How many houses have been moved in the Alphabet Historic District?
The Morris Marks House was cut in half and moved in two parts across PSU this past weekend—that got us thinking. In early Portland moving houses was once more common—horses and oxen would pull houses set on rolling logs.
Which structures do we know were moved around in the Alphabet Historic District?
The first that comes to mind is the Captain John Brown House; it was moved from 2035 NW Everett to Couch Park in the 1970s, but that effort failed and the house was eventually demolished. Adding up structures from memory, asking Rick Michaelson, going over Mike Ryerson photo files and consulting and the Alphabet Historic District Nomination, I came up with at least ten more:
1) The Elliston Apartments (425 NW 18th, NW Portland Hostel), moved from the SW Park Blocks by oxen.
2) The Lawn Apartments (133 NW 18th Avenue, AKA George H. Williams Townhouses), moved within the same block in 1922.
3) 1731 NW Glisan (built in 1890), moved from Good Samaritan Hospital to current location in 1978.
4) 1721-1723 NW Glisan (built in 1886), moved within the block 1978.
5) 504 NW 18th (built in 1906), relocated from 2188 NW Lovejoy in 1977.
6) 2067 NW Lovejoy (built in 1890), moved to lot in 1928. Is currently occupied by a business “A Women’s Time”.
7) 2061 NW Hoyt (built in 1884), moved from NW 17th between Kearny & Lovejoy c. 1916.
8) 621-623 NW 22nd (According to the AHD Nomination, pp. 150-51, a 1894 building on this site was demolished in 1930 and this duplex structure was moved onto the location c. 1930, the MLS and Portland Maps thinks this is the 1894 building but the State Historic Preservation Office has the Mary Shephard House as c. 1930)
9) 516 NW 18th (William H. Doran House built in 1886), moved from NW 17th Ave and NW Flanders Street in 1977 and is currently for sale. Image to left clearly shows the building upon bricks with faux tarpaper like brick exterior. This Italianate has been lovingly restored and you would not believe it to be the structure in this image.
10) 1628 NW Everett (built 1880) The image on the left taken by Mike Ryerson and a story Rick Michaeson about a house he moved to Everett getting stuck leads me to conclude this Italianate was moved despite the fact that the AHD Nomination does not indicate that Thomas & Lizzie Whalen house was ever moved.
Of course, there are also the houses/apartments moved from the 1905 Lewis & Clark World’s Fair site. Join us for our tours of Slabtown and St. Johns neighborhoods to learn more moved building stories.
How many more can you help us identify???