Your Guide
Rachel Hill, ASLA
The communities that make up this part of inner NE Portland are in a seemingly continuous process of change, arguably more than any other part of Portland. Native American communities once lived here. Corner lots still contain neighborhood churches built by German and Scandinavian immigrants, some fleeing political repression in Europe. These structures became African-American churches in the early and mid decades of the 20th century. Currently, their congregations are moving, and the vacant churches are taking up new uses as multifamily housing and Montessori schools.
Some of the change occurred as the communities themselves assimilated into the broader city. The more controversial changes in the 20th century are due to forces outside the control of the communities. The area had become the hub of the African American community in Portland because of real estate restrictions and "redlining," but the construction of Interstate 5 severed transportation connections through neighborhoods, causing the Williams and Mississippi commercial districts to atrophy. "Urban renewal” and the construction of Emanuel Hospital further displaced thousands of residents. Land cleared for these projects has sat vacant in many locations along Williams Avenue for almost 40 years.
In the late 1980s, the area was blighted and had high crime rates. Union Avenue acted as a major north/south connector. Businesses suffered along the street because of the difficult pedestrian experience, the lack of on-street parking, and the perceived limited access due to a planted median.
In 1990, Union became Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (MLK), commemorating the multiculturalism that this neighborhood has always had. In 1993, the Portland Development Commission extended the Oregon Convention Center Urban Renewal District northward to include MLK Boulevard and Alberta Streets. Tax incentives and funding for revitalization efforts followed. In 1996, efforts by a collaborative inter-agency program called the Community Solutions team, led by the Portland Development Commission, the City of Portland, and local groups, helped to improve commercial activity and the pedestrian experience as part of the “Urban Renewal District.” The Portland streetcar was extended across the river and up Martin Luther King Boulevard to the southern edge of these neighborhoods, improving connectivity.
This tour starts at Martin Luther King Jr. Gateway, which was designed by 2ink Studio to commemorate the neighborhoods diverse past. From there, walk west along Tillamook Street, a designated city bike boulevard, past a number of neighborhood churches. You can then visit Dawson Park, a newly renovated neighborhood park with architectural fragments of the neighborhood’s past and lots of present vitality. The tour will end at the Magnolia, an affordable-housing development that represents efforts to keep residents living in their neighborhood amid the fast-paced redevelopment.
The CorTen scrim presents one of Martin Luther King, Jr's most famous quotes, while also evoking the local history of the district’s wartime ship-building industry. Vehicles flow around the scrim wall that acts as a threshold into the districts flanking NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Fast-moving traffic makes it difficult to activate the space, but the scrim wall creates a pocket of quiet and protection in the plaza.
Image: Rachel Hill 
Through nearly 30 public meetings, the design team collaborated with residents to identify themes that both shaped and commemorate the community. Interpretive panels printed on weathered steel are mounted upon 20-foot-tall markers lit from within. They also serve as beacons to oncoming traffic.
Image: Rachel Hill 
The process of designing and painting the intersection of NE Tillamook and NE Rodney required a positive vote of 80 percent of the neighbors. The rose is a tribute to the larger community of Portland, the Rose City. The musical notes commemorate the jazz music that was once played in local clubs. The painting sits on a busy bike boulevard that connects NE Portland to downtown.
Image: Rachel Hill 
Two former German churches sit on nearby street corners on Rodney Avenue. They both became churches with predominantly African American congregations in the middle of the century. St. Mark’s (NE Rodney and Morris) congregation dissolved in 2012, and the structure is now being converted to residential units. The German Bishopric Methodist Church (NE Rodney and Stanton) became the St. Paul Church of God in Christ and still operates as a church.
Image: Rachel Hill 
The dome and bricks in the gazebo of Dawson Park are the last remnants of the Hill Building, a distinguished commercial building on the once bustling Williams streetcar route. When the streetcar stopped, the corridor lost its vibrancy. Much of the commercial district was razed when Legacy Emanuel Medical Center expanded during the controversial 1960s and 1970s urban renewal efforts. The newly renovated park is now a vibrant green space.
Image: Rachel Hill 
Dawson Park was the heart of African-American culture in Portland during the 1950s. It's the site of important civil rights events. Much of this is a memory. When the park was given a facelift by 2ink Studios in 2014, a participant at a community meeting said the basalt stones with inscriptions of the impactful past were akin to gravestones. At the same time, the park has taken on new vitality as a beautiful green space in a neighborhood that exposes the complexity of change.
Image: Rachel Hill 
Sustainable revitalization means supporting long-standing small businesses, creating local jobs, and helping people remain in their neighborhoods. However, gentrification is a force to be reckoned with. The Magnolia (NE MLK and Cook Street) is affordable housing aimed at helping residents, somewhat ironically, combat displacement and remain living in place. Currently, it sits on its own, next to open lots prime for redevelopment, as if observing cautiously the double-edged sword of redevelopment on MLK.
Image: Energy Trust
