N.W. Irving and Sixth avenue, 1948
"In the mid-1930's Richard L. Brown opened a bicycle and industrial equipment distribution company at 604 NW 6th in Portland. That's on the corner of 6th and Hoyt. This was the Portland office for his Seattle based company. The company is now in NE Portland as far as I know. I worked there in the 70's. The branch manager, a gentleman named George Hausch had started working there in 1936. It is the two story building on the opposite end of the block from the Yellow Cab company in this picture. We had the first floor section (1 of 4) on the corner and all of the upstairs that used as a warehouse. The building's loading dock was wagon height not truck height and we had the same freight elevator (I was told) that Mr. Otis displayed at the 1901 World's fair. I heard that from the Otis repair guy, has not been verified. You pulled a cable to start it. The building had been some sort of manufacturing building at one time. The rods and wheels for belt drive machinery were in the ceiling. The plumbing fixtures (that didn't work in the upstairs) were ancient. The building was brick and I was told that it was circa 1860, again not confirmed. This building was a block down from Union Station and on the opposite corner from the Hoyt Hotel. It was torn down almost 30 years ago to make way for the transit center that sits there now. I actually have a brick from the building that my father was able to snag for me. In that building there were boxes of the leather hats worn by the Yellow cab drivers in the 30's just sitting and collecting dust as well as other early Portland memorabilia. As far as I know that stuff disappeared when they tore it down, hopefully someone saved it. I am trying to find a picture of this building but this has been as close as I have come. Does anyone have any other pictures of the area?"
From the Dead Memories Portland Facebook group: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200263976341852&set...
N.W. Irving and Sixth avenue, 1948
"In the mid-1930's Richard L. Brown opened a bicycle and industrial equipment distribution company at 604 NW 6th in Portland. That's on the corner of 6th and Hoyt. This was the Portland office for his Seattle based company. The company is now in NE Portland as far as I know. I worked there in the 70's. The branch manager, a gentleman named George Hausch had started working there in 1936. It is the two story building on the opposite end of the block from the Yellow Cab company in this picture. We had the first floor section (1 of 4) on the corner and all of the upstairs that used as a warehouse. The building's loading dock was wagon height not truck height and we had the same freight elevator (I was told) that Mr. Otis displayed at the 1901 World's fair. I heard that from the Otis repair guy, has not been verified. You pulled a cable to start it. The building had been some sort of manufacturing building at one time. The rods and wheels for belt drive machinery were in the ceiling. The plumbing fixtures (that didn't work in the upstairs) were ancient. The building was brick and I was told that it was circa 1860, again not confirmed. This building was a block down from Union Station and on the opposite corner from the Hoyt Hotel. It was torn down almost 30 years ago to make way for the transit center that sits there now. I actually have a brick from the building that my father was able to snag for me. In that building there were boxes of the leather hats worn by the Yellow cab drivers in the 30's just sitting and collecting dust as well as other early Portland memorabilia. As far as I know that stuff disappeared when they tore it down, hopefully someone saved it. I am trying to find a picture of this building but this has been as close as I have come. Does anyone have any other pictures of the area?"
From the Dead Memories Portland Facebook group: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200263976341852&set...