Brenda Dunn – Montavilla News

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 December 3rd ribbon-cutting ceremony will officially introduce the outdoor art exhibit to the public, but it is now open to visitors at the center of Montavilla’s historic main street.

The Montavilla East Tabor Business Association (METBA) developed the interactive art and history project with a $50,000 Major Impact Grant from Venture Portland. METBA President Neil Mattson explained that the Meet Me in Montavilla District Activation Project idea originated from board member Becca Clover’s work at a board retreat, seeding the idea for a successful grant application in 2024. The awarded funds originate from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocations directed by Prosper Portland and the Portland City Council. Mattson said that the Meet Me in Montavilla project will complete its first phase with the launch of the Plaza art installation and subsequent launch of the meetmeinmontavilla.com website.

A person unloading a small streetcar model from the back of a red van onto a street in Montavilla. The van's doors are open, and there are greenery and a storefront visible in the background.

The art installation features a historically inspired streetcar profile produced by High Order fabricators, incorporating optical elements to create a three-dimensional perspective from its relatively flat representation. Yaqui-Mexican-American artist Marilyn Shawe led the project’s art direction and designed the trolley with cutout windows, allowing inclined visitors to pose for pictures “inside” the streetcar. Local historian and Montavilla News contributor, Patricia Sanders, assisted with the streetcar’s color accuracy and researched information for the piece. Its scale and interactive elements encourage youthful play around the artwork, while the backside of the piece offers information on the trolley line’s influence in shaping Montavilla. “The trolley was one of five primary themes of significance to our community,” said Mattson. The transit availability in this remote area allowed the town to grow from a community outside the Portland City limits into a prosperous neighborhood that officials quickly annexed in the early 1900s. “The trolley became symbolic of the community,” said Mattson. Although the project will have other phases of work across the neighborhood, he explained that the Meet Me in Montavilla project team decided to focus early work at the SE 79th Avenue Plaza because it has become the current center point of the community in Montavilla and is just one block from where the original streetcar spur line terminated on 80th Avenue.

Local lumber company Mr. Plywood donated the weather-resistant building materials for the trolley installation, and the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) contributed to the project, which resides within one of the bureau’s 20 Public Street Plazas. Mattson explained that PBOT’s partnership was helpful because the installation resides within a public street’s parking lane that is currently part of the car-free plaza space, but still needs to adhere to City policy. “It is physically bolted to the street, which requires a certain amount of engineering, approval, permitting, and insurance,” said Mattson. He also noted that METBA can remove the trolley and store it if needed. It was essential for the team to preserve these community investments, allowing for relocation if the plaza were to reopen to vehicle traffic.

Similar to the trolley installation, team members will design the other Meet Me in Montavilla project elements with a sense of permanence and strong historical ties. Future installations in Phase Two will highlight other themes that significantly shaped the area. They include contributions by Japanese American berry farmers, Montavilla’s Black community, and Dehen Knitting Mills. Public installations around those formative community elements, along with others, will roll out in 2026.

A person working on a colorful, wooden streetcar model labeled 'MONTAVILLA' in a plaza setting, with trees and outdoor seating visible in the background.

For 14 months, the Meet Me in Montavilla project team of Rebecca Clover, Brenda Dunn, Leah Kohlenberg, Neil Mattson, Patricia Sanders, and artist Marilyn Shawe, collaborated with contractors to bring the neighborhood’s newest public art to the streets, allowing everyone to enjoy and learn from it. Look for specifics on the December 3rd ribbon-cutting event on the METBA website. People are free to stop by anytime to take their own pictures with the Montavilla Trolley, now on display in the Street Plaza at SE 79th Avenue and Stark Street.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Update November 20, 2025: The art installation’s ribbon cutting ceremony in the plaza will take place on on Wednesday, December 3rd at 3:30 p.m. Attendees can meet the artists and team members responsible for the artistic streetcar representing Montavilla’s first trolley line dating back to 1891.

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Last week, the founders of Redwood announced the restaurant’s sale to Brenda Dunn and long-time employee Chantel Chinco. Located at 7915 SE Stark Street, this well-reviewed dining destination opened in early 2013 and will continue with new but familiar management. Maintaining Redwood’s quality and dining experience is the core focus as staff train for their new roles during the next few months.

After nine years of growing Redwood into the celebrated business it is today, Susie Blue, Austin Putnam, and Jessie Hawkins believed it was the right time to find a new owner for the restaurant. However, they wanted to sell it to a person who would preserve the same environment and keep Redwood’s culture alive. In the Fall of 2021, the group spoke to their employee, Chantel Chinco, about taking over Redwood. “They approached me probably about mid-September and just let me know kind of where they were at and that they were looking to sell the restaurant,” explained Chinco.

Redwood’s sale to Chinco fit in many ways and was an easy choice for everyone. “I’ve been an employee at Redwood for about five years now, and so I have a really strong relationship with Susie and Jesse,” said Chinco. At the time of sale, Chinco worked in nearly every customer-facing position; server, bartender, and front-of-house manager. Consequently, she has extensive knowledge of the operation and existing customer relationships. Most importantly, the founders trust that Chinco will keep the restaurant on its successful path.

After 20 years working in the service industry, Chantel Chinco feels owning Redwood is a natural career progression and the best opportunity to participate in a remarkable business. “It’s such an important part of the community and the kind of environment that Susie and Jesse built there you can feel the love in the restaurant, you can taste it in the food. It’s just something special, and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Admiring Redwood’s existing culture and cuisine, Chinco and Dunn do not plan on changing much. “We’re going to keep our signature dishes. We’ve been working with Susie one on one to make sure that we can come as close to cooking her food as she does,” commented Chinco. Chef Susie Blue will stay on for a month to help train the kitchen staff. Like many restaurants, Redwood has struggled with staffing over the last two years. Most servers returned after they reopened from the pandemic closure. However, “back house has always been a struggle,” confessed Chinco. That is quickly changing as they train new cooks and expand the kitchen support. “Irene, who is our main prep cook, she does everything for us. She’s been with us for several years, and we just brought her daughter on for some back-of-house support as well. It’s a real family business,” Chinco remarked.

Chinco and Dunn are currently running Redwood with a focused schedule until they have a firm grasp on operations. “At this time, we just want to make sure that we get everybody properly trained for breakfast and lunch before we move on to bigger endeavors,” explained Chinco. “We would love to offer happy hour or dinner again at some point, but we do not want to compromise the quality and integrity that people have come to expect from Redwood by trying to do too many big things right off the bat.”

After staff are trained, and Redwood is back to a full schedule, the new owners will look at augmenting the menu with a few different items. “We want to keep the same Redwood that everybody loves and expects, but also introduce some of our own flavors and ideas,” Chinco explained. The pair hopes to offer a more comprehensive selection of fresh-baked pastries, weekday specials, and some dietary variety. “My partner Brenda is really excited about doing some more vegan and vegetarian options to make the menu a little bit more diverse,” added Chinco.

Changes at Redwood should be unnoticeable to the regulars but look for small additions over the year. Currently, they offer extended Brunch service from 9 AM to 3 PM Wednesday through Sunday with indoor and outdoor seating or takeout.

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: The author of this article serves on an association board with Chantel Chinco.

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