Buckman Community Association

Historic District Study from 1978

Historic District Study from 1978

PRELIMINARY HISTORIC ANALYSIS OF RESIDENTIAL BUCKMAN

Portland Bureau of Planning, Rudy Barton, circa 1978

The area in southeast Portland between 10th and 20th Avenues from Burnside to Hawthorne as originally the farms and orchards on the outskirts of the growing city of East Portland, an early competitor with Portland for com¬mercial preeminence on the Willamette. Both Portland and East Portland early sought the financial\gains that could be made in that position. By 1860 Portland had established itself as the dominant city due to the geo¬graphic advantages of its natural harbor and its access to the Tualatin Valley wheat fields. This hastened the development of Portland and restricted that of the east bank.
James B. Stephens was one of the first permanent settlers on the east bank when he started his farm near the river's edge in 1845. He soon established his ferry at Stark Street and platted East Portland in the early 1850's. Other early settlers joining Stephens were the Burrell and Hawthorne families. As more settlers arrived on the east bank, the development of a commercial center sprouted up along Grand and Union Avenues. With the advent of a "town", east side boosters mounted an aggressive campaign to outstrip Portland.
The first step towards prominence was the capture of interstate rail service for the eastside. Spurred by Ben Holliday's political and financial influ¬ence, the eastside in 1868 witnessed the construction\~ the Oregon and California's Willamette Valley line terminal in East Portland. This stim¬ulated a rapid pace of industrialization along the rail route. The pri¬mary impact of constructing such rail-oriented industries as lumber and flour mills and shipping facilities was that they spread eastward from the river. In the process, early residential structures were squeezed out. Replacement housing was generally constructed east of 10th Avenue – despite the fact that no streets were improved past 12th.
By the 1880's the west side Portland lowlands had become crowded with homes and stores, making the open space of the east side more desirable for build¬ing. The opening of the Morrison Bridge in 1887 and the general traffic deck on the Steel Bridge in 1888 cleared the way for free access to devel¬opable east side lands. Prior to these dates, homes in East Portland were limited generally to higher stretches of ridge land along the river's edge. This location, of course, also placed homes close to the rich, alluvial farmlands along the riverbank. Later homesteads were built on higher ground following the pattern of natural ridges running north-south. Both of these locations gave settlers often times dramatic vistas to the river, the mountains, and to Portland. Of this area, Judge Mathew Deady prophe¬sied in 1866 that the area “...is destined at no distant day to furnish an abundance of cheap and comfortable homes...”
Spurred by the development of steam and electrically powered streetcar systems, farmlands east of the Willamette became more accessible and thus more valuable for home sites. Within the loose grid formed by donation land claims, farmers sold off property in continually smaller speculative chunks. These small areas were in turn independently platted in the gen¬eral Portland manner of 200 by 200 foot blocks. Lots were quickly sold and homes began to spring up.
Roads that heretofore had connected independent farms evolved into the major street system for the east side. In the usual pattern, roads were gener¬ally located on the edges of donation land claims. In Buckman, which is, located at the intersection of the James Stephens, Seldon Murry, Jacob Wheeler, and Timothy Sullivan donation land claims, the major streets became Stark and 20th Avenue, which were the boundaries between the claims.
The first residential structures in Buckman were simple, wooden framed structures similar in style and layout to the farmhouse which had been built throughout the Willamette Valley. Usually austere and two story, the buildings were typically more narrow than wide. Any other type would have required more than 50 foot frontage necessitating the purchase of two lots. Ornamentation was generally limited to band sawn, open scroll gable pieces and occasional ornate glass patterns.
Since streetcar lines in East Portland were constructed by private land developers to serve their subdivisions, the lines radiated eastward from the river towards cheaper land. Buckman was first served by the Sunnyside line constructed along Belmont Street in 1886 and the Mt. Tabor line was built on Hawthorne in 1889. Later the East Ankeny line served the northern edge of the neighborhood. Following quickly on the heels of these lines were the development of commercial strips and nodes at carline intersections. The present commercial streets of Belmont, Stark, and Sandy bear witness to this process.
By the time Portland and East Portland consolidated in 1891, Buckman was housing a burgeoning residential quarter whose principal residents were workers and craftsmen. Single men, usually working for the railroads or the mills, lived in hotels and rooming houses in the commercial center along Union and Grand Avenues. Working class families usually lived in modest homes or in a few isolated apartment buildings. Judge Deady's prophesy was coming true.
After the initial development of modest single family homes, the next step in the neighborhood's development was an introduction of affluence and the redevelopment of the earliest homesites. Workers became managers and east¬side merchants were reaping profits. Larger two and three story homes were constructed for these businessmen. Since the land south of Hawthorne Street (Ladd's Addition) was held as farmland until after the turn of the century, these new homes were built in the corridor formed generally by Sullivan's Gulch and Hawthorne Boulevard. Again, these homes were of wood construc¬tion, usually built centrally on the lot, and observed common setbacks, lending a simplified uniformity to the general layout of the district. Orna¬mentation was more elaborate than previously and enthusiastic landscaping stressed improvements to the street facades when front porches were still outdoor living areas. Gradually overhead wiring began to creep into the neighborhood as more affluence demanded more modern conveniences.
It wasn’t until after the turn of the century that its present name arose. North Central School, originally at 12th and Burnside, was rebuilt in the neighborhood and renamed Buckman School. This was done to honor Cyrus Buckman, a prominent horticulturist, City Council member, and booster of, public education. Ironically, Buckman never lived in the neighborhood which bears his name. He actually lived north of Burnside, his last home being the present site of Benson High School and Buckman Field.
Introduction and popularization of the automobile had major effects on the area. In addition to crowding once relatively quiet streets, the major streets were widened as a traffic safety measure, street trees were removed, and neighborhood streets were reserved solely for the movement of autos. Along these widened streets were built duplexes and large apartment build¬ings, a new introduction to the neighborhood.
During the 1930's the eastside wharves were demolished and new ones con¬structed north of downtown where the river was wider. As a result, support activities relocated also and the east side was left with a good amount of vacant buildings. Replacement of this riverside activity was slow and had a depressing effect on the economy of the inner east side. There was vir¬tually no major private construction in the entire city until the war years. War time industries in the city needed workers who in turn needed places to live. As a result, many of the larger, single family homes were converted into apartments and rooming houses. Most of these conversions exist today.
During the fifties and sixties, the area fell into physical disrepair and was once considered as a possible urban renewal area. Polarization between long time residents and a highly transient population split the community and quickened the process of deterioration and demolition by neglect. Rem¬nants of this are still visible in a large number of vacant lots and iso¬lated, boarded up buildings. Most recently, the area has experienced a reversal of this trend. Homes are being fixed up and the area has been rezoned to support lower densities and continued maintenance of the neigh¬borhood.
The immediate east side does not contain any large public open spaces. Lone Fir Cemetery remains the largest tract of open space in the community. As Portland's oldest cemetery, the cemetery has been in continual use since 1854. Many of the city's prominent citizens are buried there including Asa Lovejoy, D.H. Lownsdale, James Hawthorne, James Stephens, and Governor George Curry.
Buckman offers one of the richest ensembles of late Victorian residences in the city. The area has many blocks and sections of streets almost com¬plete with 1880's, 1890's, and 1900's homes of excellent variety and integrity. The inner blocks from 12th to 20th between Ankeny and Oak Streets have good examples of simple, decorated Pioneer styled and Victorian residences. Other fine examples of representative styles are scattered throughout the neighborhood, such as the Judge W.O. Fenton residence at 626 SE 16th Avenue, a designated landmark; and the Japanese styled bungalow at 235 SE 20th Avenue. A map delineating this potential conservation district and a preliminary inventory of historically and architecturally significant structures follows.


BUCKMAN: Inventory of Architectural & Historically Significant Structures

Building Address Date
Hinson Baptist Church 1137 SE 20th Avenue 1910
3rd Church of Christ Scientist 1722 SE Madison 1925
Birrell Residence 1324 SE 16th c1870
Brick Residence 2712 :SE Salmon 1911
East Portland Library 1110 SE Alder 1910
Fenton Residence 626 SE 16th 1890
Buckman School 320 SE 16th 1921
Grace Truth Church 420 SE 22nd 1885
St. Francis Church 330 SE 11th 1938
Residence 2108 SE Taylor 1910
Victorian Residence 2036 SE Taylor 1892
Thompson Residence 1007 SE 12th 1892
Pioneer Residence 1216 SE Belmont 1885
Victorian Residence 1232 SE Belmont 1890
Victorian Residence 923 SE 13th 1890
Victorian Residence 1728 SE Belmont 1880
Residence 2539 SE Madison 1910
VFW Post 2514 SE Madison 1925
Residence 1408 SE 22nd 1910
Victorian Residence 2136 SE Madison 1900
Classic Revival Residence 1909 SE Madison 1883
Victorian Residence 1324 SE Pine 1883
Victorian Residence 1336 SE Pine
Credenza Residence 1535 SE Alder 1910
Victorian Residence 534 SE 19th 1890
Pioneer Residence 601 SE 18th c1880
Benson Residence 1636 SE Morrison 1895
Victorian Residence 1630 SE Morrison
Victorian Residence 1618 SE Morrison
Victorian Residence 2625 SE Stark 1885
Victorian Residence 2116 SE Ankeny 1900
Victorian Residence 2203 SE Pine 1890
Pioneer Residence 2606 SE Pine c1885
Japanese Bungalow 235 SE 20th 1915
Neo Classic Residence 807 SE 28th 1910
Victorian Residence 1503 SE Belmont
Victorian Residence 1509 SE Belmont
Victorian Residence 1517 SE Be lmont
Victorian Residence 822 SE 15th Avenue
Neo Classical Apartment 1511 SE Morrison
Neo Classical Residence 1505 SE Morrison


Bibliography

Herst, Herman. The Geographic Expansion of Portland", BA thesis, Reed College, 1931.

Linn, Beryl, "Community Action in Buckman", unpublished manuscript, June 1972.

MacColl, E. Kimbark. The Shaping of a City: Business and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1885-1915. Portland, The Georgian Press Company, 1976.

MacGillivay, Donald. "Buckman Walking Tour", 1977.

Scott, Leslie M. "Beginnings of East Portland" Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. XXXI, No.4, December 1930.

Staehli, Alfred M. Preservation Options for Portland Neighborhoods. n.p. 1975.

Thompson, Carla. p. 17. "Buckman Looking Up" The Oregon Journal, September 27, 1976,

In custody of the Oregon Historical Society: Map Collection Photo Collection Sandborn Insurance Maps