Plus: Solving Ross Island's algae bloom problem
 
08.24.2023 6AM-Top banner logo-small.png

SUBSCRIBE | REFER

Today’s Forecast

49º | Showers | 84% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:50 a.m. | Sunset 4:40 p.m.
 

A sense of place that resonates

Sense of place resonates on Architectural Heritage Center walking tours
Two children and an adult walk across the stepping stones of Lovejoy Fountain.
Lawrence Halprin designed South Portland’s fountains — like Lovejoy Fountain — to be interactive. | Photo by Ben McBee, PDXtoday.
Context is the key to understanding any city, and Portland’s history is a door worth strolling through.

To that end, City Editor Ben recently joined a walking tour co-hosted by Architectural Heritage Center (ACH) volunteer docent Steve Dotterer and Judy Margles, executive director of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. The topic? South Portland and the Halprin fountains.

It started outside of Shattuck Hall on Portland State University’s campus. Once an elementary school, the 1915 building sports unique features of its time and place. Prevailing thought meant that classroom windows were only installed on one side, leaving plenty of room for architect Floyd Naramore to add elaborate brick ornamentation.

Two men cross the street in front of Lincoln Hall in Portland.

While attending high school at nearby Lincoln Hall, iconic voice actor Mel Blanc would practice speaking as different characters, inspired by the accents of his multicultural neighbors.

|

Photo by Ben McBee, PDXtoday

Next came the area where the city’s first urban renewal project took place during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Thousands of Jewish, Italian, and other immigrants were pushed out of their homes as the Portland Development Commission demolished 54 blocks in the name of economic progress.

Along the way, the group visited locations of various former establishments, including a movie theater and communal garage. Anecdotes and historic photos helped bring to life local residents of the past. There was Harry Mosler, known for a gruff exterior and heart-of-gold, whose bagels brought people to his bakery from far and wide. Some might even remember the smell of Sarah Neusihin making pickles on the street in blue plastic barrels.

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education executive director Judy Margles and head of public engagement Mariah Berlanga-Shevchuk share a photo of Sarah Neusihin, known for making pickles in South Portland.

To add to the family income, Sarah Neusihin (in the historic photo) made her famed pickles where Phat Cart is now located.

|

Photo by Ben McBee, PDXtoday

From there, the course followed the plazas and fountains of the Portland Open Space Sequence, designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin to infuse nature into the urban environment. A keen eye can see how his adventures in the Sierra Nevadas influenced the asymmetrical stonework and cascading water of his designs.

The best way to learn more facts like these is firsthand. Although this particular tour will not be offered again until next year, ACH has several more planned into the fall that are open to the general public (registration is $25).
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
 
Events
Thursday, Aug. 24
  • Relief For Maui | Thursday, Aug. 24 | 6:30-9:30 p.m. | The Rambler, 4205 N. Mississippi Ave., Portland | Price of purchase | Sip island beers and cocktails or play bingo to send a portion of the proceeds to wildfire recovery efforts.
  • Special Event: Ron Funches | Thursday, Aug. 24-Saturday, Aug. 26 | Times vary | Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE Ninth Ave., Portland | $29.50-$41.50 | The talented comedian, voice actor, and writer whose credits include “New Girl” and “The Eric Andre Show” is back where his career took off and ready to make you laugh.
Friday, Aug. 25
  • MADE Handmade Bike Show | Friday, Aug. 25-Sunday, Aug. 27 | Times vary | Zidell Yards, 3121 S. Moody Ave., Portland | $20 | If you’re stoked on spokes or head-over-handlebars in love with everything about bikes, you can’t miss this event.
  • I Think of You: Illuminating Mass Incarceration from the Inside Out | Friday, Aug. 25-Sunday, Aug. 27 | Times vary | Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave., Portland | Free | Performances, workshops, and panels make up this weekend that “challenges participants to envision a future without prisons.”
  • Pickles All-Stars vs. Willamette Wild Bills | Friday, Aug. 25 | 7:05-10 p.m. | Walker Stadium, 4727 SE 92nd Ave., Portland | $8.50-$16 | It’s kind of a big dill to send the players off with the saltiest support in their last game of the season.
Saturday, Aug. 26
  • World Painted Dog Day | Saturday, Aug. 26 | 9 a.m.-6 p.m. | Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Rd., Portland | $19-$24 | Join this day of keeper talks (11 a.m. + 2:30 p.m.) and learn how to help the conservation efforts for this endangered African species whose numbers have dwindled from half a million to ~5,000.
  • Retro 80’s Photo Sesh | Saturday, Aug. 26 | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | Shop Merci Milo, 2438 NE Broadway, Portland | $150 | Throw it back to the era of glory shots with this pop-up photography studio.
Sunday, Aug. 27
  • Kenton Street Fair | Sunday, Aug. 27 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | North Denver Avenue + Schofield Street, Portland | Free | Get the most out of what’s left of summer by shopping from 65+ vendors, listening to live music, and supporting local businesses.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
 
News Notes
Eat
  • Can’t believe how hard it is to get a table at Kann? It might be easier this Saturday, Aug. 26, when 300 October reservations will be given away at Barnes & Morgan from 12 to 4 p.m. Just make a tea purchase, and have a Resy account and attached credit card. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Outdoors
  • Researchers at Oregon State University and advocates with the Human Access Project are teaming up to solve Ross Island’s algae bloom factory. The area, once two islands, was dammed in 1926, “creating a pond inside of a river” and poor circulation that breeds harmful cyanotoxins on the Willamette River. (KOIN)
Arts
  • “Black Artists of Oregon” will open Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Portland Art Museum, putting 200 pieces from 67 artists on display until next March. The breadth of work dates back to the 1880s, with each section divided into generations and decades. A companion podcast is available through Art Unbound.
Traffic
  • Compare how much land Portland dedicates to parking with this interesting resource from the Parking Reform Network. Rose City came away with the ninth best score in the nation and only 11% of its central city designated for storing cars. The worst cities? Arlington, TX, and Riverside, CA.
Plan Ahead
  • The Love, Oregon Festival returns Friday, Sept. 1-Sunday, Sept. 3, at Camp Colton (about an hour outside of Portland). Attendees can enjoy a weekend of farm-fresh meals, wine tastings, music, and workshops like yoga in the meadow or goat walking. Nearby campsites, RV parking, cabins, and yurts are available to book.
Community
  • The Gresham Police Department has unveiled a new dashboard meant to encourage communication and transparency between law enforcement and the public. Officials say the tool will offer insight into “crime statistics, use of force statistics, and information about [the department’s] workforce diversity,” although information is always subject to ongoing updates and validations.
Coming Soon

🍷 Say so long to single-use wine bottles

2.4 million refillable wine bottles will land in the Willamette Valley
A wine bottle blasts off from a vineyard like a rocket
Revino’s refillable bottles will launch for the 2024 bottling season. | Graphic by PDXtoday
Think about how many wine bottles end up in your curbside bin every week. Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to give an exact number, but between everyone in the neighborhood, that’s a lot of glass — and an even larger environmental impact.

Revino has plans to turn single-use products into a closed-loop system, revolutionizing sustainability in the wine industry with refillable containers. Soon, it will distribute 2.4 million returnable glass bottles (RGBs) to more than 30 winemakers across the Willamette Valley. Each is designed to be used up to 50 times, breaking even on carbon emissions after the third use.

Producers will still be able to use their own labels — they’re simply removed when the bottles are cleaned. Details are currently being worked out between Revino and the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative to utilize existing deposit return infrastructure (think: BottleDrop centers) in addition to drop-offs at partner wineries.

Uncork more information about the program.
Share PDXtoday
 

Share the good news. Get rewarded.

Have someone who needs to stay in the know? Get amazing rewards for every new subscriber you bring by sharing your unique referral link (below).

{{profile.vars.rh_reflink_20}}
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email

{{profile.vars.rh_totref_20}} friends are looped into all things local because of you.
Claim your rewards
 
 
The Wrap
 

Today’s edition by:
Ben
From the editor
Today, I would like to wish a happy 29th birthday to my wife Mallory, who you may know as the star of many PDXtoday Instagram Reels. I can’t wait to celebrate with Burmese food and our first show at Helium Comedy Club.
Missed our previous newsletter?     ›
Send Us A Scoop, Question, or Feedback     ›
Subscribe     ›
Advertise     ›
Shop     ›
 
 

Content marked with an * is paid advertising. Content marked with an ^ is created by our content studio. The company may also generate commission from affiliate links in the newsletter.

Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.

Copyright © 2023 6AM City Inc, All rights reserved.

P.O. Box 2505, Greenville, SC 29602

ADVERTISE | CAREERS | ETHICS | PRIVACY | THE BUY