exposition-Recreation
Commission.
The plan is to develop a 500 room headquarters hotel. Metro
says the planned convention center hotel is intended to create
enough spillover demand for rooms so that other hotels
would benefit too. An economic study is in the works and
will be finished before negotiations with the hotel developers
wrap up.
Travel Portland says the Convention Center’s eco-friendly
policy has been a good business recruitment strategy.
Behind us on the right is the East West College, a
professional school of massage and body work. Behind that
is the Oregon State Office building.
To our left, at 736 MLK, is Anzen Hiroshi, is one of
Portland’s best ethnic groceries, featuring a wide selection of
Japanese imported goods, including fresh and prepared
foods, cookware, videos, books and gifts. It’s been family
owned since 1905.
Next: Stop 8
41
Stop 08
Stop 8: MLK & Hoyt
The Convention Center stop.
The Oregon Convention Center (oregoncc.org) was designed
by the architectural firm of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca which
was also involved in designing the expansion.
Based in Portland, ZGF was listed in 2011 as the #4
architectural firm in the United States by Building
Design+Construction and ranked the #9 architectural firm by
Architect Magazine.
42
The Convention Center says it’s one of the greenest
convention centers in the nation. It earned a Silver LEED
Certification by installing low-flow plumbing fixtures,
modified HVAC systems and using 40% renewable wind
power. The Convention Center will seek LEED Gold
certification in 2013 and has invested in a number of
efficiency measures in recent years.
43
Switching to a mix of induction, LED and compact
fluorescent light is expected to decrease energy usage by
half.
The “Rain Garden” on the southwestern corner of the
building, sends water runoff from the 9- acre roof to a series
of “swales”, with water basins and basalt spillways where
native grasses and vegetation encourage natural infiltration.
The rain garden is said to save Convention Center about
$15,000 a year on its storm water bill and reduces pollution
of the Willamette River. Green leadership, say advocates,
attracts a number of conventions to Portland.
Pacificwild Catering, OCC’s caterer, was created by its
parent company, Aramark, to put greater emphasis on local,
sustainable food systems on a large scale.
44
A Metro committee is reportedly
leaning towards the Hyatt proposal
for a new convention hotel.
The Mortenson group submitted
four options ranging from $157
million to $200 million. They
would be built on either Star Terraowned property north of the OCC
or the PDC-owned property east of
it. Public investments ranging from
$10.3 million to $36.1 million were
requested for each option.
In addition, the group requested that
11.5 percent of the 12.5 percent
hotel/motel tax be invested in the
project during a 30-year period.
45
Langley Investment Properties proposed two options on PDC
property across from the OCC. Costs for the 587-room hotel
were estimated at $175 million and a PDC/Metro loan of $8
million was requested.
Conference and trade show attendance at the convention
center, though volatile, has largely trended down since
peaking in 1999, reports the Oregonian. Measured in
attendee days, convention attendance has fallen from
896,927 that year to 381,851 in 2011. In part, that reflects
conventions planned in the depths of the recession.
In 2008, a Metro analysis concluded a new convention center
hotel could bring eight to 10 additional national conventions
to town, an estimated economic impact of $55 million a year.
We’ll continue down Martin Luther King Bvd until we get
close to OMSI. Before it was MLK, the avenue was called
Union.
Martin Luther King Jr. Worker Center at 240 NE MLK, is
across the bridge, on the South side of I-5. The VOZ
Workers’ Rights Education Project is a worker-led
organization that operates the day labor center which finds
hundreds of workers a month jobs for local homeowners and
small businesses. El Hispanic News says a report issued May
29 on Latinos in Oregon found that 1 in 5 native-born
46
children in Oregon have at least one immigrant parent, and
that Oregon had one of the top rates of growth for Latinoowned business creation in the country.
The 1907 dry cleaning business, pictured here, is long gone.
The daughter of Owner Sam Carnes (pictured here) told
Vintage Portland, “The equipment was primitive (no
electricity). In about 1912 he purchased “modern equipment”
including electric irons (before heated on a stove) and
machinery run by electric motors.”
Next: Stop 9
47
Stop 09
Stop 9: MLK & Burnside
We just crossed over Interstate 84 (the Banfield Freeway)
and are heading south. Burnside divides the city North and
South, while the Willamette River divides it East and West.
The three-story Templeton Building peeks over the South
edge of the Burnside Bridge. It was originally an assembly &
retail location for Frigidaire.
48
Burnside Skatepark is near its foundation, the Best Spot to
Execute a Riparian Ollie, according to Thrasher magazine.
Lower East Burnside’s reputation as one of Portland’s less
desirable neighborhoods changed almost literally overnight
in 2003 when partners Kelsey Bunker and Tod Breslau
created the Jupiter Hotel. They teamed with Skylab
Architects to transfigure the dilapidated mid-century motor
inn into the an 80-room boutique hotel featuring the popular
music venue Doug Fir Lounge.
49
The spot has become a communal hang out for gay and
straight hipsters of all persuasions. Other popular night spots
Ron Toms and Report Lounge rode on the coattails of Doug
Fir, along with restaurants Biwa, Simpatica Dining Hall, and
Le Pigeon.
The Eastside Streetcar line is expected to fuel growth in the
Central Eastside Industrial District.
50
Works Partnership Architecture has one of the most striking
buildings at 5th and Burnside, called bSIDE6. The original
building was permitted to build over the sidewalks when
their properties were narrowed in the 1920s to widen the
street.
The developers sought to follow this technique by projecting
upper volumes above the sidewalk. But after the real estate
bubble burst the outcome was in doubt. Today, however, the
striking architecture and the column-free, cantilevered, glasswalled space helped fill the building to 95 percent occupancy
at market rents comparable to, or higher than, the more than
350,000 square feet of creative space in the converted
warehouses nearby.
Building rehabs for the creative industry has enjoyed success
in Portland, with examples like the Leftbank Project on
Broadway, Malsin’s East Bank Commerce Center and
Olympic Mills Commerce Center in the Central Eastside,
and the Ford Building in Southeast, all of which are full of
tenants.
51
Gerding Edlen pioneered green building development (in
collaboration with GBD Architects, ZGF, SERA Architects
and other firms).
The Public Review Draft of the Center City 2035 Concept
Plan was announced this September. It emphasizes the
important role the city center plays for the region and is
intended to guide development of four detailed quadrant
plans within the Central City (N/NE, SE, NW and SW).
The SE Portland Art Walk has over 150 artists showing in
over 50 locations. This walking art tour brings you up close
and personal to artists throughout the vibrant, SE Portland.
52
A temporary public art installation, Line.Plane.Object. is part
of a multi-piece set.
GATE, the first of three “sculptural gestures”, is installed by
the streetcar stop on Burnside.
Also, be sure to check out Starks Vacuum Museum. Stark’s
is one of the largest independent vacuum cleaner dealers in
the U.S. with nine locations and over 50 employees.
53
In this 1933 photo the 1894 Burkhard Building dominated
the northeast corner of E. Burnside and Union (MLK), notes
Vintage Portland. The building “arcades” on either side of
Burnside were the result of a street widening project in the
late 1920s – a theme picked up by the bSIDE6 building.
Next: Stop 10
54
Stop 10
Stop 10: MLK & Stark
The Stark stop may look drab, but looks can be deceiving.
There are hidden gems all around this stop.
We just passed by Columbia Scooters which carries electric
bikes and scooters, Office Depot and Sheridan Fruit
Company, all on our right.
55
In 1916 John Sheridan started an open-air produce market on
Union Avenue. In 1946 the Poleo Brothers, whose family
still owns and operates The Sheridan Fruit Company today,
purchased the company and it began to grow. Today they
serve some of the finest restaurants. Sheridan still feels like a
great farmers’ market with outstanding fresh herbs and
produce.
56
The Central Eastside District is experiencing an influx of
retailers in the recently rebranded Produce Row area, near
SE 2nd Avenue and SE Oak Street, anchored by Produce
Row Cafe. Newly opened shops in or around Produce Row
include the Helium Comedy Club, the noted roaster and
beanery Water Avenue Coffee and high-end ale purveyor
Hair of the Dog’s brewpub.
A new food cart pod dubbed the Row, will soon debut in the
“Produce Row” district and is already populated with
familiar names, including several members of SE
Hawthorne’s Cartopia.
Portland Wine Storage, 306 SE Ash, is a facility dedicated
solely to storing wine. It provides 55 degree, 70% humidity
control in a cave-like subterranean atmosphere. Features
private cellar rooms and personal wine storage vaults for any
size collection. C&G Wines, next door, will sell you a bottle.
They import wines from around the world.
57
The Bus Project with headquarters near the river at 333 SE
2nd, is a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization that
engages young people in progressive politics within Oregon.
A typical Bus Trip, involves upwards of 100 volunteers to go
around a community, knocking on doors for a given
candidate or cause they care about.
58
Guardian Games, 3rd Ave & Pine, has 14,000+ games in
stock. They carry vintage game systems and host special
events like Beer, Pizza, and Games night with seating for
100+ for board game days, meetups, birthday parties.
Ice Cream Express serves up Portland/Vancouver with
frozen novelties from traditional Good Humor ice cream
trucks, hidden in the bat cave at 333 SE 3rd.
Taco Del Mar, on the left, is features large, hand-rolled
Mondo Burritos and fish tacos, and has a large following.
The very first Taco Del Mar opened in 1992 on Pier 57 in
Seattle’s historic waterfront district. Next to it is Pho Green
Papaya, a Vietnamese Restaurant at 402 Southeast Martin
Luther King.
Portland Music Company, 531 SE MLK, was the first store
offering musical instrument rentals to Oregon’s school
children. As a way to encourage instrument rentals and
musical education they would travel from town to town in
black Hearses giving free evening concerts. It’s been the go
to place for musicians for years.
Next: Stop 11
59
Stop 11
Stop 11: MLK & Morrison
We’re coming up on the Morrison Bridge. The Morrison was
completed in 1958, the third bridge to carry that name.
60
River City Bikes, 706 SE MLK, was started by Dave
Guettler 15 years ago. Their Rubber to the Road guidebooks
are a collection of favorite bicycle rides in the Portland,
Oregon area.
They sponsor a variety of events, including the Cross
Crusade race series, and donate to organizations like Bikes to
Rwanda and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. A skilled
woodworker, Guettler has hand-built stylish wooden
fixtures. Their trendsetting Full Wood fenders have been
featured several times in the national media.
Access for bicycles and pedestrians on the Morrison Bridge
was improved in a $1.9 million project that added a barrierseparated path on the south side.
61
The Willamette Light Brigade illuminates the concrete piers
with computer-controlled LEDs.
The Central Eastside is a prime urban industrial area, with
more than 1,100 businesses. Many of Portland’s creativetype businesses have recently moved into some of the
neighborhood’s abandoned warehouses and brick buildings,
62
including design firms, restaurants, retailers, breweries and
even an independent record label.
Beam rehabbed several buildings into bustling commerce
centers that provide affordable space for a diversity of
scrappy firms that don’t need a marble clad lobby.
Olympic Mills is a refurbished Grain Mill built in 1906 and
represents one of the largest historic buildings to receive a
full seismic upgrade in the City of Portland.
Like the Eastbank Commerce Center and Water Avenue
Commerce Center, also Beam projects, the Olympic Mills
features flex work-space.
63
Le Bistro Montage, one of Portland’s signature restaurants,
is located in the heart of the Central Eastside Industrial
district in what was once the Royal Hotel at 301 SE
Morrison. While dining on linen-covered tables, you can
enjoy a wide variety of meals, from rock shrimp pesto
linguini to alligator jambalaya!
The Radius community art studios, 322 SE Morrison, is a
community space offering workshops, and facilities for
artists. As a monthly partner, artists are given dedicated
storage space within the studio for their materials (storage
varies depending on media – lockers, shelves, flat files, and
canvas rack are all available).
Northwest Center for Photography, 1028 Southeast Water
Ave, features photography workshops and an i witness
gallery.
Winks Hardware, 200 SE Stark, moved here from the Pearl
almost a decade ago.
64
Habitat for Humanity Restore, 66 SE Morrison St, says their
ReStores raise funds to help Habitat for Humanity build
affordable homes and keep usable materials out of the waste
stream. Typical donations include: Windows and doors,
Flooring and tile, Plumbing fixtures and hardware, Lighting
and electrical hardware and cabinets.
With the help of our shoppers, donors and volunteers, they
have raised over $1.2 million for Habitat, and we keep about
4.2 million pounds of materials out of the landfill each year.
The Clifford Hotel, at 519 SE Morrison serves special needs
and low income residents. There are 88 units – 33 single
room occupancy (SRO) units, 54 studios, and 1 one bedroom
apartment in the building.
The building is remarkably unchanged from this 1929 shot
from Vintage Portland.
Next: Stop 12
65
Stop 12
Stop 12: MLK & Taylor
This stop is near Platt Electric, a wholesale distributor of
electrical, industrial, lighting, and control products for
commercial markets. A lot of the development here is down
by the river.
The Olympic Mills Commerce Center by Beam
Development/Works Partnership Architecture exemplifies
the hot creative space on the East Side.
66
The Eastbank Commerce Center, 1001 SE Water Ave, was
transformed by Beam Development from an old warehouse
constructed in 1923, into a vital and popular area for a wide
variety of businesses.
Brad Malsin relocated from NYC to Portland, Oregon in
1992 and undertook groundbreaking projects in the Central
Eastside. Brian Libby reviews 10 years of Portland
architecture. He ranks the Eastbank Commerce Center as one
of the significant developments for the city and especially
the Eastside.
Malsin’s largest project to date is the 172,000 square foot
B&O Warehouse, renamed the Olympic Mills Commerce
Center, down the street at 107 SE Washington.
67
The ClarkLewis restaurant on the ground floor of the
Eastbank Commerce Center, has been the standard-bearer for
the farm-to-table food movement in Portland. The airy
restaurant serves Italian inspired local, organic, seasonal,
sustainable fare.
Stumptown Coffee moved its headquarters to a 37,000
square-foot-space at the former MacForce space near SE 2nd
and Salmon this summer. Stumptown brings 75 employees to
inner SE, about 50 of whom work full time. A coffee retailer
and roaster, the company will leave behind a string of
buildings on Division Street. Founder Duane Sorenson is one
of the “Third Wave” of coffee roasters, where he visits farms
in person and is willing to pay high prices for coffee he
deems worthy.
Sanderson Safety Supply is an Andy and Bax for first
responders. It is the Northwest’s leading distributor of
68
Safety, Health, Fire, and Environmental Protection with a
huge variety of interesting products and great prices.
The Lippman Company at 50 SE Yamhill is celebrating their
60th birthday. They’re always having a party. They’re party
people. Get your chattering teeth, rubber chickens, party
decorations, balloons, rental props and helium here.
SoundWind Air Arts, on the other side of the building, at 79
SE Taylor, handles windsox, banners, spinners and kites.
Girls Inc., at 105 SE Taylor, inspires girls, ages 8-18, to be
strong, smart, and bold. Their gender-specific programs and
research-based curricula provide girls with the confidence
and self-esteem to access a bright and economicallyindependent future.
Vintage Portland says this tidy row of wood-frame homes,
shot in 1884, was on the southeast corner of SE Morrison
and 6th.
Next: Stop 13
69
Stop 13
Stop 13: MLK & Hawthorne
70
Transition Projects, at 1431 SE MLK, provides people with
the resources and tools they need to end their homelessness
and maintain housing.
The Clark Center is a 90-bed short-term residential program
for men that provides the supports needed to move out of
homelessness with a computer lab, mental health counseling
and case management. Stays are up to four months. The Day
Center provides showers, clothing, laundry, access to
residential program waiting lists, information and referral.
Mark Newman Designs in Wood is a woodcrafing shop with
their studio and shop next to the Hawthorne bridge. Fivethousand square feet of machinery, tools, benches, and
people making things. It smells like wood, and one wall is
covered with mysterious jigs and patterns.
71
Portland Indoor Soccer at 418 SE Main, is home to the best
indoor soccer facility. It hosts hundreds of men’s, women’s
and coed teams each year. Since 1985, when they opened the
doors in the historic Imperial Skating Rink building on
Portland’s industrial east side, thousands of men, women and
children who love socer have made this pitch their home.
Down the road towards the river is a four-story Art Deco
building next to the Hawthorne Bridge. It had been long
ignored, and the FBI used it to practice drug raids. Today
that space houses has been refurbished into The Portland
Boathouse.
72
The mission of the Portland Boathouse is to provide access
to the Willamette River to people of all ages and abilities so
that they may participate in safe recreational and competitive
rowing and paddle sports in an atmosphere of mutual respect
and camaraderie, while promoting stewardship of the river.
Several non-profit organizations have offices on the upper
floors, and Alder Creek Canoe and Kayak provides rental
boats and instruction. It contains dozens of canoes, kayaks,
and high-end rowing shells.
Willamette River
Keepers headquartered
in the Boathouse. They
are a non-profit whose
sole mission is to
protect and restore the
Willamette River.
The Boathouse also
contains sporting goods
store Alder Creek
Kayak & Canoe or have
a cup of Joe. Water
Avenue Coffee factory
creates handcrafted
coffees in Portland’s
Southeast Industrial district.
The Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade is a 1.5 mile
bike/pedestrian path, along the river, from OMSI to the Steel
Bridge.
Next: Stop 14
73
Stop 14
Stop 14: MLK & Mill
This stop is heavy industrial. Not for the casual tourist.
74
But it might be your stop if you need to fix your car, get new
tires, rent a scissor jack, or retile your bathroom.
Star Rentals has Boom & Crane Trucks, Air Compressors,
Forklifts, Generators, Excavators, Scissorlifts and other light
and heavy industrial equipment for sale or rent.
Reborn Automotive at 1800 MLK, specialize in repair work
for all European, Japanese, and British cars.
Speeds Automotive began in 1958 as a Flying A service
station in downtown Portland. In 1976 they moved to a
modern shop at SE 1st and Clay Street. In 2007, they joined
The Tire Factory to provide better tire selections and pricing.
Oregon Tile and Marble has five showrooms and over
250,000 square feet of warehousing space. You can see,
touch and choose from a large selection of natural stone tiles,
slabs, quartz solid surface and porcelain tile.
The next stop is the end of the line – OMSI.
We’ll continue down Martin Luther King a few blocks, then
turn right, going over the train yard below and terminating at
the OMSI stop.
Next: OMSI Stop
75
Stop 15
Stop 15: OMSI
The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation has secured a
permanent home for the City of Portland’s steam
locomotives and established a Rail and Industrial Heritage
Museum.
The Rail Heritage Foundation says it took three decades and
thousands of volunteer hours for Portland to be the only city
76
in the U.S. to own two operating steam locomotives, with the
third currently under restoration.
Both the SP 4449 and SP&S 700 are part of the rare group of
the six largest steam locomotives operating in the world
today. The Oregon Railroad & Navigation 197 arrived in
Portland just in time for the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial
Exposition. It was built in 1905 by Baldwin Locomotive
Works for the E. H. Harriman rail empire that later merged
into the Union Pacific.
Their Holiday Express trains will be running the first two
weekends in December. The new Oregon Rail Heritage
Center will permit the ORHF to continue operating steampowered excursions while openly displaying the locomotives
to the public.
77
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is a
science and technology museum with three auditoriums,
including an IMAX Dome theatrex, planetarium, and five
different specialized exhibit halls, and a submarine.
The Streetcar will be free to all passengers September 22 –
23 as part of the celebration. Catch a ride to OMSI
September 22 at 7:30am–9:30am for the Grand Opening
Celebration
Near OMSI and the Rail Heritage Center are the Portland
Spirit offices, Willamette Jetboat Excursions, which take off
on the water by OMSI and Portland Opera.
78
Come on back to the train stop when you’re ready, and we’ll
finish the loop.
In the future you’ll have more options:
The Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge, currently under
construction south of OMSI. It should be ready in 2015.
Then you can loop back across the river.
79
The Milwaukie light rail project will also use the new bridge.
The new Light Rail extension will connect downtown
Portland to Milwaukie. It opens in 2015.
The Lake Oswego
streetcar, on the west
side of the Willamette,
was originally targeted
for a 2017 opening, but
has has been derailed
by Lake Oswego
officials.
When you take the
Portland Streetcar to
South Waterfront, you
might catch the
Portland Aerial Tram
just for fun. Great
views of the city.
80
Portland is the second major US city to have an aerial tram
(the other connects Manhattan with Roosevelt Island).
The tram soars between two 200-foot towers.
The Tram was jointly funded by OHSU, the city of Portland,
and by South Waterfront property owners, with the bulk of
the funding coming from OHSU.
Portland’s 4T Trail takes you over Trail, Tram, Trolley and
Train. Here’s a map (pdf).
Ready to go back? Let’s board on our Trolley and continue
our adventure North, back downtown. Download Word file:
OMSI_to_Portland, a 2.7 MB file, which is the return trip.
81