Montavilla News articles that include historical information
Trolley Art Installation Honors Montavilla Roots and Draws Visitors to Present-day Community
On November 12th, crews completed the installation of a roughly 5-by-10-foot art display within the Montavilla Street Plaza at SE 79th Avenue and Stark Street. The artistic representation of a historic streetcar is part of a grant-funded program titled “Meet Me in Montavilla,” with a focus on celebrating the town-turned-Portland-neighborhood’s diverse history while attracting present-day Portlanders to its vibrant community. A…
Four Affordable Townhouses on NE Hassalo
Crews will soon begin work preparing the vacant lot at 8425 NE Hassalo Street for a quartet of new townhouses. The seller will offer the new homes under an affordability program that exempts buyers from paying reassessed property taxes for a decade, cutting their monthly escrow payments. The developer will use the Middle Housing Land Division (MHLD) process to split the parcel…
Behind the Wok a Restaurant History Archive
On May 30th, APANO launched its online archive titled Behind the Wok: A Tribute to Iconic Chinese American Restaurants in Portland’s Jade District. This digital collection documents the shift in Chinese American dining toward East Portland. This online repository focuses on six restaurants that represent the phases of Portland’s Asian community’s eastward move from Old Town Chinatown. The work preserves stories…
Archaeology Roadshow Moving to East Portland on May 31
After a 12-year run downtown, the annual Archaeology Roadshow will move its 2025 educational and interactive showcase across the river to East Portland on May 31st, taking over the grassy field in Gateway Discovery Park at 10520 NE Halsey Street. Historians, members from universities, Tribes, government agencies, museums, and nonprofit cultural organizations will operate booths at this free event from 11…
1890 House Meticulous Deconstructed on NE 78th
Crews working with Meticulous Deconstruction recently completed wood salvage operations on the 1890-era home at 37 NE 78th Avenue. Within the coming weeks, demolition specialists will mechanically remove the remaining masonry and concrete foundation, making way for a new eight-unit townhome development. A series of owners wrapped this original Montavilla home with a century’s worth of remodels and extensions, making it…
Sunshine Laundromat Closes for Renovations
On September 23rd, Sunshine on Glisan Coin Laundry & Cleaners closed for a multi-week renovation. Crews removed several old machines and used jackhammers to break up interior concrete at 7914 NE Glisan Street. Over the last year, the business’s new owner, Nader Fakhry, replaced aging machines and other systems to improve operations and upgraded washer capacity for the patrons who rely…
Historic Erv Lind Field Ceremony
On September 6th, Government officials and honored community members gathered in front of Erv Lind Field (Normandale Field) to celebrate its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This community stadium at NE 57th Ave and Hassalo Street is the only sports facility in Oregon constructed primarily for a women’s sports league team. It served for decades as a gathering…
Former Fueling Site for Sale Again
The owners of a 0.8-acre industrial site at 9270 NE Glisan Street listed the property for sale after almost four years of use as a freight transportation yard. This former Associated Petroleum Products distribution facility spans residential and commercial zoning, and any substantial redevelopment would need to conform to new city-designated uses. However, new owners could request conditional use approval for…
Montavilla Brew Works 9yr Celebration
On Saturday, July 13th, Montavilla Brew Works will celebrate nine years of serving locally brewed beer with an all-ages event from noon to 9 p.m. Although this event commemorates the years since this pioneering neighborhood destination greeted guests, it represents a decade of work for founders Melissa and Michael Kora, who nurtured this ten-barrel brewery and taproom through good and challenging…
Historic Drive-in Lot for Sale
The owners of a used auto sales lot along SE 82nd Avenue listed the property for sale. Although unrecognizable from its original use, the site once housed a renowned restaurant that played a role in Portland’s hot-rod culture. In the 1950s, the 30,980 Square foot parcel was home to Rutherford’s Triple XXX Drive-In, serving as a frequent destination for families and car…
Change of Ownership at Bipartisan
This week, the original owners of the Bipartisan Cafe sold the 18-year-old landmark shop to their former employee Josh Pangelinan. Hobie Bender and Peter Emerson opened the coffee house and pie spot at 7901 SE Stark Street on January 18th, 2005. The corner eatery helped launch the century-old downtown main street’s resurrection, defining Montavilla, and has served as the community’s living room for…
SE Yamhill Sinkhole
SE Yamhill Street is closed from SE 76th Avenue to SE 73rd Avenue due to a sinkhole. People began reporting the collapse of the road surface on Friday, May 12th. The sidewalks remain open to pedestrians. A significant section of the street is fenced off to keep people away from the unsafe area. According to the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), the hole…
Art Explores Local Japanese American History
This Friday, May 5th, people are invited to attend the Furin Project Symposium at Portland Community College’s (PCC) SE Campus. Attendees will see the culmination of a year-long community art project led by artist Midori Hirose and learn more about a project that aims to bridge the Japanese farming history of Southeast Portland with its modern diversity and culture. Since early April, PCC has exhibited…
Tub and Tan Building for Sale
On January 4th, Tub and Tan closed its doors after failing to resolve a conflict with the property management company Dinihanian LLC. On March 28th, Tub and Tan’s owner abandoned reopening plans and announced online that he could not continue operations under current conditions. Now, the building’s owners have the 5,000-square-foot property listed for sale. The adjacent 5,488-square-foot property behind the store contains a…
Spencers Appliances Closing after 4 Decades
Spencer’s Appliances at 7115 NE Glisan Street will permanently close its doors on February 1st after forty years of serving the community. The new and used appliance store’s owner plans to retire, renting out the three commercial buildings on NE Glisan Street to the next generation of businesses. Several employees have formed a new company and will open their appliance repair store later…
Low-Carbon Architecture Firm Opens Glisan Office
After a multi-year renovation of the Art Deco office at 7631 NE Glisan Street, Harka Architecture has fully relocated to its new home. Renovation work on this compact building rescued a Montavilla architectural icon and created a functional showpiece for low-carbon construction. Harka’s founder, Patrick Donaldson, purchased this property for his architectural firm in 2019 after his sublease ended. The onset of the pandemic…
1909 Storefront for Sale on NE Glisan
The corner commercial property at 7341 NE Glisan Street is for sale. Since 1909, this 1,728-square-foot single-story structure has housed many grocery stores. Although changing hands often, the shop continued to sell food for 40 years. In those early days, most business operators lived on the property in attached housing. Based on the real estate listing, it has continued its tradition as…
Massive I84 and 82nd Ave Property for Sale
An acre of Commercial Mixed Use real estate at 1411 NE 82nd Avenue recently became available on Montavilla’s northern edge. The lot, adjacent to Interstate 84, is the current home to Eastern Cathay restaurant and is the former birthplace of the Elmer’s Pancake House franchise. The listing agent, Adrian Chu of Specialty Real Estate Group, is positioning this property as a “developer’s dream.” The parcel sits…
SE Yamhill Vacant Lot for Sale
The new owners of a vacant lot east of 8505 SE Yamhill Street recently placed it on the market after selling the neighboring single-family residence. Ground Breakers Construction & Development purchased the 1923-era home and lot in April of 2022, reselling the home two months later. The vacant lot once held a five-room “modern bungalow” built in the early 1900s. The one-and-a-half-story home…
1905 House Deconstruction on NE Glisan
The new owner of 7132 NE Glisan Street intends to deconstruct the house and detached shed to make way for a future housing development. DEZ Development bought the corner lot in late May and applied for a demolition permit earlier this month. Designers are currently working on plans for the replacement housing coming to this site. When approved, demolition crews will clear the…
7 Townhomes Proposed on NE 73rd near Glisan
Last week, the new owners of 432 NE 73rd Avenue submitted building permit applications to construct seven new townhomes on the property. This standard 50-foot wide lot abuts an apartment building to its rear and a parking lot to the north. The new residences will replace the 1924-era single-family home, garage, and shed on the site. Each of the seven townhomes will span…
Remembering Errol Carlson
On June 17th, Errol Carlson passed away while staying near his family in Washington State. One year ago, on June 18th, Carlson’s partner Mel Hafsos passed away after a brief illness. Mel Hafsos and Errol Carlson owned Taylor Court Grocery on SE 80th Avenue for 25 years. During that time, the pair lived together in a nearby house and ran their neighborhood store…
Demolition on NE Holladay Street
In March, Riverside Carpentry purchased 8225 NE Holladay Street and now plans to demolish the 100-year-old single-family residence. A second demolition permit seeks to remove the detached garage and shed simultaneously. The property is adjacent to the Don Pedro Mexican Food restaurant on 82nd Avenue and outside the residential section of Portland’s Comprehensive Plan Map. Consequentially, the permits are not subject to a 35-Day Demolition Delay. In the early 1900s, the property…
Deconstruction of 1900 Era House on NE 75th
The new owners of 319 NE 75th Avenue recently filed for a demolition permit to deconstruct the 122-year-old home. The dwelling retained some of its original design through several remodels but has suffered from neglect more recently. In March of this year, Everett Custom Homes bought the property and requested permission to clear the land the following month. The permit application seeks to demolish the single-family residence…
SE Stark Commercial Building for Sale
The owner of 8502-8504 SE Stark Street recently listed the property for sale. The multi-story building currently houses Unicorn Jiu Jitsu, Sanctuary Tattoo & Piercing, and one other tenant. Businesses in the building likely will remain at the location beyond the building’s sale. The property contains two attached structures. A previous owner completed construction on the street-facing two-story building in 2004, while the original building…
Sunny 82nd Market Closes
Sunny 82nd Market, located at 944 NE 82nd Avenue, closed this week, ending a long history of food sales at this site. Since its construction in 1926, the single-story shopfront supplied highway travelers and area residents with groceries for almost 100 years. Originally constructed as a storefront with an attached house in the rear, the building hugged the road’s edge at 228…
Two Townhomes Join 1925 House
The new owners of a 1925 era home at 400 NE 91st Avenue recently demolished a detached garage on the property, making way for two new townhomes. The 100-foot by 100-foot wide lot is across NE 91st Avenue from Columbia Christian School and abutting the campus’s northeast parking lot. Crews will remodel the original home during the site’s redevelopment. The 1,328 square foot building at the site…
La Osita PDX Opening in Taylor Ct Grocery Building
Last Thursday, Elizabeth Guerrero and David Doyle finalized their purchase of the historic Taylor Court Grocery property. The pair own the La Osita PDX food cart located on 122nd Avenue near Market street. After renovating their newly acquired storefront at 1135 SE 80th Avenue, they will sell the cart and relocate their Mexican restaurant and coffee house to the Montavilla location. La Osita PDX…
Pawnshop Closes on 82nd Ave
The pawn shop located at 933 NE 82nd Avenue closed its doors and boarded up the windows this month. The family-owned business has operated the shop along 82nd Avenue since buying the property in 1996. Before that, it was the motorcycle destination of the area. Developers constructed the single-story storefront in 1961 for a Matchless Motorcycle dealership. During the next four decades, the location represented…
Union Rose Moving Locations on Stark
Union Rose is moving down the street to a new storefront at 8029 SE Stark Street. Currently, they are located a block east on the same side of Stark Street. The larger space will allow for more onsite manufacturing of women’s clothing and expanded gift-items available in the shop. Owner Rita Hudson-Evalt was excited to find a new place nearby. “I love being…
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