PageA5
February 25, 2009
Reincarnation of a Neighborhood
Dude Ranch
becomes Left
Bank Project
by L ee P erlman
T he P ortland O bserver
The building at 240 N.E. Broadway
Ave. began life in 1908 as the H azel­
nut Ice C ream Factory. D uring the
Prohibition years it was a speak-easy
and today is the newly renovated Left
Bank Project. But for many in the A f­
rican-American community, it will al­
w ays be rem em bered as the site of
the Dude Ranch, a black nightclub.
In th e h ea d y p o st-w a r d ay s o f
1945, as Robert D ietsche noted in his
d efin itiv e book on P o rtlan d ja z z ,
“Jum ptow n,” any cabbie w orth his
fare in those days would have known
that P o rtla n d ’s “black B ro ad w ay ”
made connections with W illiams Av-
photo by M ark W ashington /T he
P ortland O bserver
Sweeping windows show North Broadway near the Rose Quarter from the second floor of the refurbished
Left Bank Project, the building that once housed the former Dude Ranch black nightclub and a neighbor­
hood o f African-American residents long lost to redevelopment.
enue, the heart o f the black com m u­
nity.
As the author described, 50 years
ago you could stand in the middle of
Williams Avenue, where the Trail Blaz­
ers play basketball today at the Rose
G arden, and “look up at the chili par­
lors, past the barbecue joints, past the
beauty salons, all the way to B road­
w ay an d see h u n d red s o f peo p le
dressed up as if they were going to a
fashion show. It could be four in the
morning; it didn't matter. This was one
o f those streets that never slept.”
The main attraction was jazz. There
were more than 20 venues where it
was played in those days. The Dude
Ranch had one o f the shortest runs -
opened on May 29, 1945. it closed
after barely a year later. Still, it stands
out for two reasons.
First, it was the acknowledged hub
o f the scene. Indeed, as D ietsche
notes, “T here never was and never
continued
on Pa8e A8
continued ^ ^ fr o m Front
aimed at working people who don't earn
a lot, but can put a wad of cash in your
family's pocket.
For instance, in 2006 $43.7 billion went
out to taxpayers with this tax credit. Fami­
lies who earn less than $41,646 a year
are eligible. Individuals making less than
$15,880 are also eligible. The amount
you'll get back varies depending on your
income and number of children, but could
be up to $4,824.
You can also get tax credits for be­
ing a first time home buyer, having chil­
dren under 17, paying for childcare or
your child's college tuition, and others.
According to the IRS's website the
recently passed stimulus package will
generally not affect peoples' income tax
returns this year. For some people, it
may mean that less money will be with­
held from their paychecks this spring
with the $400 to $800 "Making Work
Pay" provision of the stimulus package.
There are a number of organizations
that will help you out with your tax
preparations for free. If you go this
route you'll need the following docu­
ments: W -2 ,1099 forms, unemployment
form, Social Security forms for depen­
dents, last year's return, bank account
and routing number for direct depos­
its, and identification.
The non-profit CASH Oregon has
partnered with organizations such as the
American Association of Retired Person-
Tax Aide, KeyBank and the United Way
to provide free tax preparation.
Although no one will be turned away,
the free help is geared toward low to
m oderate-income people. Its IRS-cer­
tified volunteers will go over your fed­
eral and state return with, and their
work will be checked by two additional
people. It takes about 10 to 14 days to
get your return.
Additionally, CASH Oregon will also
sit down with you, free of charge, and
take a look at your overall finances to
help with planning and organization.
ACORN offers a sim ilar service.
It's also geared toward low to moder­
ate income people. Olin said that her
organization doesn't do com plicated
returns that contain many itemized de­
ductions or a patchw ork of revenue
from rental properties, for example.
The non-profit organization also pro­
vides p re-sc re e n in g to see if your
household is eligible for other govern­
m ent b e n e fits such as the O regon
Health Plan and Temporary Assistance
to Needy Fam ilies. Lastly, ACORN
also has a foreclosure prevention pro­
gram that will help you re-modify your
mortgage if it runs the risk of being
foreclosed.
Hannah Caneff, a volunteer from Key Bank, assists Miguel Rivera with his stack of tax documents during a free community tax help
outreach effort hosted by CASH Oregon, KeyBank, AARPand the United Way.
M O \N D E L IV E R IN G
Y o u r f a v o r it e n e ig h b o r h o o d g r o c e r y s t o r e n o w d e liv e r s
g r o c e r ie s r ig h t t o y o u r h o m e o r o ffic e .
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