Page A3
February 28, 2 00 7
B lack H istory M onth
Historic Buildings at Risk
African American landmarks lack protections
since w e did the in v e n to ry ,” in 1959.
by L ee P eri . man
Two other buildings that are
G albraith says.
T he P ortland O bserver
O f the latest loss - M orning very much at risk are nearby at
For the com m unity at large,
the fire that destroyed the M orn­ Star - she says, “W hat makes the old M ount O livet B aptist
ing S ta r M issio n a ry B ap tist that so tragic is that it was a Church building on N ortheast
Church in northeast Portland on building you thought you didn’t First Avenue and Schuyler, and
Feb. 5 was a great tragedy. For have to worry about. It was in the Elks Lodge on N ortheast
the people at the Bosco-M illigan the hands o f a strong congrega­ Tillam ook Street at W illiam s A v­
Foundation’s Architectural Heri­ tion who had been w onderful enue.
These are "tw o o f the most
tage Center, it was another land­ stew ards to it." Built in 1919, the
m ark th a t’s d isappeared from structure at Rodney Avenue and important historic buildings in
Portland’s African American his­ Ivy Street was sold by Trinity the whole Pacific N orthw est,”
Lutheran Church to M orning Star G albraith says, but sitting on land
tory.
In 1998, the foundation pub­
lished its Cornerstone study of
Portland structures with links to
the city’s African American popu­
lation. T he researchers found
1,300 structures through the rec­
ollections o f older com m unity
m em bers. They also used old
m ainstream and African A m eri­
can newspapers to find out "w ho
did what, and where they were
living when they did it,” said
Cathy G albraith, executive d i­
rector o f the group.
M ost o f the resources are con­
centrated in inner north and north­
e ast P ortland, w here A frican
A m ericans were com pelled to
live by legal and other restric­
tions for many years, but they
are also scattered across other
parts o f town.
“At least on the east side, it’s
hard to find a street that w asn’t
touched by African American his­
tory,” G albraith says.
U nfortunately, a great many
significant structures have been
destroyed, and continue to be
The Elks Lodge continues as an African American community
lost.
gathering place on North Tillamook Street and Williams Avenue.
“ 1 can think o f at least 20
photos by M ark W ashington /T he P ortean » O bserver
buildings that w ere destroyed
Historic Mount Olivet Baptist Church on Northeast First Avenue and Schuyler Street had its begin­
nings as an African American congregation.
zoned for higher use, they are expand the Portland Streetcar,
very vulnerable to "redevelop­ which is seen as being as much
m ent.”
an incentive to developm ent as a
A nother at-risk structure is the mode o f transportation, through
old Dude Ranch Club at North the inner east side on a route that
Broadway and W heeler Avenue. includes N orth and N ortheast
The building, now part o f Multi- Broadway.
C raft Plastics Co. is on prime
“Anything between Broadway
developm ent land because its sits and Hancock is at risk,” Galbraith
directly across from the Rose says.
G arden and Memorial Coliseum.
G albraith has been doing out­
"There are quite a few build­ reach to com m unity groups about
ings with very rich history that this issue. The foundation has
have no protection against dem o­ held w orkshops in the Boise and
lition,” Galbraith says. “ In recent H um boldt neighborhoods, and
years interest in developm ent has may do one in Eliot in the future.
been heating up in earnest, and They urge property ow ners and
th ere's a continuing and growing would-be owners to research the
interest in these properties.”
buildings they own or are buy­
A nother factor is a plan to ing, and look at the intrinsic worth
o f the structure.
G albraith em phasizes that all
historic inventories so far, in­
cluding Bosco-M illigan’s, have
been less than complete.
A building th a t's not on the list
d o esn 't mean it’s not historic,”
she says. N either is the fact that
it isn 't strikingly beautiful or of
impressive size.
“History doesn’t always look
like what we think it should look
like," she says, explaining how
for exam ple, a historic building
d oesn't require a gingerbread or
Queen Anne style. "Not every­
thing in transit corridors needs to
be high-rises. The buildings that
are there can be viewed as an
asset.”
Tap into the money.
7.50
The old Dude Ranch Club was a popular entertainment
venue for African American and other patrons. Located
on North Broadway and Wheeler Avenue, the building is
now part o f Multi-Craft Plastics.
Concerts to Help
Rebuild Church
The community is pulling to­ known Gospel acts plan to partici­
gether two more times in an effort to pate. $10 donations are requested,
raise funds for Morning Star Mis­ with all proceeds going to Morning
Star.
sionary Baptist Church.
On Saturday, March 17, long
The northeast Portland church
went ablaze on Feb. 5. Two benefit tim e Portland m usical fixture
concerts to help the congregation Linda Hornbuckle, the bluegrass
rebuild are scheduled in the next band N oTim e To Lose, the Misty
Mamas and others will perform at
few days.
“Saving the Star That Shines So 7 p.m. at the Englewood Christian
Bright" will take place on Saturday Church, 3531 N.F.. Killingsworth
March 3 at 6 p.m. This event is St. All donations collected from
sponsored by PO Soul Entertain­ the concert will be deposited into
ment and will be hosted at Calvary the M orning Star Catastrophe
Christian Center, located at 126N.E. Relief Fund with W ells Fargo
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