The lawyers and staff from the law firm of Miller & Wagner were some of our first guests on the Nob Hill – Alphabet District Tour. Their offices are located in the Historic Joseph Sladen House at NW 22nd & NW Flanders Street.
Nob Hill Tour
Tour Description
You will explore a section of the Alphabet Historic District from grand homes to vintage street car commercial structures. The tour uses historic images and ephemera to highlight the neighborhood’s evolution. From early hospital clustered to grand merchant homes of the 1890s the neighborhood quadrupled in population in the post-1905 Lewis and Clark Exhibition as early electrified apartment buildings rose above the church spires. WWII pressures shifted the dynamic carving up homes into boarding houses. Overall, this tour is a great way to learn about Portland’s history, architecture, and trendy shopping scene.
Itinerary
Our tour meets outside on the porch of Anna Bananas Cafe, the Oldest Coffee Cafe in NW Portland. 1214 NW 21st Place Portland Oregon. 97210. This year round walking tour is 90 minutes long and 100% outside. The tour is a flat moderate level walk for 1.2 miles and is a 90 minute loop.
Local Highlights
Shopping: Explore the trendy 23rd Avenue shopping district with a focus on its history as a streetcar commercial corridor. Enjoy the benefit of Portland’s tax-free shopping.
Nathaniel Lob House: A Queen Anne style house built in 1893 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It features stained glass windows by the Povey Brothers.
The A.H. Mansion: was located at 193 SW St. Clair in the late 1800s. Johnson’s cattle roamed his ranch in the area we now know as Nob Hill. All that remains of his legacy are Redwoods that his wife Cordelia St. Clair planted at the entrance of their carriage house.
The Esquire Theater: a historic movie theater located in Portland, Oregon. It was built in 1920 and is a Classical Revival style building. The theater was originally a dance hall run by . It was later converted into a movie palace. The Esquire Theater is now a Salt and Straw ice cream shop.
Site of the largest Prohibition Bust in Portland: Oregon outlawed booze four years before the rest of the country and the city had a number of speakeasies two are highlighted in this tour.
Pricing
Adults $30
Youth (5yrs-19yrs) $10
Honored Citizens (50yrs+) $18
Policies
Nob Hill tour is offered Saturday Mornings year round. Reach out to our team if you are interested in this tour and can not attend on the currency offered tours; we can often add additional dates to our current offerings. For example if you like to sleep in we can often accommodate.
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to start time. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing that are appropriate for the weather. It’s a good idea to bring a hat, sunglasses, and a jacket or umbrella if there’s a chance of rain. We allow friendly leashed dogs on our tours. There are no refunds for no shows. Tours run rain or shine. We can often accommodate a friend if the walking tour you booked is sold out. You should receive a text for your tour guide in advance of the tour. If you will be arriving late, reply to the text so that the guide can direct you to a meet up location at a later stop point on the tour.
Parking and Transportation
The street parking is metered in this area. On weekends Good Samaritan parking lot offers guests free parking.