Dave Knows Portland

April 6, 1984: Pioneer Courthouse Square Opens

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Pioneer Courthouse Square‘s 50-ish magic meters opened on April 6, 1984. The centrally located block was home to the luxurious Portland Hotel before it became a department store parking lot in 1951. In the mid-70s the idea of a public square took hold.

The theme of the opening ceremonies was A Square is Born. Mayor Frank Ivancie, who had tried to kill the square in 1981 and is most famous for losing to a bar keep in the next election, declared it “a great achievement” (The Oregonian, 7-April-1984).

The project’s architect, Portlander Willard K. Martin, famously called the square “a downtown living room for the people of Portland.”

Pioneer Courthouse Square - by flickr user jpellgen
Pioneer Courthouse Square and Pioneer Courthouse – Photo by jpellgen on Flickr. (Used here under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.)

Kitchen Revival Tour (16-April-2011)

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Kitchen Revival TourThe Kitchen Revival Tour returns for 2011! One of the most popular Architectural Heritage Center events, the 13th annual tour takes place Saturday, April 16th from 10am to 4pm.

Check out a variety of period and renovated kitchens from the 1900 to the 1950s.

Included on this year’s tour are two homes designed by local builder Ken Birkemeier and an amazing intact “streamline” house from 1950.

Along the way you will learn that even the oldest of kitchens can be adapted to meet 21st century lifestyles. In some instances, there may even be little or nothing to change at all. You’ll also see the fine work of local craftsmen and meet homeowners who truly reflect the AHC mission of educating people to preserve our building heritage.

Individual tickets are $20 for Architectural Heritage Center members ($25 for the general public). Visit the Architectural Heritage Center website for more information.

Tulip Fest, Better Living, Little Blue Pill, Timbers, and More! (March 25-27, 2011)

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Ongoing

Tulip FestTulip Fest 2011

Tulip Fest 2011 at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn kicks off Friday, March 25 and runs through Sunday, May 1.

On weekdays it’s 40 acres of blooming tulips (and daffodils), a cafe, country store, farm equipment on display, Dutch sausages, and a gift shop. And on weekends you get all that, plus pony rides, . . . beer and wine and . . . [more]

Friday-Sunday

Better Living ShowBetter Living Home and Garden Show

Compare, shop, try and buy – sustainable products for your home and garden, eco-chic fashion, electric vehicles, and cutting-edge green technologies. Get tips from experts, learn how to reduce your energy costs and live a healthier lifestyle. It’s three days packed with activities for the entire family. Bring the kids. There’s good food, entertainment, and . . . [more]

Friday

Portland Art MuseumPortland Art Museum Free Day!

The Portland Art Museum offers free admission on the fourth Friday of every month from 5-8 p.m. The Museum also offers free admission and special family programming several times a year. [more]

Saturday

Civic StadiumPortland’s Stadium: The Many Lives of Civic Stadium

Join Michael Orr at the Architectural Heritage Center on Saturday, March 26, 2011 as he presents Portland’s Stadium: The Many Lives of Civic Stadium [more]

Timbers Away ViewingGame 2: Timbers vs. Toronto FC

The Portland Timbers travel to Toronto for the second match of the 2011 MLS season. Watch at a Portland Soccer Bar! Kickoff is at 11am. [more]

Little Blue PillLittle Blue Pill World Premiere

The world premiere of Little Blue Pill takes place on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at the Hollywood Theater (4122 NE Sandy).

Aaron Godfred, a Linfield and UO alumnus, wrote and directed Little Blue Pill, and shot much of the film in Portland. The Pittock Mansion, Voodoo Doughnuts, The Rheinlander, and other iconic Portland locations appear, and the cast and crew includes numerous Portlanders. [more]

And for even more weekend events and activities, visit Around the Sun, Blogging Portland on the Cheap, and PDX Pipeline!

March 21, 2009: Oneonta Tunnel Reopens After 61 Years

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Oneonta Tunnel in 2009The Oneonta Tunnel is part of the Historic Columbia River Highway, a 74 mile long road connecting the Sandy River near Troutdale to The Dalles. The road was completed in 1922. Two miles east of Multnomah Falls, the tunnel was carved out of the Oneonta Bluff lava rock in 1914.

An impressive feat of engineering tracing a stretch of astounding natural beauty, the Illustrated London News dubbed the new highway the king of the roads.

Cars got faster and trucks got bigger, however, and in the 1930s the highway’s usefulness was diminished. Work began to build a straighter and flatter road, which by 1954 stretched all the way to The Dalles. In 1948 the Oneonta Tunnel was closed and filled with debris.

In 1983 the Columbia River Highway Historic District earned a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Efforts to preserve and restore sections of the deteriorating road began.

In 2006 work began on restoring the Oneonta Tunnel for pedestrian and bicycle use. The tunnel was cleared of the rocks and the tunnel interior was re-timbered.

The tunnel re-opened to the public on March 21, 2009 with much fan fair.

Heather and I had the pleasure of visiting the Oneonta Tunnel the following weekend. For our first hand accounts and lots of photos check out Heather’s blog post: Five Hours That Kicked My Ass; and mine: Dave gets out of town: Oneonta Tunnel, Beacon Rock, and Walking Man Brewery.

Portland’s Stadium: The Many Lives of Civic Stadium (26-March-2011)

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Civic StadiumJoin Michael Orr at the Architectural Heritage Center on Saturday, March 26, 2011 as he presents Portland’s Stadium: The Many Lives of Civic Stadium:

From its earliest days as the athletics field for the Multnomah Athletic Club to its status as a dog track, football stadium, baseball field, soccer pitch, ski-jumping arena and nearly every other sport, Portland’s stadium has been a constant downtown presence for over 100 years. The stadium was built in 1926 and has undergone facelifts, additions, and name changes ever since. Whether known as Multnomah Field, Multnomah Stadium, Civic Stadium or PGE Park, amateur and professional sports have long had a home on SW Morrison Street.

Michael is managing writer and editor at the Portland startup FC Media, which is dedicated to documenting Timbers history. He is currently writing a history of the inaugural 1975 NASL Portland Timbers season. Michael also hosts the radio show mao’s Football, maintains a blog of the same name, and writes for the Timbers blog at The Offside and other publications.

The presentation takes place at the AHC (701 SE Grand) from 10am until 11:30am. Tickets are $13 for members, $18 for the general public. As many of these presentations sell out, pre-registration is recommended!

Update: Are you a 107ist member? Call 503.231-7264 to reserve a spot at the AHC member price.