A view of wagons and businesses along Front Avenue, circa 1910
Photo from: efiles.portlandoregon.gov/webdrawer.dll/webdrawer/rec/459...
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"A view of wagons and businesses along Front Avenue, circa 1910."
– Remembering Portland by Donald R. Nelson
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Quotes below from the Dead Memories Portland Facebook group (where they were talking about the same photo): www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151541300009833&set...
"Ken Hawkins [said:] The challenge here is *where* on Front Avenue was this taken?"
"Marla L Day Goodman [said:] In trying to solve the question posed by Ken H...Please excuse my novice question but I am guessing that the bldgs to the left run adjacent to the river, also you say this is Front Street, is this what we now know as Front Avenue or what street would this be currently?"
"Ken Hawkins [said:] That is correct, Marla; this would now be Naito Parkway though I tend to still think of it as Front Ave. This view is probably looking south, so the backs of the buildings on the left would extend to the riverbank (since this predates the sea wall)."
"Ken Hawkins [said:] Page and Son, wholesale produce dealers, was located at 120 Front Street; The Annex, formerly the Esmond Hotel, was located at 146 1/2 Front Street (Morning Oregonian, May 8, 1902)"
"Dan Haneckow [said:] Ken Hawkins - Challenge accepted! My theory: West hills in the background means we are looking South / East on Front- toward the side of the street demolished in the early 1940s to make Harbor Drive. I see no sign of the distinctive Oregon Steam Navigation building- hence, South of Pine. No sign of the Cosmopolitan Block- That would make it intersection of Front and Washington. According to the map in Grand Era of Cast Iron Architecture there were four buildings between Washington and Alder- none that are pictured in the book. The buildings on the other side (if they are on one block) could be those. If this line of reasoning is correct, the large building with Owl Tobacco advertisement is the Esmond Hotel (NE corner, Front and Morrison)- which did have some blank wall suitable for advertising. Thus- photo taken from an upper floor of either the Stuart House or Kohn Bulding (neither pictured in Grand Era) looking toward the intersection of Washington and Front. I could very well be wrong, but its the best I've got."
"Dan Haneckow [said:] Front Street became Front Avenue in the street renumbering of 1933...."
"Ken Hawkins [said:] Dan, I think you're on the right track. See my post above with the street numbers for Page and Son and The Annex. After the 1931 street numbering change, Page and Son would have been at 502 SW Front Ave. and The Annex/Esmond at 620 SW Front Ave."
"Dan Haneckow [said:] Ken Hawkins Then the Owl advertised building is the Esmond! (I was knee deep in Cast Iron Era when you posted)."
"Ken Hawkins [said:] Kudos also to Craig Addams, who earlier this month posted on a smaller version of this photo: "Bell & Co., Inc. 109-115 Front St. was a fruit & produce company." However, those numbers were on the west side of the street... curious. 421-433 SW Front Ave."
"Ken Hawkins [said:] So, Dan, the open space at left, between Bell & Co. and Page and Son, was where Washington Street reached the river?"
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"Front Street, c1910
Horse-drawn wagons were certainly the transportation of choice on Front Street in 1910; automobiles had not yet caught on in a big way. This view is south, probably at about Stark or Washington Street."
From the great Vintage Portland blog: vintageportland.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/front-street-c1910
Commenter Jim adds:
"This does indeed look like the intersection of Front and Washington. The building with the OWL sign on it was the Esmond Hotel, with the Jennings Furniture building just to the South across Morrison.
You can even barely make out this prior VP gem North of the Hotel on the same block."
"To add to my previous post, the building from which this photo was taken was the old Dekum Building. Oldtimers might better remember it as Gadsby’s Furniture Company. This building predates the later Dekum Block two blocks up on Third and Washington."
Commenter Greg adds:
"Looks like a west side version of Produce Row. Almost all the wagons are canvas sided, as most produce wagons were."
Commenter Jim adds:
"Correction to my second comment. After posting my comment, I checked my copy of William Hawkins’ Grand Era of Cast Iron Design and found that this photo was likely taken from Stuart House. The old Dekum Block was on First and Washington.
Sorry for the confusion."
Commenter Jack asks:
"It seems unusual for the year 1910 to not see even one motorized vehicle in such an expansive view. Might it not be a few years earlier? Other 1905 photos of Portland usually have a motor car in them."
A view of wagons and businesses along Front Avenue, circa 1910
Photo from: efiles.portlandoregon.gov/webdrawer.dll/webdrawer/rec/459...
----
"A view of wagons and businesses along Front Avenue, circa 1910."
– Remembering Portland by Donald R. Nelson
----
Quotes below from the Dead Memories Portland Facebook group (where they were talking about the same photo): www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151541300009833&set...
"Ken Hawkins [said:] The challenge here is *where* on Front Avenue was this taken?"
"Marla L Day Goodman [said:] In trying to solve the question posed by Ken H...Please excuse my novice question but I am guessing that the bldgs to the left run adjacent to the river, also you say this is Front Street, is this what we now know as Front Avenue or what street would this be currently?"
"Ken Hawkins [said:] That is correct, Marla; this would now be Naito Parkway though I tend to still think of it as Front Ave. This view is probably looking south, so the backs of the buildings on the left would extend to the riverbank (since this predates the sea wall)."
"Ken Hawkins [said:] Page and Son, wholesale produce dealers, was located at 120 Front Street; The Annex, formerly the Esmond Hotel, was located at 146 1/2 Front Street (Morning Oregonian, May 8, 1902)"
"Dan Haneckow [said:] Ken Hawkins - Challenge accepted! My theory: West hills in the background means we are looking South / East on Front- toward the side of the street demolished in the early 1940s to make Harbor Drive. I see no sign of the distinctive Oregon Steam Navigation building- hence, South of Pine. No sign of the Cosmopolitan Block- That would make it intersection of Front and Washington. According to the map in Grand Era of Cast Iron Architecture there were four buildings between Washington and Alder- none that are pictured in the book. The buildings on the other side (if they are on one block) could be those. If this line of reasoning is correct, the large building with Owl Tobacco advertisement is the Esmond Hotel (NE corner, Front and Morrison)- which did have some blank wall suitable for advertising. Thus- photo taken from an upper floor of either the Stuart House or Kohn Bulding (neither pictured in Grand Era) looking toward the intersection of Washington and Front. I could very well be wrong, but its the best I've got."
"Dan Haneckow [said:] Front Street became Front Avenue in the street renumbering of 1933...."
"Ken Hawkins [said:] Dan, I think you're on the right track. See my post above with the street numbers for Page and Son and The Annex. After the 1931 street numbering change, Page and Son would have been at 502 SW Front Ave. and The Annex/Esmond at 620 SW Front Ave."
"Dan Haneckow [said:] Ken Hawkins Then the Owl advertised building is the Esmond! (I was knee deep in Cast Iron Era when you posted)."
"Ken Hawkins [said:] Kudos also to Craig Addams, who earlier this month posted on a smaller version of this photo: "Bell & Co., Inc. 109-115 Front St. was a fruit & produce company." However, those numbers were on the west side of the street... curious. 421-433 SW Front Ave."
"Ken Hawkins [said:] So, Dan, the open space at left, between Bell & Co. and Page and Son, was where Washington Street reached the river?"
----
"Front Street, c1910
Horse-drawn wagons were certainly the transportation of choice on Front Street in 1910; automobiles had not yet caught on in a big way. This view is south, probably at about Stark or Washington Street."
From the great Vintage Portland blog: vintageportland.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/front-street-c1910
Commenter Jim adds:
"This does indeed look like the intersection of Front and Washington. The building with the OWL sign on it was the Esmond Hotel, with the Jennings Furniture building just to the South across Morrison.
You can even barely make out this prior VP gem North of the Hotel on the same block."
"To add to my previous post, the building from which this photo was taken was the old Dekum Building. Oldtimers might better remember it as Gadsby’s Furniture Company. This building predates the later Dekum Block two blocks up on Third and Washington."
Commenter Greg adds:
"Looks like a west side version of Produce Row. Almost all the wagons are canvas sided, as most produce wagons were."
Commenter Jim adds:
"Correction to my second comment. After posting my comment, I checked my copy of William Hawkins’ Grand Era of Cast Iron Design and found that this photo was likely taken from Stuart House. The old Dekum Block was on First and Washington.
Sorry for the confusion."
Commenter Jack asks:
"It seems unusual for the year 1910 to not see even one motorized vehicle in such an expansive view. Might it not be a few years earlier? Other 1905 photos of Portland usually have a motor car in them."