Architectural Heritage Center

Like many Northeast Portland neighborhoods, Beaumont-Wilshire was carved from orchards, open fields, and patches of forest. As a young Portland sprawled across the river, the rural landscape of the eastside was replaced by a grid of neighborhoods, a busy streetcar system, and tens of thousands of new residents. Using early maps, documents, photos, newspaper accounts, and memories he’s collected from past residents, local historian Doug Decker will explore the early years of the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood to examine connections between past, present, and future.

Have you ever wondered who lived in your house before you? Or maybe even who built it? What was your neighborhood like when your house was first built? How has it changed? Researching the history of your house can answer many of the questions you might have. Please join us as our Architectural Heritage Center Research Assistant takes us through the steps to uncover the history of your vintage house. Using the latest online sources, local archives, and libraries. We will show you that the process is not so mysterious when you know what steps to follow and where to look.

How did Portland get this way, with its little square blocks and weird intersections, the funny pronunciations, and the bridge ramps to nowhere? Why is it even located where it is? There’s a reason for everything (we didn’t say a good reason!) Stone carver’s mistakes, upside-down pineapples, and mythical tunnels are just part of the things about which true Portland residents should know. We’ll look at the grid, the naming and re-naming of our streets, and the eras of commercial architecture that have marked our compact and vibrant downtown, as well as the near blitzkrieg effect of the Great Demolition which left us with parking lots where the temples of finance and industry once stood. Long-time AHC Education Committee member Robert Jordan will guide us through 150 years of Portland’s development – a great overview for those just getting interested in Portland’s architectural heritage as well as for anyone who ever wondered “Why did they do THAT?” This lecture program is held at the Architectural Heritage Center - 701 SE Grand Avenue

At the AHC we regularly receive calls, including everyone from residents to realtors, asking us to help determine the style of a house or other type of building. If you’ve ever wanted to learn what style to call your house or your favorite Portland area building, here’s a great opportunity! Please join us, as Professor Tom Hubka presents this course in architectural styles, as he takes a look at common Portland area designs. Through photos and diagrams, Tom will help us to better understand the details to look for in styles, including Greek Revival, Romanesque, Classical Revival, International, and even Post-Modernism. From architect-designed to the vernacular, this program will provide you with a better understanding of the buildings we live and work in every day. Professor Emeritus Department of Architecture University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; author of Houses Without Names, He has published widely on topics of vernacular or popular architecture including theoretical works and detailed studies of common buildings such as New England farms, bungalows, ranch houses, and workers’ cottages. This lecture program is held at the Architectural Heritage Center - 701 SE Grand Avenue