This section of Broadway in Portland has never been my favorite. It seems stark and traffic oriented, although it looks a little more appealing in this early 1900s view. On the left, you see the Hotel Oregon, which no longer exists. An annex was built onto the Hotel Oregon in 1913, and was initially called the New Oregon Hotel and later the Benson Hotel. In 1959, the original Hotel Oregon was demolished to make way for a new addition to the Benson Hotel.
At the time this postcard was printed, the U.S. National Bank Building (below on the right) had not yet been built. It was completed in 1917,with major additions in 1925. A.E. Doyle, the building's architect, was a devoted classicist who also designed Portland's
Central Public Library, the
Meier & Frank Building, the
Lipman Building, the original
Reed College buildings, and the
Benson Hotel.
Here's the modern view:
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And here's the back of the card, with a message to Viola in Grant's Pass, Oregon that reads:
Dear Viola
Thanks for the seeds. I shall look patiently for the pretty flowers. I do think Asters are such choice flowers. Haven't heard from your mother since she left guess she is having the time of her life. I guess Vada is pretty well considering. _______will have another job with time. Celia
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