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express in small measure gratitude for
what the city has done for me." And that is
exactly the reason I have written Portland
Memorials. I moved to Portland in 1992
and the city has given me as many opportu-
nities, experiences and challenges as any-
one could ask for. The second reason is
writing a book is a good way to learn a sub-
ject, and I wanted to learn more about the
architecture and history of Portland. The
third reason is it provided some good exer-
cise for the legs and the brain.
Tsn: How did you research it, how many
memorials are contained in it, and how long
did it take?
BLakE : I researched Portland
Memorials the old fashioned way: I used
my feet and my eyes. Over a three year
period I walked around every block in
downtown Portland, usually two or three
times, and whenever I found a memorial I
wrote down what it said and where it was
using a pencil and paper. No special train-
ing or equipment was needed. There are a
few websites and books that might have
helped but I decided to see for myself what
was there, and in doing so I've documented
many thousands of memorials that are
found in no other resource. I thought it
would be a fine project for a Summer and
include a few hundred items. It is a fine
project, but it took three years and includes
thousands of names. The best way to find a
particular memorial is to look in the index,
then find that page, then go to that memori-
al.
Tsn: Can you talk a little bit about the
Portland memorials that touch on the
African American experience here?
BLakE: I'm glad you asked this ques-
tion. One of the most lively memorials
downtown is for the Golden West Hotel at
707 NW Everett. This hotel was owned and
frequented by African Americans from the
early 1900s onward. Of all the memorials I
found, this is the only one that includes pho-
tographs, text and a recording - the blind
can enjoy and learn from this memorial,
making it accessible to even more Portland
citizens. The Walk of the Heroines on the
campus of Portland State University
includes the name of nearly thirty Black
women civil rights pioneers. Strangely
enough, there are three civil war cannons in
downtown Portland. Two are in Lownsdale
Square and were taken from Fort Sumter,
the third was melted down and made into
the church bell of First Presbyterian
Church. There are some sidewalk plaques
in the Old Town area that honor how the
Chinese community has interacted with
other communities, and one of them (on
NW Flanders between 3 and 4) talks about
how the Chinese and African American
community mingled at the Royal Palm
Hotel. There used to be a memorial park
downtown dedicated to the Liberty Ships
built by many African American workers in
Portland during World War Two, but when
that property was converted to condomini-
ums most of what was in the park was
thrown into the Willamette River.
Tsn: What do you want to come from
this book?
BLakE: I want people to read about a
memorial and go see it for themselves.
Not to read about it and forget it, not look
it up online, but to go see it for themselves.
Page 10 The Portland Skanner December 21/ December28, 2011
Holiday Meals
The Portland Police Sunshine Division delivered 3,500 food boxes last
weekend, a special effort linked to the holidays. Scores of volunteers spent
days assembling mostly fresh food for area families facing hardship this
season. Find out more by going to www.sunshinedivision.org .
It's a reminder that each of us will just be a
memory some day and that we'd best make
hay while the sun shines.
Tsn: What's the most important thing
about this town that you hope people take
away from reading 'Portland Memorials'?
BLakE: Portland has preserved much of
its history, and that can't be said about many
cities. Sometimes the preservation was by
design of the city leaders, but often it was
the efforts of individuals. In the 1950s
many older buildings were torn down for
being old fashioned.
The decorative iron work on the sides of
some of these buildings was, shall we say,
'privately preserved' by individuals who
couldn't stand to see the art destroyed.
Decades later, when Portland again appreci-
ated its history, these works were returned
to the city and can be seen in the Saturday
Market area. I hope Portland Memorials is
read for years to come by those who care
about our city's history.
For more go to: http://ovo127.com/ovo/ ,
where there is also a free sample chapter to
download.
Read the rest online at
www.theskanner.com