Our lady, Portlandia 🔱

The History of Portlandia (the statue not the show)

A copper statue reaches down from its perch on a building

In 1998, Mayor Vera Katz tried and failed to move Portlandia to the waterfront. | Photo via @caniciete

Like a benevolent deity, Portlandia holds out her hand, offering to pick up those who have stumbled.

The City of Roses’ patron “Copper Goddess” owes her existence to the One Percent for Art program, which mandated in 1975 that all public buildings must allocate a portion of the construction budget toward the acquisition of artwork.

When architect Michael Graves began to ponder ideas for the Portland Building, he set his sights on the city’s seal. On it, “Lady Commerce” is surrounded by symbols of Portland’s agricultural, commercial, and natural riches — including a trident, a sheaf of grain, a cogwheel and sledgehammer, a steamship, and a forest.

With $200,000 and a design missive to work with, the Metropolitan Arts Council put out a call to artists across the country. Ultimately, the Portland Building Selection Committee, a coalition of local creatives and citizens, selected Washington, D.C.-based Raymond Kaskey’s proposal, which stood out among the rest due to its powerful pose (inspired by his own wife).

So in 1983, he set to work in the nation’s capital, using an arduous and archaic process called repoussé. This inside-out method required at least 50 hammer strokes for every square inch of the metal; only one other figure of such magnitude had ever been shaped this way, and it stands on Ellis Island.

A series of images shows the transportation of the Portlandia statue via barge and trailer — Crowds of Portlanders escorted the long-awaited Portlandia to her final home.

Time and budget constraints threatened to scrap the project by the summer of 1985. The price of transporting such a massive sculpture to the Pacific Northwest was substantial, but the Portland City Council approved the use of $150,000 in donations to do so.

By rail, and eventually by barge, Portlandia made her way up the Willamette River escorted by a flotilla of private boats. The 35-ft-tall, 6.5-ton (that’s 14,330 pounds) statue was paraded through town and installed three stories above Southwest Fifth Avenue on October 6, 1985.

To this day, Raymond Kaskey retains the copyright, preventing mass reproductions. A miniature scale model is housed across the street in the Standard Insurance Center.

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Thursday, October 6

Dine the Couve | Now-Mon., Oct. 31 | Times vary | Participating restaurants in Clark County, WA | It’s officially dining month in Vancouver, Washington — enjoy 3 for $25 and 3 for $35 specialty menus at participating restaurants.*

Friday, October 7

Portland State University Women’s Soccer vs Idaho State | Fri., Oct. 7 | 1-3 p.m. | Hillsboro Stadium, 4450 NE Century Blvd., Hillsboro | Free | Cheer on the hometown squad as they look to extend their unbeaten run to four games against a tough conference opponent.
George Harrison Celebration | Fri., Oct. 7 - Sat., Oct. 8 | 8 p.m. | Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St. #110, Portland | $29.00 | Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Concert for Bangladesh with tunes from The Beatles and solo hits over the course of this two-night performance.

Saturday, October 8

Winemaker Festival | Sat., Oct. 8 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Vino Veritas Wine Bar & Bottle Shop, 7835 SE Stark St., Portland | $29.00 | Work your way through 10 different wineries from all over the Pacific Northwest at this inaugural wine festival.
Bridgetown Bluegrass Festival 2022 | Sat., Oct. 8 | 12 p.m.-12 a.m. | First Congregational Concert Hall, 1126 SW Park Ave., Portland | $22.00 - $45.00 | Portland’s finest bluegrass and folk bands will put on a full day of music.

Sunday, October 9

Salsa Salsa | Sun., Oct. 9 | 10 a.m. | Hillsdale Farmers Market, 1405 S. Vermont St., Portland | Free | Spice up your culinary skills with a salsa-making demonstration from Nikki Guerrero of Hot Mama Salsa; you can take home your own batch with ingredients bought at the market.

Monday, October 10

tertulia: Art + Conversation | Mon., Oct. 10 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Milagro, 525 SE Stark St, Portland | Converse with a diverse group of Latino/a artists in the newly revamped El Zócalo.
Atmosphere | Mon., Oct. 10 | 8 p.m. | Roseland Theater, 8 NW Sixth Ave., Portland | $60.00+ | This dynamic Rhymesayers duo wants you to put your hands in the air.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

GET 'EM WHILE THEY'RE HOT

Weather

85º | Early clouds giving way to sun | 8% chance of rain

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 7:14 a.m.
Set: 6:41 p.m.

Development

The Public Street Plazas program, which created 10 pedestrian-only areas across the city, received a boost thanks to federal funding. Pride Plaza along Southwest Harvey Milk Street will expand another block east, with design work beginning in early 2023. Another project will connect Ankeny West’s Cart Blocks with O’Bryant Square Park. (Portland Tribune)

Open

A new French eatery called Bistro Alder is open inside the Dossier hotel. The menu is rife with classics — escargot, moules marinières, steak frites, and croque monsieur — but the cocktail menu ventures outside the box. Make sure to try the French 75 crafted with a housemade gin hydrosol. 🍸 (Eater Portland)

Eat

Every Monday evening, the mobile Sea Breeze Farm butcher truck sets up at the corner of Northwest 23rd Place and Thurman Street, serving artisan meats like duck rillettes, pork belly, whole chickens, ground beef, and more to walk-up customers. You can order online for easy pick-up. 🍖 (Willamette Week)
Starting Thurs., Oct. 20, Marble Queen, chef Johnny Sullivan’s pop-up that defies categorization, will take over the former MF Tasty food cart. Guests can expect an eclectic, ever-changing menu, with dishes like chow mein, fried chicken sandwiches, and Asian-inspired loaded home fries. (Eater Portland)

Watch

The king of over-the-top cinematic gore is coming to town. Iconic filmmaker Quentin Tarantino will visit Portland’s Hollywood Theatre on Wed., Nov. 9. He’ll read an excerpt from his book “Cinema Speculation” and join Head Programmer Dan Halsted for a conversation about movies. 📽️ (Willamette Week)

Community

Carvers, come one, come all, to Gresham’s jack-o'-lantern contest. From Fri., Oct. 14 to Sat., Oct. 15, you can pick up a free pumpkin from City Hall. Then, give it a face (or other flair), and drop it back off to be displayed at the Gresham History Museum during the safe trick-or-treat event. 🎃
Blue, green, or tan — these are the color choices for the rebuild of Holgate Library. Multnomah County Library is inviting the public to review each design plan and vote for their favorite online by Fri., Oct. 14.

Edu

A Hillsboro library program designed to make public storytime sessions more inclusive for kids with disabilities will help inform training for soon-to-be teachers at Portland State University. Educators will be able to practice Universal Design for Learning thanks to a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. ✏️ (Portland Tribune)

Announced

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Outdoors

Notice an uptick in any of these feathered friends in your backyard lately? Keep them safe from colliding with your windows — a cause of death for millions of birds each year — by throwing up some decals like these. We love these leaf designs too to keep things festive for fall.*

Real Estate

There’s more to life than constant home upkeep. Skip the repairs + request a free offer. 🏡 *

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A tale of two liberties 🗽

Portland’s statues of liberty

A replica of the Statue of Liberty stands on a brick base.

The inscription reads, “Liberty, Freedom for all nations. Freedom for all people. Let freedom Ring!” | Photo via @maniac7362

When it comes to bearing the torch of liberty, Portland has two tributes that stand tall.

One replica towers more than 50 ft tall in the back parking lot of a Milwaukie strip mall. The story goes that the owner, who had immigrated from the Middle East, wanted to install it to show solidarity with America in the wake of 9/11. Despite an incident in which the head caught fire — and some bureaucratic pushback — the statue was finally installed, complete with a miniature moat (because she’s on an island) and a plaque that shares a message of freedom.

The other, located outside a private residence at the corner of North Massachusetts Avenue and Shaver Street, is shrouded in a veil of mystery. Are the proprietors from New York, or are they blacksmiths? Why does this effigy keep watch over an otherwise nondescript intersection? If you have a tip, let us know.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Ben.

Editor’s pick: In anticipation of my upcoming trip to Japan, I recently watched Hayao Miyazaki’s film “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” and was reminded of Portland’s own coven of witches.

On Sat., Oct. 29 at 11 a.m., a fleet of witches and warlocks will take to the Willamette River for their annual stand-up paddleboard parade. You can watch the spooky spectacle from Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Our guide will keep navigating Portland international Airport plane and simple.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Cambrie Juarez, Ben McBee, Trevor Peters, Britt Thorson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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