Coming to Where I Used to Work: A Large Hotel

Walking by what used to be The Emerson School at the corner of SW Park and Couch, I saw that that building will soon be no more. It’s slated to be torn down.

Interestingly, this project doesn’t appear on the NextPortland Map. But I was able to find out about it on the city’s website.

Type III Design Review for a new, approximately 69-foot tall, six story hotel with 178 guest units. A large lobby/reception area and combined lounge/restaurant/bar area are found at the central portion of the ground floor facing NW Park Ave. A 1,700 square foot retail space at the ground floor anchors the corner of NW Park Ave and Couch St. A 1,400 square foot multi-purpose room will be located at the corner of NW Park Ave and Davis St. One Modification is requested to the Required Building Lines standard, and one Adjustment is requested to the number of loading spaces provided.

It looks from the plans like both the Emerson School building and the building on NW Park and Davis will be torn down. It’s not a surprise. When I worked for the school, we kept our fingers crossed that the very elderly owner wouldn’t die, because we figured his heirs would want to knock down both buildings to make way for something more lucrative. And both buildings are the types that won’t deal well with a massive earthquake. When I worked there, I had my earthquake plan all figured out. It involved hiding under my very sturdy 60s metal desk and hoping that the much taller building on the other side of the block collapsed away from my building.

There are huge old-growth timbers on supporting the ceiling of the second story of my old building. I hope they find a new home.

Shifting Amounts of Time

I’ve featured this little house on this blog before. It’s tiny and I’ve observed many projects that the homeowners have completed over the years.

Of late, the raised beds haven’t been used to their full capacity, as was the case in the years after they were first installed.

I’m guessing that stroller is the reason. I suspect a child has come into this household. And we know how that shifts the amount of time available for projects.

6607 N. Montana Ave 18 Units, Coming Soon

I’ve always liked this house at the corner of Montana and Liberty Street. But it looks like the days are waning.

Next Portland tells me that there are 18 units coming soon.

PortlandMaps.com isn’t connecting so I have no details about the house at this moment.

And now PortlandMaps is working! It was built in 1948 and the main level is just over 1000 square feet, plus the basement. It was sold in January of this year for $556,675. The previous sale was in March of 2021 for $555,000. Before that it last sold in 2002 for $138,000 (those were the prices when I first moved here! Affordable!) And prior to that, someone bought it in 1996 for $82,000.

No word on who built the concrete planter out front, though.

On the Chopping Block: 1524 N. Watts Street

This is an 807 square foot house built in 1923. The assessor detail tells me that it was sold in 1997 for $63,000. (Oh, to have bought property in North Portland in the 90s!) It sold to a builder in November 2021 for $445,000.

I like small houses that are set back from the property. There is ample room for a beautiful garden out front. I also like that little gable on the house. I’m not sure if it came about due to a remodel, but it’s very nice.

Zoning means the builder could build two skinny houses on this lot. It might be that, or a one big house.

Godspeed, little house on a big lot. I hope you have a lot of happy memories.

Swan Garden Has Finally Become Extinct

I’ve wondered for years how this restaurant kept going. It never seemed to have customers. At some point in my North Portland tenure, they added on a room for video poker, and that maybe kept them going? Someone at my gym implied that nefarious activity took place there, and that’s what kept it afloat.

But the Swan Garden is no longer occupied. It’s up for sale and will, I’m guessing, soon be replaced by a multi-unit. I wonder if it will include parking. There’s a parking lot behind.

Two Houses Headed for the Chopping Block

This pretty house has the chain link fence of death around it.

This is at 6305 N. Montana Ave. It’s 1622 square feet, built in 1928. It was last sold in December of 2019 for $599,036 and is owned (strangely) by a person giving that very address. However, NextPortland says that a permit has been issued:

A project at 6307 N Montana Ave has been submitted for building permit review by Fosler Portland Architecture: Construct new 3 story 19 unit apartment building with associated site work

https://www.nextportland.com/category/6307-n-montana-ave/

So it’s coming down for sure.

This little guy is at 6820 N. Montana Ave. I really love this stretch of houses bordered by the Fred Meyer, Rosa Parks Way, Interstate Ave, and I-5. There’s a bunch of small houses on big lots that are just cute. And I’m guessing in 20 years, they will all be gone.

This is an 881 square foot house built in 1927 that was last sold in October of 2021 for $320,000. It’s owned by a developer in Vancouver.

Reporting from the future, I can say that it appears they have been fixing this house up, rather than tearing it down. And there’s nothing in NextPortland. But a developer in Vancouver owns it, so my guess is that this doesn’t have much time left. It’s also got empty lots on both sides, so I wonder if they are just biding their time waiting for another property.

Goodbye to 2205 N. Winchell Street

This one hurts. Even more than usual.

From this angle, you can’t see much, except the above sign. But we will get closer.

I love a good midcentury house. But I have a particular weakness for midcentury houses that use cinderblocks for their construction. Something about the modern living aesthetic combined with the utilitarian nature of the cinderblock really gets me. There aren’t a ton of these houses, which is why I’ve always liked this one.

Look at those long prairie-style lines! Look at how the garage is almost as big as the house part!

And oh my goodness that chimney. Plus the window and the built-in planter box.

And even, yes! Deco glass blocks?

The house sits on the corner and takes up half of the block, so it had a pretty big backyard too.

Also, there was this bit of interest.

Here are some stats from Portland Maps.

  • Built in 1948
  • 1,140 square feet with one full bath
  • Sold on 6/16/21 for $453,000

I can’t find previous sale data anymore. Very sad to not have that information.

I will miss seeing this midcentury marvel in my rambles around the neighborhood.

How Much Does This House Cost?

Let’s play a fun game. How much is a house down the street from my house for sale for? It’s 700 square feet and its eastern neighbor is the wall the separates I-5 from the neighborhood.

It’s got some bright orange counters in the kitchen.

Are you ready to guess? Place your bets now. Once you scroll past this picture, you will find the answer.

Did you guess $300,000? If so, you are a winner! As will be the person who buys this house. I haven’t seen a $300,000 house in this neighborhood for a long time.

From the future, I can tell you that this sold for $302,000 on 7/8/21 to someone who lives in Honolulu.

PortlandMaps doesn’t say the last time it was sold, so we can’t have any appreciation fun.