February 21,2001
ÍEJje portkinb (Observer------------ < Focus >.
every A frican Am erican so­
cial, civic, and civil rights orga­
nization presented program s
and held m eetings here. The
P o r tla n d C h a p te r o f th e
NAACP (chartered in 1914)
held its m eetings in African
Am erican churches until the
opening o f the YW CA where
it established operations in the
basem ent. In the 1940s, the
USO for A frican A m erican
and render assistance to the to the Hotel M edley on Inter­
state Avenue. Mrs. Catherine
needy o f the com m unity.”
he building was ac B y rd re -o p e n e d th e N ew
quired by the Brown G olden W est in 1933. The
ing family in 1972 and building is now operated as a
C leo ’s rem ains as one low-incom
o f the
e housing facility.
Royal
Palm
Hotel
oldest African A m erican so­
cial organizations in the com ­
310 Northwest Flanders
m unity, housed in this distinc­ Street
Built in 1913 in the Classical
tive brick building. (The food is
e x c e lle n t an d r e a s o n a b ly style, the Royal Palm served
priced. Annual m em bership as a downtown hotel and room-
T
History , published by the
Bosco-Milligan Foundation,
It is available at Reflections
»S
»\ ”, »S ” ” , ”
Page 11
(446 NE Killingsworth) and
in your local library. A com-
panion video documentary
”, ”, ”, ”, ”, ” , ”, ”, », ”, ” ”, ”, F «• »,
Coming Soon
February 2001
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W
W
W
w R i r . t i 1 i - i t
The Golden West Bar
servicem en operated here, and
the building served as a center
o f com m unications after the
1948 V anport Flood. Follow ­
ing integration o f social ser­
vice organizations, the Billy
W ebb Elks Lodge acquired the
building. W ebb was probably
the earliest and best known
local A frican A m erican m usi­
cian, who form ed the Billy
W ebb O rchestra in the ‘teens,
prim arily o f fellow Elks Lodge
members. The Billy W ebb Elks
Lodge rem ains here, a testi­
mony to his stature in the fra­
ternal organization and the
community.
Cleo L illia n n Social C lu b
3041 N W illiam s A venue
Built in 1909 by Brooks and
Downing in the Streetcar Era
Commercial style, this building
has housed a variety o f retail
businesses on the ground floor
with apartm ents upstairs. In
1950, Cleo H am pton and her
sister Lilliann established the
Cleo Lilliann Social club here,
“to provide recreational and
social activities for m em bers,
(C ourtesy o r OHS)
ing house and by the 1920s
catered to a Japanese clien­
tele. In the 1930s, K elly Foster
uilt in 1900 in the bought the hotel; Foster owned
French Renaissance and operated a num ber o f busi­
sty le , W illiam D. nesses in inner northw est Port­
land first
beginning in the early
Allen opened Portland’s
A frican Am erican Hotel here 1920s, including the Dreamland
in 1906. The G olden W est Café, the Friendship Pool Hall,
served as a center o f the A fri­ and the Sixth Street Pool &
can American community unti 1 Lunch. W hen the Japanese
1930. The hotel housed many were interned during W orld
businesses, including Waldo W ar II, Mr. Foster and his
B ogle’s Barber Shop, Erastus family m oved into the Royal
R ich ard so n ’s C onfectionary Palm. The hotel housed a num ­
and Fountain Lunch, the Golden ber o f A frican Am erican busi­
W est Café, and the Golden nesses, including the Royal
W est A thletic League. The Palm Café, Tavern, Billiard
h o tel’s many guests included Hall, and Barber Shop - where
O scar DePriest, the first A fri­ W illie Shine, Charles Maxey,
can A m erican Congressm an and Ulese Raiford were among
after Reconstruction, and A. the barbers over tim e. The
Philip Randolph, the tireless building is now operated by
union organizer o f the Broth­ Mental Health Services W est
erhood o f Sleeping Car Por­ as a housing and shelter facil­
ters. The Golden West also ity.
More information on many
served as the first residence
for m any African American buildings can be fo u n d in
men when they first arrived in “Cornerstones o f Commu­
Portland. In 1930, Allen closed nity: The buildings o f
the Golden W est and relocated Portland's African American
dues are $25.)
Golden West Hotel
NW. Broadway & Everett
Saluting Portland’s First’s
for Black History
Robert Ford was one o f the first
two Black teachers in Portland. He
taught at Hoi laday School. The other
teacher was Leota Stone.
B
Clarence G. “Stanton” Duke was
one o f the first Portland Blacks in
news media in 1959.
As a fur trader, well-es­
tablished entrepreneur and
translator o f many Native
American languages, Moses
“Black” Harris was a very
able wagon guide. He was
known for bringing two ofthe
largest wagon trains to the
West.
Sponsored in part by
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