march 10

VOLUME 24, ISSUE 7

Serving Por tland’s Nor thwest Neighborhoods since 1986

mike ryerson

FREE

Cop shop beyond fixing Bud Clark’s thoughts on the Portland Police Bureau aren’t hard to read By Allan Classen Bud Clark loaned me a book last fall, knowing I had an interest in its subject. The former Portland mayor and longtime Northwest District resident had just read Breaking Rank, a 2005 memoir/polemic by former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper subtitled, “A top cop’s exposé of the dark side of American policing.” After a 34-year law enforcement career in San Diego and Seattle, Stamper concluded that police culture, personality traits, unions and paramilitary bureaucracy all stand in the way of long-overdue reforms. “I wish I had read that before I became mayor,” said Clark, who went through five police chiefs during his tenure as mayor and commissioner of the police bureau from 1985-1993. Continued on page 12

After reading Breaking Rank: A Top Cop’s Expose of the Dark Side of American Policing, Bud Clark found many parallels between the Portland police department of today and the one he supervised as mayor in the 1980s and 1990s.

inside

DEQ admits downplaying ESCO threat Nearby residents may get 95 percent of air toxics from foundry By Paul Koberstein

Uptown Billiards

Easy to miss, good to find Page 13

Voos Villa

Tragic end to resort hotel Page 6

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality staff gave inaccurate information to Northwest neighborhood residents, said Andy Ginsberg, head of the agency’s air-quality division. Cory Ann Wind, an air-quality specialist, told residents last April that ESCO is responsible for only a sliver of the area’s air pollution. “Typically, industrial activities emit less than 10 percent of the total air toxics puzzle,” she said in an email to several residents. The Northwest Examiner obtained a copy of the email by filing a petition under the federal Freedom of Information Act. Her email said residents have more to worry about from the toxic output from “cars and trucks, home and commercial heating and activities such as open burning, landscape maintenance and solvent use.” But Ginsberg said ESCO is a much more important source of air toxics in the neighborhood than Wind suggested. To people who live nearby, ESCO’s contribution to the air pollution is much greater. In fact, he said, within several blocks of ESCO’s foundry, its emisContinued on page 21

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Portland architect Moulton Andrus designed this sleek architectural gem. Intimate yet open spaces lend peaceful tranquility with uplifting and breathtaking serenity. Natural light from four directions brightens interior spaces, yet total privacy is retained. A deck adjacent to every living space takes in the natural landscape of the huge 1/3+ acre lot, and a commanding view of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. Plus, the heated indoor lap pool will keep you in shape for all of your birdwatching hikes and nature walks through the adjoining Hoyt Arboretum. 3 bedrooms suites, 3 full and one half baths, 3,354 Sq. Ft. on a 18,925 Sq. Ft. lot. $750,000 MLS# 10012703

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A Neighborhood Picture Show The History of NW 23rd Avenue 2328 NW Glisan Street, #4 Welcome to the Prescott, ideally located in one of Portland’s most desirable neighborhoods, built in 2000 with classic architecture and old-world charm. This unit is finished with beautiful Brazilian cherry hardwood floors, crown moldings, Uba-Tuba slab granite in the kitchen and imported Antiqua Noce Italian tile in the bathrooms. The large 21'x6' covered balcony just begs for some flowering or potager garden pots and al fresco dining in any season. Less than a block from NW 23rd Avenue, you can just park the car in the off-street secure garage and stroll through the Historic NW Alphabet District and enjoy any of the amenities that makes this location so special. 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 1,023 Sq. Ft. $350,000

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Henry Thiele Restaurant stood at the intersection of 23rd Avenue and West Burnside for 60 years. Have you ever seen what was there before that...and even before that? A slide presentation covering more than a century of changes presented by Slabtown Picture Shows. Mission Theater – 1624 NW Glisan Street Monday, March 15th Doors open @7:30 p.m. – Show @8:00 p.m. Free Admission – 21 and Older

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Northwest Examiner, MARCH 2010

alter & Ted

ishra, Dan, W Anne, Burdean, K

reader reply Letters can be sent to [email protected] or 2825 NW Upshur St., Ste. C, Portland, OR 97210. Letters should be 300 words or fewer; include a name and a street of residence. Deadline third Saturday of the month.

Editor’s Turn By Allan Classen Editor & Publisher

Walk to shops on 23rd

Shame on you! What happened to your mission of creating a positive, informed neighborhood of support and unity? Your February issue [“23rd Avenue nears bottom,” Northwest Examiner, February 2010] was destructive and did nothing to encourage your readers to support the businesses and restaurants that must contend not only with an extremely difficult economy, but also with our neighborhood public works project, a community necessity that was delayed for many years. Yes, it is inconvenient to drive on 23rd Avenue. Yes, parking is an issue, but there is an answer: We must walk. Remember a few years ago when we were going to be a walk-only mall? Must we lose all that makes us a unique neighborhood due to the difficulties of the next few months? Neighbors and friends: You only miss something when it’s gone. Don’t listen to the Examiner. Get on your Nikes and support the businesses servicing our neighborhood. Let’s encourage those who remain in business and even fill the empty storefronts with positive hope for the future and renewal of 23rd Avenue. Shame, shame, Examiner. Are you trying to build the neighborhood up or tear it down when it needs you most? Where would your paper be without a thriving Northwest 23rd Avenue?   Carol Danish SW Park Pl.

Support 23rd merchants

We need to give the merchants of 23rd Avenue as much support as possible. Allan, your article this month was excellent, and Mike, the timing of the history of 23rd was perfect. I’m sending out a note on my neighborhood’s (Willamette Heights’) listserv encouraging neighbors to do their shopping, as much as possible, along the avenue. I know there are numerous other lists (merchants association, Northwest District Association, Northwest Examiner, etc.) that can be worked over. Keep the drums beating.   Chet Orloff NW Savier St.

Regional shopping OK

Truly great reporting. How unfortunate the local response is. How typical of Portland residents, in a not so good way, to think that something like a regional shopping destination for people with discretionary income to pump into the economy is a bad thing. Oh no, it’s upscale. It’s not serving them “locally.” In so many ways, this town “locals” itself into irrelevance and ensures that Portland mostly grows in population, not in commerce. What’s more, we’re not talking about Continued on page 5

index

VOL. 24, NO.7

Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Pearl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Going Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Community Events. . . . . . . . . . 18 Business & Real Estate. . . . . . . 20 In the ‘Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

End run on Firefighters Memorial trips The people trying to strip the Firefighters Memorial just off West Burnside of its key elements got their fingers burned so decisively that they now say they never had such an idea in the first place. I’m pleased that citizens and public officials reacted so firmly and appropriately. As a result, the memorial will likely be spruced up and protected for future generations. A second and larger firefighters memorial may also be built on the east side of the river, which need not detract from the existing memorial built to the memory of Portland Fire Chief David Campbell in 1928. It is appropriate, however, to consider what could have happened and how those involved got so far off track. The David Campbell Memorial Association, a nonprofit run mostly by current and retired Portland firefighters that maintains the memorial, has grown increasingly dissatisfied with the memorial in recent years. Its location, on a small triangular island surrounded by three busy streets, is hard to reach on foot. Litter and minor vandalism are recurring problems, and drivers passing by are usually too focused on the unconventional intersection to pay attention to the memorial. The memorial is also much too small for an annual event honoring Campbell and Portland’s 36 fallen firefighters. Furthermore, the association has said the limestone memorial is crumbling and nearing the end of its lifespan. So the memorial association organized a design competition for a new and much larger memorial near the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge. According to a timeline written by Paul Corah, spokesperson for the association, an open house was held at Portland State University last October to present proposed designs to the public. From seven designs submitted, three were selected as finalists by a panel that included city commissioners Nick Fish and Randy Leonard, who is in charge of the fire bureau. “While elements of the existing memorial, such as the bell, lanterns and plaque of Chief David Campbell, will be incorporated into the new memorial,” wrote Corah, “no firm plans have been made regarding the existing memorial.” That was the situation when we at the Examiner became aware of the issue. We asked Leonard about public notification and

process—since representatives of the Goose Hollow Foothills League knew nothing about it—and he said the neighborhood had already been consulted, and as a result, the space where the memorial now stands would be retained as a neighborhood park. Those supposed negotiations were also a complete mystery to league members. Pushed further, Leonard said that Corah was responsible for all the outreach. Corah, in turn, explained that he had talked to residents of the adjacent condo building and nearby business people. When historians, neighborhood activists and city planners learned of plans to remove the relief plaque of Campbell and lanterns from the memorial, they were aghast and put on the brakes. Association representatives were told by Bureau of Development Services officials that such a proposal would have to go through a full design-review process, and even then, they would not be allowed to deconstruct a public monument. That’s when association leaders switched tunes and said they never intended to remove parts of the existing memorial, only to use them as models for the new memorial. They do plan to take the large alarm bell, but it was installed in recent years, and no one seems to object to its removal. The plan is now described as preliminary and the public participation phase as only beginning. The message was received, but don’t believe their claim that they didn’t intend to cut to the front of the line. It’s easy to say, “No harm, no foul,” and carry on as if nothing happened. However, even averted mishaps can be learning experiences. The central miscalculation seems to have been that the firefighters thought they had god on their side, or at least Randy Leonard. Since the commissioner was involved in the process early on, it’s natural to assume that the memorial association believed Leonard was aware of city rules and procedures, and they wouldn’t have to worry about such things. The commissioner may have led them to believe he could make it happen on his own signature. Or, he may have implied that he was taking care of the legal and public steps required to make the project happen. This time, at least, the rules prevailed. The old adage that it’s who you know at City Hall is sometimes just wrong.

march 2010

EDITOR/PUBLISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ALLAN CLASSEN ADVERTISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIKE RYERSON GRAPHIC DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . stephanie akers cohen PHOTOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JULIE KEEFE CONTRIBUTORS: JEFF COOK, wendy gordon, Tim Hills, Paul Koberstein

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“Borrowing ideas” for the new Firefighters Memorial. Northwest Examiner, march 2010

3

news O B I T UA RI ES Eva Yarne

Karen Schmeer

Laura Russo

Eva Yarne, an employee and later volunteer at Good Karen Schmeer, an award-winning Samaritan Hospital, died Feb. 3 at age 89. Mrs. Yarne documentary film editor who graduwas born Oct. 4, 1920, in Portland. She worked for war ated from Lincoln High School, was industries during World War II and later for the Oregon killed Jan. 29 by a hit-and-run driver State Board of Health and finally retired from Good while crossing the street at age 39. Samaritan. She volunteered for 30 years, knitting blankets She was born Feb. 20, 1970, in Portand hats for newborn babies. She received an award for land. She graduated from Lincoln in 10,000 hours of volunteer time. She married Ben Yarne; 1988 and earned a degree in anthrohe died. She is survived by her son, Jeff; sister, Alice; and pology from Boston University in two grandchildren, Lynn and Brian. 1992. She edited several films for Errol Morris, including The Fog of War. She won an award for the best documentary film editing at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival for a Suzanne Fields Suzanne “Sue” Schoenfeldt Fields, film about Sergio Viera de Mello. a philanthropist and civic leader who was instrumental in the renovation of St. Mary’s Cathedral, died in Indian Wells, Calif., Feb. 3 at age 83. Suzanne Schoenfeldt was born in Portland and attended Madeleine Grade School, St. Mary’s Academy and the University of Oregon. She co-owned and operated Thorpe Draperies with Joan Morrell in Portland for more than a decade. With her brother, she created the Arthur and Dorothy Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series at the University of Portland, named after their parents. She and her husband donated two student residence halls at the University of Portland, where she served on the board of regents since 1995. In 1958, Sue married Fred W. Fields, who survives her.

Matthew M. Braich Matthew M. Braich, a member of St. Patrick’s Church who grew up in Northwest Portland, died Dec. 26 at age 84. Mr. Braich was born June 8, 1924, in Portland and attended St. Patrick Catholic School. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1942 and from Oregon State University, where he received a degree in mechanical engineering in 1947. He served in the U.S. Army in 1942-43. After his release, he worked for 40 years for Bingham Willamette, retiring as vice president of marketing and international sales. He married Betty Lou Ferschweiler in 1947. He was president of St. Charles Men’s Club and coached youth baseball teams. Survivors include his wife; sons, Ted, Pat and David; daughter, Janis; and nine grandchildren.

Virginia D. Brown Virginia Dawn Brown, who retired from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, died Feb. 23 at age 93. Virginia Westerdahl was born Sept. 21, 1916, in Portland and graduated from Girls Polytechnic High School. She is survived by her sons, Robert and Michael; five grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren.

Laura Russo, founder and operator of the Laura Russo Gallery for 23 years, died Feb. 11 of cancer at age 66. She was born in Waterbury, Conn., March 7, 1943. She moved to Portland after graduating from high school in 1960. She attended the Museum Art School in the early 1960s and worked for the Fountain Gallery for 11 years before opening her own gallery. She received a special Governor’s Arts Award and an award for service from the Portland Art Dealer’s Association. The Laura Russo Distinguished Alumni Award was established in her name by the Pacific Northwest College of Art. She is survived by Sally V. Miller her daughter, Maia Lawrence; son, Dylan Lawrence; and Sally V. Miller, a bookkeeper and manager at Quality longtime companion, Michihiro Kosuge. Pie restaurant on Northwest 23rd Avenue for many years, died Feb. 5 at age 83. Mrs. Miller was born June 9, 1926, Nancy M. Orvis in Portland, where she lived all of her life. She graduated from Commerce High School and began her career Nancy Marie Orvis, who retired after a 44-year career at Prudential Insurance. She married Howard Miller in at ESCO Corp., died Feb. 6 at age 73. Nancy Leback was 1950; he died in 1988. She is survived by her daughter, born July 6, 1936, in Ilwaco, Wash. She is survived by her Linda Osborn; and three grandchildren, Brett, Jennifer sister, Kathleen ZumBrunnen. and Cameron Osborn.

Cloyd J. ‘Chris’ Thompson

Richard Espino

Richard Espino, who had a chiCloyd J. “Chris” Thompson, a forropractic practice on Northwest mer Northwest District resident, died Pettygrove until 2007, died Jan. 28 Sept. 16 in Ryderwood, Wash., at age at age 58. Mr. Espino was born 79. Mr. Thompson was born June 20, April 11, 1951, in Los Angeles. 1930, in Ryderwood. He worked as After graduating from high school an exhibit designer and builder for in 1969, he attended Life Bible Jensen Display and later for All West College in Los Angeles. He earned Display in Northwest Portland. He a chiropractic degree from Westcarved the “Nobby” door at Nob Hill ern States Chiropractic College in Bar & Grill in 1972. He was active in 1990. He later became an instructor at Clackamas Comthe Portland Civic Theater in the late munity College. He retired from Lovejoy Chiropractic 1960s and early 1970s. Clinic at 2230 NW Pettygrove St. He is survived by his sons, Ritch Jr., Joey and Nico; and sisters, Marisela Cruz and Liz Gomez.

Virginia L. Ryerson

Virginia L. Ryerson, a longtime Northwest Portland resident and the mother of Northwest Examiner advertising manager Mike Ryerson, died Feb. 18 in Albuquerque, N.M., at age 89. Virginia Sumner was born Oct. 4, 1920, in Portland and graduated from Washington High School. She was a bookkeeper and homemaker. She married Claude L. Ryerson in 1939; he died in 2001. She is survived by her son, Michael; daughters, Linda Carey and Toddy Dieckman; 14 grandchildren; 25 great grandchildren; and one greatgreat-grandchild.

The Northwest Examiner publishes obituaries of people who lived, worked or had other substantial connections to our readership area, which includes Northwest Portland, Goose Hollow, Sauvie Island and areas north of Highway 26. If you have information about a death in our area, please contact us at [email protected]. Photographs are also welcomed. There is no charge for obituaries in the Examiner.

To Advertise in the NW Examiner Call: 503-241-2353

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Northwest Examiner, MARCH 2010

Letters continued from page 3 a Wal-Mart or a mall. We’re talking about mostly independent boutiques, shops and restaurants.  Most local residents don’t like 23rd Avenue the way it’s been because it’s just there to serve shoppers and tourists? Heaven forbid. Let’s turn them into more grocery and hardware stores and then isolate the remaining shops with regional appeal even further by doing nothing about parking congestion. By the way, do they think that the Northwest 23rd shopping corridor has had nothing to do with their homes being consistently some of the most valuable in the Portland market? There’s a difference between a failed model and a major recession compounded by ill-timed construction by “the city that works.” Northwest 23rd is worth rebuilding as a regional destination when the economy comes back, and worth supporting in the meantime. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.   Chris Cone NW Naito Parkway

One-way proposal

Now is the perfect time to make Northwest 21st and 23rd avenues one-way streets. Twenty-third is being torn up from Burnside to Lovejoy  for street repairs, and drivers are limited to one way northbound.  Once that repair is completed, we will be driving one way south. When we start going south on 23rd is the perfect time to declare all of 23rd  one-way southbound. This will not interfere with the one block of the trolley line on 23rd. Twentyfirst would be one-way northbound. Cars would then be able to turn left from either 21st or 23rd without holding up traffic behind. Parking should be diagonal on one side only.   Nancy Glerum NW Marlborough St.

Keep it up

Just a brief note to say how much I appreciate your publication and your writing for it. For a city with a liberal, “green” reputation, Portland is remarkably corrupt. Dishonest, sadistic police, welfare for the private schemes of an ultra-rich man’s son, air that hurts to breathe and drinking water that sickens—you have covered it all and to the benefit of the commoners who are the city’s majority. Thanks, and please continue.   Daniel Raphael NW Johnson St.

news have sent a letter to Commissioner Amanda Fritz thanking her for her lone “no” vote.) Why the other four supported the Paulson plan (they were and are cheerleaders), I can only surmise. Whatever the reasons, it doesn’t bode well for Portland.   Charles L. Sauvie NE Laurelhurst Pl.

Bait, switch

Portland’s World Soccer League deal was set up to look as good as the Paul Allen setup for the Blazers. Instead of Paul Allen, we have the idea of backing from billionaire Henry Paulson. The switch is that the backing is a shell entity,  Peregrine LLC, and a  personal guarantee by his son, Merritt. Henry has reported that the majority of his billions will go to Henry’s personal environmental charity. When the city sidestepped a public records request, the county district attorney’s office elicited the response that the city had not yet checked out the financial ability of Peregrine or Merritt Paulson. The city promised to do so after council voted on the ordinance but before final papers were signed. Now that the final papers are signed, the city admits they never obtained financial records. The approved city ordinance admits that the soccer project is based on hurry-up estimates.  But wait—not to worry—we have billions of backup.  To give examples why, indeed, we should worry, recent city history shows that even with carefully compiled cost-forecasting, our record includes the $55 million tram that was carefully estimated at $5 million, the $13 million Saturday Market roof, carefully estimated at $6 million, and the $250 million shortfall in the carefully estimated South Waterfront Urban Renewal funding. To give credit where credit is due, this looks like a brilliant grandstand play to divert attention from a recall of the mayor.  Stay tuned   for a lot more to come on this. Robert Butler SW 18th Ave.

Save the tree

I was dismayed to read in the February Northwest Examiner that the Firefighters Memorial may be replaced. My dismay is primarily because the memorial is on top of many roots of a Portland Heritage Tree. This tree is a Swamp White Oak that was probably planted when the memorial was constructed in 1928.  Its well-being would be seriously compromised if  razing took place on top of the roots. If, however, the memorial (minus Loyal reader its bronze plaque, lanterns and bell)  were I read the letters about you in the February simply allowed to continue its deterioraissue and agree whole-heartedly that you are I expect the tree would not complain.   indeed a first-rate newspaperman.  I always tion, read the Examiner cover to cover and feel Phyllis Reynolds that Northwest is very lucky to have you here SW Fairview Circus documenting us and our activities—and commenting pointedly and thoughtfully. I know Survey way more about our neighborhood than I ever Friendly House, a nonprofit would have without your paper. neighborhood center and social The Northwest District Association tries service agency celebrating its 80th hard, but you are really our voice. I hope you anniversary this year, wants feednever run out of energy or enthusiasm.  back from community members. I also appreciate Mike Ryerson’s interest and What needs do you see in the coverage and have told him so more than once.   community? How could Friendly Charlotte Rubin  House be a better resource and NW Irving St. gathering place?

Bad deal for PGE Park

A reader, in the February 2010 issue, wrote that you are a first-rate newspaperman. I agree. Going from the general to the particular, your editorial in the same edition about proposed changes for PGE Park is evidence. (I

Please take a 15-minute survey at www.friendlyhouseinc.org. Even if you’ve never taken part in an activity at Friendly House, your input is welcome. Participants may be entered to win a $50 gift card to a local grocery store.

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I.T. and multi-media classes. Students learn the basics of Microsoft Office, Photoshop, iMovie, and Garage Band. Curriculum for the older grades also includes conversational Spanish, an interactive History program, and a public speaking class. A strong emphasis on writing improves students’ metacognition. As well as the field trips listed above, CLASS Academy 3rd – 8th grade students take field trips to the State Capitol, Portland City Hall, the Central Library, and the End of the Oregon Trail Museum near Salem. CLASS Academy advocates good citizenship, respect and safety for all students. Children participate in a Green program which promotes recycling and composting for all classrooms. We also use Tri-Met, the MAX and the Streetcar for the majority of our field trips. Positive reinforcement allows for students to excel in a warm and caring environment. For more information about CLASS Academy, please visit their website – www. classacademy.com. View the calendar, teacher bios and weekly blogs, and class descriptions/curriculum.

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Northwest Examiner, march 2010

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history

The Saga of Voos Villa Tragedy, mystery mar brief history of grand ‘suburban’ resort By Tim Hills In the early evening of Saturday, Dec. 5, 1874, alarm quickly spread throughout Portland about a great fire raging beyond the city’s western boundary near the base of the West Hills. By the time the news reached Quirin Voos, who was working at his restaurant on First Street, it was known that the site of the fire was Voos’ home, at presentday Northwest  23rd and Burnside. The anguished man immediately set off racing out Burnside to learn the fate of his wife and six young children, not to mention the building itself, which he had only recently enlarged and renovated at a great expense to create the popular resort called Voos Villa. The story of Voos Villa is just one of many vignettes that will be featured in a Northwest 23rd Avenue History program on Monday, March 15, 8 p.m., at the Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St. These vignettes will spotlight people, places and events that have shaped the history and development of the avenue from the 1800s to the present. Voos Villa is a prime example of numerous 23rd Avenue icons erased by time. No physical trace of it remains, and only one image—a pen-and-ink drawing from 1874—has ever been identified. However, contemporary newspaper accounts, land deeds and biographical material have helped rescue its notoriety and historical significance from obscurity. They reveal a compelling story, at the heart of which is perhaps the age-old tale of jealousy.

Norm Gholston Collection

The success of the tannery, coupled with King’s acquisition of the large surrounding land-claim, made the tanner a wealthy and influential city builder. Initially, King conveyed parcels of his property for industries—notably businesses such as Arthur H. Johnson’s slaughterhouse—that were related to the tannery. By the 1870s, though, King recognized the potential for developing his land-claim, particularly its westernmost heights, as an elite residential suburb. In 1871, he sold a wooded parcel in the foothills to one of Portland’s leading

King’s Forest House

In the early 1870s, the area radiating from today’s Thiele Square at 23rd and Burnside was just emerging from thick forests at the initiative of Amos N. King, who more than two decades earlier had bought the pioneering tannery near Southwest 20th and Burnside. Not coincidentally, the tannery adjoined a market road built over the West Hills in the late 1840s to link Portland’s river port with the farms of the Tualatin Plains. This important early route is now the Washington Street/West Burnside/Barnes Road corridor.

The Gantenbein family poses playfully on the steps of a pavilion at Northwest 23rd and Burnside in the 1880s, at least six years after Voos Villa was destroyed by fire. The Voos Villa pen and ink drawing from the 1874 Portland City Directory is the only remaining image of the ill-fated resort.

capitalists, Henry D. Green, who within a few years built an imposing estate, Cedar Hill, on the site. Also in 1871, seemingly to encourage the suburban character of his holdings, King conveyed a large hillside parcel to the city of Portland to create City Park (now Washington Park). King’s other notable development in 1871 was the construction of the Forest House within the triangular lot bounded by today’s Burnside Street and Westover Road. Sometimes referred to as King’s “new house” in city records, it was not intended as a family residence, but rather as a suburban resort, with likely a private membership. No photos and little description exist of the structure, but land deeds of the early 1870s note one architectural feature: a veranda. It seems that King’s Forest House may have been open only to a private membership rather than the general public, because no public advertisements or business listings for the facility have been found. Yet

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history it’s clear from two 1874 documents that the same structure became a public resort under the proprietorship of Quirin Voos. The Voos’ lease agreement from King for the property states that the Forest House is part of the property being leased, while a December 1874 Oregonian article referred to the place as, “the Forest House, or more recently Voos Villa.”

Summer resort

If a question remains whether King’s Forest House was open to the public, there is no doubt that Voos Villa welcomed everyone. By the spring of 1874, the 35-year-old German immigrant Quirin Voos was well known in Portland, having run the Maison Doree restaurant for at least two years. Two decades earlier, Voos had left his native Baden for a new life in America. By the early 1860s, he had made his way to San Francisco, where he worked as a fruit dealer, and in 1864 he married a German woman named Fredericka. The couple saw the births of their first four children in California. Then, in 1871 or 1872, they moved to Portland, where Quirin went into the restaurant business. The growing family lived at the same First Street address as the restaurant, likely cramped quarters, especially upon the births of two more children. Perhaps the allure of a larger residence was a factor in Voos taking the seemingly enormous leap of leasing the old Forest House and expending nearly $6,000 on renovations and additions to the property while retaining his Maison Doree restaurant in town. A full-page ad from the 1874 Portland City Directory proclaimed that Voos Villa, “a pleasant suburban retreat,” was available for “balls, picnics or parties with every accommodation for pleasure.” Features touted in the ad were gardens with winding walks and splendid views of both the city below and the mountains above. In addition, “swings, a shooting gallery, 10 pin alleys, flying horses and other gymnastic apparatus have been constructed for the health and amusement of guests.” Also highlighted in the ad was the resort’s ample supply of the finest wines, liquors and cigars. Voos signed a five-year lease for the property in late April 1874, and it appears the first public event at the newly christened Voos Villa came in mid-July, the first annual picnic of the Sabbath School of Congregation Beth Israel. In July 1874, The Oregonian reported the gathering to be a pleasant and popular affair:

tions were [given?] up by the Congregation Beth Israel for the benefit of the Sabbath School in connection with the Synagogue. The day was pleasant, and from the beaming countenances of those returning it was evident that they had enjoyed themselves.” Such good press and word of mouth brought quick popularity and prosperity to the endeavor. Business was brisk at Voos Villa through the summer and into the fall. There was a Sunday picnic with the local favorite, the East Portland Band; a sojourn by the prestigious Washington Guard during its regular target-shooting drills; and even a benefit ball to aid a destitute family—all prominent, highly visible community events. Then prosperity took an ugly turn. Even the press indicated that some evil-minded fellow may have had it in for Voos when the resort’s prized pet deer was found dead with a slashed throat just outside the enclosed grounds. Perhaps a competitor was sending a message. In December 1874, it would seem another message even darker and more dangerous was delivered in the form of a ferocious and deliberately set fire to the resort and home of the Voos family. After getting the terrible news of the blaze, Quirin Voos made his way home on horseback as quickly as possible. His heart must have sunk as he passed the fire brigade, which simply could not pull the fire engine such a long distance through the very muddy corridor. When Voos reached 23rd and Burnside, “nothing remained,” The Oregonian reported, “but a shapeless heap of coals and burning timbers, but he was overjoyed to find his family all safe.”

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Though Voos Villa was no more, the Voos family had all survived. Unfortunately, they faced a mountain of debt that would plague them for years to come. As to the identity of the culprit or culprits who may have been responsible for the total destruction of the wildly popular but illfated resort, history is silent. The site itself, however, has undergone a series of other fascinating incarnations to the present day. After Voos Villa was Gambrinus Brewery, which provided serious competition to Henry Weinhard’s pioneering brewery on lower Burnside until State Prohibition in 1916. Gambrinus’ founder, Louis Feuer , probably heard of the opportunity to develop the lot at 23rd and Burnside from Quirin Voos himself. Feuer’s “At Voos Villa.–There was a constant New York saloon (and residence) in the stream of people pouring out of the city mid 1870s was on First Street immediately toward Voos Villa yesterday. The attrac- next to Voos’ Maison Doree restaurant.

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news

Illegal trail didn’t help

Mountain bikers find obstacles to expanded Forest Park trail use By Paul Koberstein A criminal investigation hangs over a city committee considering expanded bike access in Forest Park, thanks to the discovery of an elaborately and illegally built one-mile bike trail in a largely untouched northern part of the park. Vandals built the trail, which has numerous switchbacks, built-up embankments and a rock culvert, through prime wildlife habitat in one of the most pristine watersheds in the park, and cut down several trees in the process. Bicycle ruts have already begun to mar the fragile landscape. The affected area, which boasts one of the few stands of old-growth forests in the park, is an important wildlife corridor for elk and other species. It is off-limits as a site for a possible new, legal bike trail. Repairing the damage will take time and effort. The Northwest Trail Association will hold work parties starting in May to remove the trail and restore the watershed, but it will take years for the trees and other vegetation to grow back. Parks law enforcement Officer Kurt Nelson said he had logged 29 hours in his investigation in the two weeks after discovery of the illegal trail. But on a recent morning, 13 days after hikers discovered the crime, there was little evidence of any investigation, such as a guard or yellow police tape demarking the scene of the crime, or any barrier to prevent further damage or access. The association erected a sign condemning the illegal trail-building and advising bikers to keep out, but that was it. And yet some park lovers equate the vandalism to a criminal assault or worse. “It’s like scraping a razor across the face of Miss America or the Mona Lisa,” said Les Blaize, a park neighbor and one of 16 members of the mountain bike committee, which was formed by City Commissioner Nick Fish. Blaize is fighting what he sees as indifference from city officials. He faulted Fish for skipping a recent meeting of the committee.

“Having just one ranger in the parks is totally inad- as a land-use law but  has never  been fully  funded, and equate,” he said, adding that a park in Philadelphia that’s the very basic ‘resource-carrying capacity’ has never been half the size of Forest Park has six park rangers. determined.  I believe the city is in violation of Oregon No wonder, as city parks Director Zari Santner said, land-use law because it is not protecting the resource. Vioillegal trail-building is also a problem at Washington Park lations of all sorts are out of control, from off-leash dogs and other parks around the city. to unsanctioned trails and everything in between.”  The incident also casts a negative light on mountain The goals of mountain bike advocates conflict with bikers and may dim prospects of allowing them on des- those of hikers, runners and dog walkers, who compete for ignated existing trails or of constructing new trails for the trail space, but they also run headlong into nature lovers exclusive use of single-track mountain biking. and stewards of the park as a whole. “Many cyclists would be great parks supporters if they “There’s nothing else like Forest Park in the country,” did not feel excluded from all the best stuff just because said committee member Marcy Houle, who has written some users don’t want to give up their 100 percent access two books about the park and is finishing her third. 100 percent of the time to all trails,” paul koberstein said committee member Frank Selker, a mountain biker. Note that [the Parks Bureau] received about 4,400 complaints about dogs last year and less than 50 about bikes.” Selker was exaggerating. While there are 80 miles of hiking trails in the park, cyclists have access to 14 miles of trails, roads and fire lanes, including Leif Erikson Trail. The biggest obstacle to expansion of mountain biking is the Forest Park Natural Resources Management Plan adopted by the city in 1995. “It is not about bikers, runners, hikers or any other user groups,” said Blaize. “It is about the park and what damage the lack of funding has done and is doing to the park.  The latest event is just a reflection of 15 years of exponential increases of users, traffic and development in and around the Les Blaize, a neighbor of Forest Park and a member of the city’s mountain bike park. task force, investigates the rogue bike trail in the northern end of the park. It’s like “The management plan was passed running a razor over Mona Lisa’s face, he said of the vandalism.

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Northwest Examiner, MARCH 2010

news paul koberstein

The rogue bicycle trail includes a small rock dam over a creek. In several places, trees were cut in making the trail and large amounts of earth were moved to cut and fill along steep hillsides. “The management plan said there were three things that needed to be done, and they still haven’t been done. We haven’t done a wildlife study, a vegetation study or a recreation use study because we haven’t had the money. We need to know what we have, who’s using it and how much recreation use do we need before we start adding to it. “Until we can have money for enforcement,” she said, “the idea of building a lot more trails you can’t even enforce is going to be very detrimental.” The city has almost no current information about how many large mammals, such as elk, deer or bear, use the park and their habitat needs, she said.

“This is the pristine part of the park,” she said. “It’s crucial interior habitat, it’s where you don’t want a lot of fragmentation, where a lot of migratory birds nest. The illegal trail will open up areas for invasive species to come in.” Many of the animals that live in the 5,200-acre Forest Park, she said, have either been eliminated entirely in most of the United States or have been dramatically reduced. Committee member Stephen Hatfield of the Forest Park Conservancy said the vandalism underscores the need to postpone decisions regarding expanding recreational use of the park until wildlife surveys are completed and enforcement is beefed up.

“We are seeing more unsanctioned use of pedestrianonly trails by mountain bikers, along with construction of rogue trails, which the Conservancy very clearly condemns,” Hatfield said. “There is obviously a lot of frustration out there, but the folks engaging in these types of activities are undermining the time and work that many of us have invested in this issue over the past two or so years.” “We all know that Forest Park is both rare and in danger of overuse,” said Judy Jewell, a panel member and park neighbor. But panel members believe their work should continue. They expect to recommend new trails, trailheads and parking facilities in the spring. Upcoming meetings will feature an open house and opportunities for public comment. “This is an opportunity to see if there are ways to tweak the existing system to improve conditions for mountain bikers,” said Bob Sallinger, conservation director of Portland Audubon, “and it is also a chance to address concerns such as illegal trail use and illegal trail creation.” But there are limits to how far the bike panel can go. “We are not revisiting the Forest Park Management Plan, which would require a much larger and more complex process. We are merely looking at the existing biking situation and seeing if we can make improvements within the context of the existing framework,” Sallinger said. “This process does need to look not only at improving opportunities for bikers but also at better enforcement and education. Illegal use of hiker-only trials and illegal off-trail usage is a huge problem in Forest Park. In my opinion, one of the biggest threats to Forest Parks is illegal trail creation—cutting illegal new trails shows a complete disregard for the habitat and wildlife of Forest Park. “My hope is that the mountain biking community will send a strong message to those few among them who do trash the park that this kind of behavior is unacceptable,” he said. “Nobody has the right to trash the park.” Blaize also believes in strong messages, and his is aimed at Commissioner Fish. “If Nick does not come to grips with the fact that the park is at a tipping point, and if a concerted effort is not made to follow the Forest Park Management Plan and protect what we have instead of promising various user groups their part of the pizza, we might as well turn it into a Disney theme park.  “Remember, this bike process originated from Nick and has been driven top-down,” Blaize continued, “and he still thinks it’s where trails should go and not if.”

Northwest Examiner, march 2010

9

the pearl

News & Views

Naito Parkway may be reconfigured around Centennial Mills redevelopment Traffic lanes could be reduced from four to three or two, parking, bike lanes added By Allan Classen Front Avenue was once a major Portland thoroughfare. In recent years, it’s been renamed Naito Parkway, and its traffic load has been substantially reduced. It is no longer part of the main north-south corridor through the central city, and most of the truck traffic now uses Northwest Yeon Avenue. Now, the city is contemplating its demotion from a four-lane artery to local twolane street, changes triggered by the redevelopment of Centennial Mills and the need for bike lanes. No decisions will be made until a comprehensive transportation study is conducted by the Portland Bureau of Transportation. That study is just beginning and, along with analysis and review by a citizen panel, could take a year to complete. A citizen advisory committee to be composed of 12-15 representatives from the immediate and adjacent neighborhoods and local businesses, plus advocates for bicyclists, pedestrians and freight mobility, could be formed later this month, said Mauricio Leclerc, who is managing the project for PBOT. In question is the number of vehicle, bike and parking lanes to be striped on Naito Parkway between about Northwest

and Northwest Industrial Neighborhood 12-foot-wide bike lane along the river is Association, leading advocates for freight required of the Centennial Mills developer mobility in the region, were not prepared to and could be considered the southbound comment on the idea of replacing vehicle route for cyclists. lanes with bicycle and parking lanes. They A request to maximize on-street parking are expected to have representatives on the came from LAB Holding, which intends citizen advisory committee. to turn the historic mill site into a major Ninth and 17th avenues. The area now has Extending the northbound bike lane public attraction without providing offfour traffic lanes and a center left-turn that currently ends at Northwest Ninth street parking. There are now about 80 refuge. Avenue is almost a given, but adding a parallel parking spaces along the street in After a pre-application conference with southbound bike lane is only an option. A the vicinity. representatives of LAB Holding, the California-based firm that won a city competition to redevelop Centennial Mills, Portallan classen land transportation planner Wendy Cawley wrote the following summary: “The city is currently evaluating the design of Northwest Naito Parkway. It is likely that the lane configuration will change from two northbound lanes to one northbound lane in order to accommodate a bike lane and on-street parking. Further analysis will help determine if two southbound lanes can be reduced to one southbound lane.” Eliminating traffic lanes will likely draw no resistance from the Pearl District Neighborhood Association, whose transportation committee shared initial reactions last month. “Freight on Naito gets talked about a lot,” said PDNA planning and transportation chair Patricia Gardner, “but the reality is, Naito is not used for freight, at least not in our neck of the woods.” Gardner suggested asking volunteers to count the “lack of trucks” on the parkway. Bike and parking lanes end abruptly north of Northwest Ninth Avenue. A study will consider The Working Waterfront Coalition extending them northward while eliminating one or two vehicle lanes.

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Pearl Diver By Michaela Bancud

Spring can really hang you up Michaela bancud

If I had an iPhone and downloaded the city of Portland’s free app, I’d be a busy bee. I’d start by snapping a photo of this pernicious graffiti—it’s been there over a year and I’m sick of it. Neither the tenant nor the landlord seems to care. Then I’d snap a photo of the shopping carts piled up in the road on Northwest 14th Avenue, where Safeway employees stash rogue carts that presumably become someone else’s probMichaela bancud lem. Then I’d inquire about the new little metal “COP” signs that have been screwed into streetlamps. I’m not sure if this is happening all over town, but they’re a blight on our city’s Michaela bancud good looks. If this were France, where I’m told they care about such things, we’d be rioting. Michaela bancud Where are all these neighborhood art students when you need them? Speaking of ugly, I counted seven illegal signs advertising a blowout furniture sale recently, one of which blocked the view from the west of the police horses and the river behind them. The sidewalk is considered a public right of way, so it’s illegal to advertise here without a permit. Furthermore, horse-gazing is relaxing for the rest of us. There is no room in this experience for excessive commercialization and marketing. The Worst Day of the Year Ride, a bike ride sponsored by REI, left behind a bunch Graffiti, litter and nuisances abound in the of yellow and black directional signs for us Pearl District as spring arrives. to follow.

This is all too negative for springtime. Let me start again. I enjoy the new sidewalk and the young magnolia trees planted by Magnum Opus Salon on Northwest 14th under the Fremont Bridge. I’m also happy for the arrival of the new Breken Kitchen. I sampled a friend’s Cubano sandwich the other day and loved it. The news that the Pearl is getting a hamburger stand at the old service station site (recently Chow) on 14th and Glisan is also cause for joy. White spikes have sprung up in the dirt down here like so many crocuses. They read “DEA” in black print. Drug Enforcement Agency or David Evans and Associates? If you’ve read this column before you know that I just throw this stuff out there. It’s up to you to verify it. I did make a few calls to the Bureau of Development Services that got me nowhere. The purpose of my calls was to look into what I’d already heard: that the federal government purchased an empty lot on Front Avenue for future offices. INS and DHS offices are presently located in the historic 511 NW Broadway building, but the Pacific Northwest College of Art has acquired that grand old structure for the age-old pursuit of truth and beauty. Meanwhile, I’m warming up to the idea of having the Department of Homeland Security as my new neighbors. Maybe I could get a job answering their phones, or walking the bomb-sniffing dogs. Federal stimulus money? Go ahead, stimulate me.

People like to say how rich and evil the Pearl District is, and sure, it can be. But as the skateboarders might say, living in the Pearl “is not a crime.” There are some people living here who buck the stereotype. I met one of them the other day. He lives at the Pearl Court Apartments. Except for its location, the restricted-income building resembles any low-income housing project. On a recent visit, grimy sofa cushions were left tossed in the hallway. His place, by contrast, is neat as a pin. A Korean War vet, he lives on Social Security and he’s grateful for the new Safeway because it’s a long way to the other one when you don’t walk too well. He rides “the trolley” (as he calls the streetcar) around downtown and goes to “the pub” (Lowbrow Lounge) on some nights. And because his weakness was always and still is “beautiful women,” he sent four dozen roses to his female doctor at the VA Hospital on Valentine’s Day.

Mommy Matinees

Grandma took Diver Jr. to a movie the other day at Wine/Unwind near the corner of Northwest 11th and Lovejoy, where kid’s movies are shown on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:30 a.m. The menu has grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese. Last week, they showed Ratatouille, which may have been too sophisticated for the younger of the two, who began chanting, “Turn it off!” after 30 minutes. Still, this is a nice gesture to extend to all the moms and grandmas pushing strollers around.

Pictures of the Park

Beginning March 3, schematic drawings of the future Fields Park will be up at Umpqua Bank on Northwest Lovejoy. Stop by and offer your opinion—maybe you’ll exert some influence.

Contact Michaela Bancud at [email protected].

Northwest Examiner, march 2010

11

news

Bud Clark continued from page 1

The book provided insights as to why the issues he wrestled with decades ago keep recycling year after year and dragging elected officials down with them. But even that new understanding goes only so far. The man known as the “citizen mayor” is at a loss to explain recent incidents of excessive force, including shooting a 12-year-old girl with a beanbag and killing unarmed Aaron Campbell—incidents that brought Jesse Jackson and an embarrassing national spotlight to the city. “How do you shoot someone in the back to protect yourself?” asked Clark. After reading Breaking Rank, in which Stamper adds nationwide research to his own observations, Clark said Portland’s policing problems are part of a predictable pattern. “It happens all over the country; it’s part of the police culture,” he said. He sees no quick fixes. Making institutional changes of the necessary scale is a “very frustrating” process that continues to stifle city commissioners. To the ex-mayor, the Campbell case underscores the need for a complete overhaul of police practices. Clark can’t understand the philosophy that puts police officer safety above all other considerations. “How do they train them?” he mused. “That’s a big issue. They’re taught to shoot first and think later. “I grew up in the era of the Lone Ranger and Green Hornet,” he said, referring to comic book superheroes who disarmed villains without harming them. That may have been fantasy, but the police of old “used to shoot people in the legs,” he said. “Now they shoot to kill.”

Civilian control

Soon after taking office, Clark got a crash course in police oversight, a challenge he accepted against the advice of former City Commissioner Charles Jordan, who warned that managing the police would drain too much of his time and bring political headaches. But Clark, coming from a career running small businesses, accepted the role of police commissioner because only the mayor has the authority to hire and fire the chief of police in Portland. Any commissioner put in charge of the police bureau holds the weak hand in a showdown with the chief. Armed with the lesson of President Harry “the Buck Stops Here” Truman, who fired popular general Douglas MacArthur, Clark was prepared to defend the authority of his office.

When his third chief, Jim Davis, punctuated a demand that Clark provide him with a personal copy of a staffing report with the words, “Read my lips,” Clark responded in kind. “Read my lips,” Clark replied. “You’re not the police chief anymore.” The showdown at the Fat City Café was the talk of the town for weeks. The principle of police accountability to civilian control had prevailed. When Clark took office, he discovered a police bureau riven with intrigue, back-stabbing, sexual affairs and conflicting purposes. Yet his tools to reform it were limited. Four months after Clark took office, the police created a firestorm by fatally strangling private security guard Lloyd Stephenson. Two East Precinct officers sold T-shirts imprinted with, “Don’t choke ’em, smoke ’em,” suggesting that police should shoot suspects rather than attempt a less lethal means of control. Clark found their actions deplorable, “so I fired them,” he said. “I thought I could fire people.” The officers appealed, however, and were reinstated by an arbiter. To Clark, it was further evidence that the Portland police system did not work.

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isolated in their patrol cars, doing things the old way. The reason neither he nor his chiefs could bring about reform, he believes, boiled down to the power of the cops’ labor union, the Portland Police Association. “The union is the big difference,” said Clark. “In Japan, they have control.” Author Stamper, although considered a liberal crusader on most police issues, goes a step further in his distaste for police unions. “Police unions are, with noteworthy exceptions, a pernicious embarrassment to law enforcement,” he wrote. “They’ve fought ferociously against equal employment opportunity for women, people of color, gays and lesbians. They’ve opposed citizen review initiatives and undermined existing accountability measures. They’ve whined their way to a second set of ‘due process’ protections for brutal or dirty cops.” Stamper may not have been thinking of Portland in particular when he wrote those words. But then, maybe he was, at least in part. He described himself as a good friend and fishing buddy of Potter, the former police chief who later became mayor.

In preparation for his term in office, Clark watched a documentary comparing law enforcement in Tokyo, Portland and Santa Anna, Calif. His hometown did not fare well in the comparison. While the other cities achieved breakthroughs, the documentary concluded that Portland lagged behind with a traditional policing model that did not build trust and cooperation with its citizens. In time, the Portland mayor befriended Tokyo Gov. Shunichi Suzuki, who told Clark that having police officers live in the communities they served was a prerequisite for community policing. But in Portland, the Portland Police Association blocked such a requirement. Clark’s first selection as chief was Penny Harrington, the first woman to head the police department of a major American city. It was a message to the strong-arm, macho element of the bureau. After her tenure ended in controversy, he promoted community policing advocate Tom Potter as chief. Still, transforming the bureau proved a slow-moving process. Clark was irritated that despite evidence What’s needed After reviewing his thoughts on the that interacting with people on the street bureau that keeps making the same kinds and becoming part of the community was of mistakes and harboring the same kinds the way to go, Portland police remained of destructive attitudes—then blending

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them with Stamper’s more global observations—Clark isn’t optimistic that the Portland Police Bureau can be reformed. His thinking has also been shaped by Don Clark, no relation to Bud but a longtime friend who was Multnomah County Sheriff from 1963-1967 and later served as county chair and county executive. For years, Don Clark had preached a more humane, less militaristic style of policing, and Bud looked to him for guidance in reshaping Portland’s police bureau. After his election as mayor, he asked the former sheriff for a white paper on what should be done to turn the bureau around, an assignment Don regrets he didn’t have the time to fulfill. “He wanted to be the kind of mayor who could be proud of his police bureau,” said Don Clark. But the political realities were too much to overcome. “Bud couldn’t budge the Portland police department to do anything,” said Don Clark. Potter agreed that Bud did all he could to turn the bureau around. “He knew what he wanted,” said Potter, who with Clark’s backing instituted the policy that “if you weren’t doing community policing, you didn’t get promoted.” As an adviser to the campaign of an unsuccessful City Council candidate in the 1990s, Don Clark suggested that the Portland Police Bureau had become so intractable that the best solution was to dismantle it entirely and create a new institution in its place. “That’s probably what I said,” he recalled. It may not have been the fullest summation of his views on policing, but it was memorable in scope and intensity. “I’ve thought about that a long time,” said Bud Clark of his friend’s stunning indictment of the Portland Police Bureau, “and I absolutely agree. “There is a culture there that’s so ingrained that you can’t get rid of it.” It’s a culture so closed that police officers “have no idea how people outside the police bureau think.” That’s why a police protest leading to reversing the suspension of Officer Chris Humphreys, who was involved both with the beating death of mentally ill James Chasse Jr. in 2006 and the recent beanbag shooting of the 12-year-old girl, was trumpeted by the police union as a great victory. It was not the right outcome in the mind of Bud Clark, however, whose sense of justice comes from a more basic point. “You kill somebody, by God, there’s got to be accountability,” he said.

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T 

By Wendy Gordon

wenty-third Avenue isn’t the most inviting street these days, what with the rotating orange cones, closed traffic lanes and ear-splitting construction noise. Even under the best of circumstances, you have to know what you are looking for to find Uptown Billiards, identified only by an awning and accessible only by a steep staircase. Uptown Billiards is best known as a classy pool hall, offering billiards tables at $10 per hour, along with ping-pong, darts and board games in an upscale, wholesome atmosphere. What most people don’t realize is that Uptown Billiards is also home to an ambitious restaurant. Kent Lewis, who opened Uptown Billiards in 1994, is completing a major renovation. The colors are brighter, the furniture cushier, the intimate dining area (30 seats) now protected from the noise and distraction of the pool areas by a thick curtain. The rich wooden décor and the windowless upstairs location give the place the air of a private club: cozy on rainy winter evenings but perhaps a bit claustrophobic in nicer weather. The mood in the candlelit dining area is subdued and elegant. Children aren’t allowed here by statute (no minors within 500 feet of alcohol and pool tables), but this place has an adultsonly vibe anyway. Uptown Billiards hosts about 300 private parties per year; one was taking place as my friend and I enjoyed our meal. Even though we were well protected from the clinking of cocktail glasses and clacking of pool balls, I still couldn’t shake the sensation that I was attending a fancy catered affair. Uptown Billiards also boasts a new chef, Nathan Bates, who cooked for several years at Lucy’s Table. He’s continuing his style of imaginative, attractively presented continental cooking here. By far the best deal is the happy hour (4-6 p.m.). There are two options. One is a five-course tasting meal ($15 a person) featuring a highlighted ingredient, from goat cheese to peppers to tomatoes or even, on one occasion, rhubarb. The dishes are beau-

julie keefe tifully presented and inventive—far superior to typical bar fare—and while the portions are small, five plates will satisfy most people for dinner. You’re required to spend at least $5 on drinks (there’s an extensive cocktail menu, and a small but well selected list of wines by the glass). For an additional $10, you can add a wine paired with each course. The second option, while less sumptuous, is an even better deal. During happy hour, all items on the “lighter fare” menu are half-price, landing you such treats as oysters with lemon salsa, grilled prawns, and pizza with pears, bacon and fontina cheese for $5-$6. After 6, the regular menu kicks in: a choice of three courses for $29 or four courses for $34. This is not A mother-daughter dinner at Uptown Billiards. Kwan Chan (clockwise from woman in red with back to the camexactly recession-priced din- era), Eriko Shimada (visiting from Japan), Kyoko Shimada and Anne Chan. The server is Jen Winklepleck. ing, but it is a decent value for this type of special-occasion meal. Add cooked and chewy, but bathed in a satisfy- chicken innards on the menu, no commuin a bottle of wine, and a couple can still ing vegetable sauté of fennel and caramel- nal tables, no frenzied buzz. dine for under $100. You can also order off ized onions. The tender rack of lamb was Instead, the dining room has a retro the “lighter fare” menu. prepared to order in an excellent red wine charm; an old-fashioned date night with Dinner menus change biweekly, hew- sauce. Just as good were the accompanying a bunch of pool tables thrown in. Sailing ing toward a general plan of three to four vegetables, a tower of corn custard sur- along under the radar, Uptown Billiards appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. On rounded by sautéed spinach. may be here long after the latest “restaurant a recent evening, my friend and I enjoyed a My favorite dish was dessert, a truffle of the year” has declared bankruptcy. salad with greens, excellent quality Rogue panna cotta. While the vichyssoise introHappy hour is very popular, so it’s best blue cheese and candied walnuts, and duced sweetness into the savory, this dish making a convenient online reservation. It another salad, with nearly identical greens brought a touch of savory into the sweet, doesn’t hurt to make dinner reservations and dressing, but with a topping of roasted with superb results. The inimitable flavor either, as the dining area is so small. After 6 beets. Dishes tend toward the complex, and fragrance of truffles infused the mild p.m., you can park in the adjacent lot. and while most of the flavor combinations custard, and you could even dip spoonfuls work well, some seemed odd. into extra droplets of truffle sauce. I couldn’t bring myself to order the Though our waitress apologized for the vichyssoise with white chocolate, which slow service, courses were spaced out in a our waitress described as “slightly sweet.” relaxed, pleasant manner. Portions are not Though dark chocolate adds an essential large but definitely sufficient, especially for 120 NW 23rd Ave. bitterness to mole sauce, I couldn’t see what a multi-course meal. white chocolate would contribute to potaUptown Billiards has a unique atmo503-226 6909 toes and leeks. Clams in saffron broth ben- sphere that’s hard to categorize. It’s not hip Tuesday-Thursday: 4 p.m.-midnight efited from a delicate, rich sauce, but were and happening in that particular Portland Friday-Saturday: 4 p.m.-2:30 a.m. on the chewy side and too few in number. way, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The sturgeon entrée was a little over- There are no pork belly or deep-fried

Uptown Billiards Club

Northwest Examiner, march 2010

13

drink & dine in your neighborhood

The NW Examiner’s Neighborhood Food & Beverage Guide The NW Examiner’s Neighborhood Food & Beverage Guide is published each March and September to encourage readers to patronize their local businesses. It includes listings of our regular advertisers and others who have paid a $25-per-listing fee.

BAKERIES The Dragonfly Coffee House 2387 NW Thurman St. 503-224-7888. Come sip joyfully the coffee creations at the little coffee house on the corner. Enjoy hearty homemade pastries and famous weekend oat waffles! Open at 6:30 a.m. Elephants Delicatessen (See listing under Delicatessens) Kettleman Bagel Company 2314 NW Lovejoy St. 503-295-2314. www.kettlemanbagels.com. Amazing bagels using the finest ingredients. Locally-owned and operated and dedicated to bringing the best New York-style bagels, coffee and “schmears” to NW Portland. Lovejoy Bakers 939 NW 10th Ave. 503-208-3113. www.lovejoybakers.com New artisan bakery and café in the Pearl. From baguettes to brioche, croissants to clabbata, sandwiches, salads and house-made soups. Open 6 a.m.-5 p.m. See their website for a full menu.

BARS & LOUNGES Gypsy Restaurant & Lounge 625 NW 21st Ave. 503-796-1859. www.gypsyrestaurantandlounge.com Stop in and try the brand new tapas-style menu! Excellent food, great beer and cocktail selection. Karaoke every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Kingston Sports Bar & Grill (See listing under Sports Bars) Le Happy (See listing under Restaurants-French) Nob Hill Bar & Grill (See listing under Pubs, Brewpubs and Taverns) On Deck Sports Bar & Grill (See listing under Sports Bars) Typhoon! 2310 NW Everett St. 503-243-7557. www.typhoonrestaurants.com From humble beginnings on Northwest 23rd Avenue, Chef Bo Kline and Typhoon! have become icons of the Northwest food scene. Maine Lobster Phad Thai headlines outstanding winter specials.

21st Avenue Bar & Grill (See listing under Restaurants) Uptown Billiards 120 NW 23rd Ave. 503-226-6909. www.uptownbilliards.com A fully-stocked bar (built in 1894), 10 beers and Nob Hill’s best wine list await you at UBC. Oh yeah, and did we mention the 10 pool tables.

CAFES Besaw’s (See listing under Restaurants) The Dragonfly Coffee House 2387 NW Thurman St. 503-224-7888. Come sip joyfully the coffee creations at the little coffee house on the corner. Enjoy hearty homemade pastries and famous weekend oat waffles! Open at 6:30 a.m. Elephants Delicatessen 115 NW 22nd Ave. 503-299-6304. www.elephantsdeli.com Portland’s premier delicatessen and catering company, serving great local foods from scratch since 1979. Private room for events. Full bar, patio and pizza oven. Wine, specialty foods, gifts and more. Industrial Café & Saloon (See listing under Restaurants) Laughing Planet Café (See listing under Restaurants)

COFFEE & COFFEE HOUSES Caffe Umbria 303 NW 12th Ave. 503-241-5300. www.caffeumbria.com Located in the heart of the Pearl District, Caffe Umbria provides Portlanders with an authentic Italian café bar experience. Great espresso and coffee, light Italian fare. The Dragonfly Coffee House 2387 NW Thurman St. 503-224-7888. Come sip joyfully the coffee creations at the little coffee house on the corner. Enjoy hearty homemade pastries and famous weekend waffles! Open at 6:30 a.m. Fehrenbacher Hof Coffee House 1225 SW 19th Ave. 502-223-4493. The Hof features the locally-renowned

breakfast sandwiches (with Bud’s Reuben Sauce), Ristretto Roasters Coffee, Organic espresso, house-made Pastries and soup and lots of nooks to sit and sip. Next door to the Goose Hollow Inn. Kettleman Bagel Company 2314 NW Lovejoy St. 503-295-2314. www.kettlemanbagels.com. Serving Stumptown Coffee along with amazing bagels using the finest ingredients. Locally-owned and operated and dedicated to bringing the best New York-style bagels, coffee and “schmears” to NW Portland. The Sultan Café 1500 NW 18th Ave. 503-227-6466. www.thesultancafe.com Serving the best gyros from the spit in Portland, featuring lamb, chicken or beef. Paninis, falafel, kabobs, burgers, hummus baba ganoush, baklava, espresso and pastries. World Cup Coffee & Tea 1740 NW Glisan St. 503-228-4152. www.worldcupcoffee.com. Locally owned with over 10 years serving locally roasted, direct trade coffee, fresh pastries and housemade sandwiches. Free WiFi. Private room available. Now serving beer and wine. World Cup Coffee & Tea Powell’s Books. 1001 W. Burnside St. 503-228-4651, x1234.

DELICATESSENS Elephants Delicatessen 115 NW 22nd Ave. 503-299-6304. www.elephantsdeli.com Portland’s premier delicatessen and catering company, serving great local foods from scratch since 1979. Private room for events. Full bar, patio and pizza oven. Wine, specialty foods, gifts and more. Food Front Cooperative Grocery 2375 NW Thurman St. 503-222-5658. www.foodfront.coop. Custom sandwiches, traditional and specialty salads and savory soups. We offer great wholesome foods prepared from scratch using organic ingredients wherever possible. Grab-and-go selections also available.

Kenny & Zuke’s Sandwichworks 2376 NW Thurman St. 503-954-1737. www.kennyandzukes.com Reubens, Grinders, Meatball Heros and more. Serving your favorite sandwiches using top quality meats, breads and cheeses. Soup, salads, chili burger sliders and hot dogs too! Free local lunch delivery. Kettleman Bagel Company 2314 NW Lovejoy St. 503-295-2314. www.kettlemanbagels.com. Amazing bagels using the finest ingredients. Locally owned and operated and dedicated to bringing the best New York-style bagels, coffee, and “schmears” to NW Portland. Kornblatt’s Delicatessen 628 NW 23rd Ave. 503-242-0055. www.kornblattsdeli.com. Authentic New York-style delicatessen. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast served all day. “A little different - a lot better - we like it that way.” Orders to go.

ICE CREAM, GELATO & YOGURT Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Uptown Center Location 39 NW 23rd Pl. 503-295-3033. www.benjerry.com/uptowncenter. Pearl District Location 301 NW 10th Ave. 503-796-3033. www.benjerry.com/pearldistrict. Vermont’s finest ice cream, frozen yogurt, smoothies, shakes, chillos, sundaes and cakes. We cater office parties, company events, employee recognition, birthdays and more! “Let us bring our Scoop Shop to you!”

PUBS, BREWPUBS & TAVERNS Blue Moon Tavern & Grill 432 NW 21st Ave. 503-223-3184. www.mcmenamins.com. This welcoming NW 21st hangout is the perfect spot from which to watch the comings and goings of locals and tourists alike while enjoying McMenamins handcrafted ales, wines, spirits and pub fare.

$3 Winter Happy Hour Monday-Thursday 3:00-6:00, 9:30-12:30 Friday 3:00-6:00 All Day Sun Spring Rolls - Mini Burgers Jambalaya - Vegetable Curry Caprese - Small Caesar Salad Smoked Chicken Quesadilla Spicy Mac ‘n Cheese Nachos - Totchos

CAPRESE

Full menu served ‘til 2 a.m. 721 NW 21st Ave. 503-222-4121 14

Northwest Examiner, MARCH 2010

BridgePort Brewpub & Bakery 1313 NW Marshall St. 503-241-3612.

Besaw’s 2301 NW Savier St. 503-228-2619.

www.bridgeportbrew.com

www.besaws.com

Enjoy Northwest-inspired cuisine and daily specials along with Oregon’s oldest craft brews in this family-friendly brewpub. Event and meeting spaces available. 4-6 happy hour, Mon.-Fri. Open daily at 11 a.m.

A local neighborhood institution in NW Portland since 1903. Serving the freshest NW comfort food seven days a week. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Full bar and wine list available. “Let us take care of you.”

Crackerjacks 2788 NW Thurman St. 503-222-9069.

Elephants Delicatessen 115 NW 22nd Ave. 503-299-6304.

A neighborhood hangout for the whole family! New, expanded menu includes steaks, seafood, chicken, homemade pizza, burgers and more. Free pool all day, happy hour 4-7 p.m., 12 beers on tap. Backyard patio.

www.elephantsdeli.com

Goose Hollow Inn 1927 SW Jefferson St. 503-228-7010. www.goosehollowinn.com. Enjoy Goose Hollow Golden or Vortex IPA from Fort George. Laurelwood Porter, Ninkasi Believer or cheap PBR. Great beer selections served in imperial pints are all delicious with “The Best Reuben on the Planet.” Huge deck. Free parking or MAX within steps. Marathon Taverna 1735 W. Burnside St. 503-224-1341. The best gyros and great burgers. Breakfast specials. Kitchen open ‘til 2 a.m. Free popcorn. Big-screen TVs with all the games. Four pool tables and Oregon Lottery Games. Full bar and 19 beers on tap. Open every day 7 a.m.2:30 a.m. McMenamins Tavern & Pool 1716 NW 23rd Ave. 503-227-0929. www.mcmenamins.com. This neighborhood pub at the north end of NW 23rd is the ideal spot to gather with friends for a couple pitchers, a round of pool, some food and lively conversation. Celebrating 25 years in the neighborhood. New Old Lompoc Pub & Brewery 1616 NW 23rd Ave. 503-225-1855. www.newoldlompoc.com. Serving excellent burgers and beers for over 15 years. Come visit the brewery or sit out on the back patio and soak up the sun or rain. Full bar. Nob Hill Bar & Grill 937 NW 23rd Ave. 503-274-9616. National award-winning hamburgers. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Soups and salads. Daily homemade lunch specials. Monday Night 50-cent tacos 6-9 p.m. 12 beers on tap. Sports on TV. Full Bar. Open 8 a.m.-2:30 a.m. every day. The Rams Head 2282 NW Hoyt St. 503-221-0098. www.mcmenamins.com. Settle in after an afternoon of shopping on NW 23rd. Relax with the handcrafted McMenamins ales, wines and spirits paired with salads, burgers, sandwiches and more. Admire original artwork inspired by the pub’s history.

RESTAURANTS Beau Thai Restaurant 730 NW 21st Ave. 503-223-2182. www.beauthai.com. Year after year Beau Thai is still the Northwest’s favorite Thai restaurant. Try the best salad rolls in Portland or one of their always exciting special dishes.

Portland’s premier delicatessen and catering company, serving great local foods from scratch since 1979. Private room for events. Full bar, patio and pizza oven. Wine, specialty foods, gifts and more. Gypsy Restaurant & Lounge 625 NW 21st Ave. 503-796-1859. www.gypsyrestaurantandlounge.com Stop in and try the brand new tapas-style menu! Excellent food, great beer and cocktail selection. Karaoke every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Take a trip to Morocco, or better yet come to ...

Celebrating 21 years

An exotic dining experience

offering the finest in classic Moroccan cuisine

Ala Carte Dinner Menu starting at $9.50 Traditional Moroccan Seating

featuring Belly Dancing every Wednesday through Sunday

Open 7 Nights a Week 5-10 pm

1201 NW 21st Ave. at Northrup, Portland • 503-248-9442 w w w. m a r r a k e s h p o r t l a n d . c o m Reservations Recommended • Catering for All Occasions • Royal Banquet Room Available

Industrial Café & Saloon 2572 NW Vaughn St. 503-227-7002. Classic comfort food featuring their own grass-fed beef. Full bar, seven beers on tap and wine by the glass. Outdoor seating. Dogs welcome. Weekend breakfast served 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Kenny & Zuke’s Sandwichworks (See listing under Delicatessens) Kingston Sports Bar & Grill (See listing under Sports Bars) Laughing Planet Café 922 NW 21st Ave. 503-445-1319. 721 NW 9th Ave. 503-505-5020. www.laughingplanetcafe.com Quick-service restaurant that serves nutritious fare in the form of tasty burritos, bowls, soups salads, smoothies, juices and homemade cookies and pies. Fast, healthy, local and delicious. Meriwether’s Restaurant 2601 NW Vaughn St. 503-228-1250. www.meriwethersnw.com. Farm-to-table menu from their own 5-acre Skyline farm just 20 minutes from Portland. Gorgeous outdoor patio, gardens and gazebo. Open every day for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Nob Hill Bar & Grill (See listing under Pubs, Brewpubs & Taverns) On Deck Sports Bar & Grill (See listing under Sports Bars) Paragon 1309 NW Hoyt St. 503-833-5060. www.paragonrestaurant.com Lively, sophisticated neighborhood restaurant and bar since 1997. American bistro cuisine, signature cocktails, lunch and dinner daily, outside seating, private dining for groups of 10-150 people. Happy hour Mon.Fri. 4-6 p.m. Park Kitchen 422 NW 8th Ave. 503-223-7275. www.parkkitchen.com. Local and seasonally driven menu. Awardwinning chef. Full-service bar with creative cocktails. Lunch: Mon.-Fri. Dinner: Mon.-Sat. Private room available.

Continued next page

2010 SPRING PLANTING HAS BEGUN! Enjoy our farm-to-table menus created with products grown on our very own Skyline Farm, located just 20 minutes from downtown Portland.

503.228.1250 www.meriwethersnw.com 2601 N.W. Vaughn Street Portland, Oregon MWR_AD_NWE_MAR10.indd 1

Meriwether’s Restaurant & Skyline Farm

Serving 7 Days A Week Lunch • Dinner • Brunch Private Events • Happy Hour 2/27/10 11:02:44 AM

Northwest Examiner, march 2010

15

The NW Examiner’s Neighborhood Food & Beverage Guide Pastini Pastaria (See listing under Restaurants-Italian) RingSide Steakhouse (See listing under Restaurants-Steakhouses) Seres Restaurant & Bar 1105 NW Lovejoy St. 971-222-7237. www.weresrestaurant.com Fresh, organic Chinese cuisine. Locally sourced ingredients. Serratto 2112 NW Kearney St. 503-221-1195. www.serratto.com

www.wildwoodrestaurant.com. Menus based on the wealth of premium ingredients found just miles from the restaurant. Serving lunch and dinner. Full-service bar. Outdoor seating. Private dining and meeting rooms.

RESTAURANTS-ASIAN Beau Thai

Typhoon! 2310 NW Everett St. 503-243-7557.

mike ryerson

Cha Taqueria owner Javier Hurtado (left) chipped in to help chef Pedro Flores on a recent busy evening.

RESTAURANTS-ITALIAN Pastini Pastaria 1506 NW 23rd Ave. 503-595-1205. www.pastini.net. Portland’s Italian bistro with a passion for pasta offers 35 classic pastas from $5.75 for lunch and dinner. Cocktails, NW and Italian wines and beers. Outside seating. Catering for meetings and events. Sal’s Italian Kitchen 33 NW 23rd Pl. 503-467-4067. www.salskitchen.com

Belly dancers entertain at the Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant Wednesday through Sunday nights.

Comforting and modern: 23Hoyt. A New American Tavern. Happy hour and dinner every night. Typhoon! 2310 NW Everett St. 503-243-7557. www.typhoonrestaurants.com

From humble beginnings on Northwest 23rd Avenue, Chef Bo Kline and Typhoon! have become icons of the Northwest food scene. Maine Lobster Phad Thai headlines outstanding winter specials. Uptown Billiards 120 NW 23rd Ave. 503-226-6909. www.uptownbilliards.com. A five-course happy hour, entrees you’d happily pay double for and unpretentious yet attentive service in the newly-remodeled dining room are exceeding Portland’s expectations every night.

RESTAURANTS-Barbeque Slabtown Ribs & BBQ 2606 NW Vaughn St. 503-227-2903. Award-winning, classic American barbeque— right in the neighborhood. Brisket, ribs, chicken and pork all smoked low and slow every day on wood smokers. All traditional sides dishes. Full bar, catering and take-out.

RESTAURANTS-FRENCH Le Happy 1011 NW 16th Ave. 503-226-1258. www.lehappy.com. Now serving cocktails! Savory dinner and sweet dessert crepes served up the original Portland Frenchy-style way. Fine wines too. Closed Sunday.

Wildwood Restaurant & Bar 1221 NW 21st Ave. 503-248-9663.

Come check our daily lunch specials . . . Great Food with Great Prices!

NW 23 rd & Raleigh • www.newoldlompoc.com • 503-225-1855 16

Authentic Mexican food to eat-in or take-out. Serving Cha Burritos, tacos, tortillas, quesadillas, chimichangas, chili rellenos, salads and more. All natural meats. Open 7 day a week.

www.typhoonrestaurants.com. From humble beginnings on Northwest 23rd Avenue, Chef Bo Kline and Typhoon! have become icons of the Northwest food scene. Maine Lobster Phad Thai headlines outstanding winter specials.

Northwest Examiner, MARCH 2010

Cha! Cha! Cha! Mexican Taqueria 1208 NW Glisan St. 503-221-2111. www.chaportland. com.

Seres Restaurant & Bar (See listing under Restaurants)

Selected the “Best Hamburger” by the Northwest Examiner in 2003. Happy hour food menu 3-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Still serving a wide ranging food menu and cocktails to the wee hours. Selected “Portland’s Best Outdoor Patio.”

www.23hoyt.com.

Delicious, healthy and authentic cuisine from the Greek island of Crete in an elegant urban setting. Reasonable prices.

“Best Joint in Town Since 1980.” Still the place for big food, great homemade salsa and “infamously good” margaritas! 52 plus tequilas, kid’s menu, lots of vegetarian options. Ample parking. 7 day a week.

Bistro Asian 1900 NW 27th Ave. 503-274-4096.

Skyline Restaurant 1313 NW Skyline Blvd. 503-292-6727.

23Hoyt Restaurant 529 NW 23rd Ave. 503-445-7400.

www.elenisrestaurant.com

Acapulco’s Gold 2610 NW Vaughn St. 503-220-0283.

mike ryerson

Newly opened in the neighborhood. Serving lunch and dinner. Free delivery, lounge and open for reservations. Serving both Chinese and Japanese cuisine.

21st Avenue Bar & Grill 721 NW 21st Ave. 503-222-4121.

Eleni’s Philoxenia 112 NW 9th Ave. 503-227-2158.

RESTAURANTS-MEXICAN

(See listing under Restaurants-Thai)

Northwest Portland’s neighborhood restaurant! Serving seasonally inspired Italian, French and Mediterranean cuisine. Lunch, dinner and happy hour every day. Full service bar. Extensive wine list. Outdoor seating. Private rooms accommodating groups up to 50.

Nestled amongst the evergreens in Portland’s west hills, Skyline is a classic American diner. Specializing in burgers, fries and shakes, it has been acclaimed by critics from James Beard to the food network. Visit them on Facebook.

RESTAURANTS-GREEK

Every dish is made with love and the freshest ingredients. Consider Sal’s a minor indulgence, not a major splurge. Located in the Uptown Shopping Center with plenty of free parking! Serratto (See listing under Restaurants) Vino Paradiso Wine Bar & Bistro 417 NW 10th Ave. 503-295-9536. www.vinaparadiso.com Wine Spectator magazine award-winning wine program, cocktails, full dinner menu, hip ambience and non-pretentious service. Art gallery. On the streetcar line. Come as you are or dress up!

RESTAURANTSMEDITERRANEAN Bluehour 250 NW 13th Ave. 503-226-3394. www.bluehouronline.com Portland’s premier modern restaurant and bar. Serving brunch, lunch, dinner and happy hour every night.

Cha Taqueria & Bar 305 NW 21st Ave. 503-295-4077. www.chaportland. com.

Real Mexican dining in the former Star’s Antiques building at NW 21st and Everett. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. All natural meats with Painted Hills Beef, Carlton Farms Pork and Natural Chicken. Happy hour 3-6 p.m. and 6 p.m. to close at the bar. Outside patio. Santa Fe Taqueria 831 NW 23rd Ave. 503-220-0406. www.santafetaqueria.com Portland’s first Taqueria! Extensive authentic menu or customize your own meal. Ample indoor and outdoor dining space or to go service. Kids eat free every Wednesday. Full bar with 4-7 happy hour Mon.-Fri. Open late every day.

RESTAURANTS-MOROCCAN Marrakesh Restaurant 1201 NW 21st Ave. 503-248-9442. www.marrakeshportland.com. Traditional Moroccan cuisine. Sultan’s tent. Cozy, ethnic oasis with traditional Moroccan seating. Nightly 5-10 p.m. Belly dancing Wed-Sun. Located at the corner of NW 21st and Northrup.

RESTAURANTS-PIZZA Bellagios Pizza Goose Hollow 1742 SW Jefferson St. 503-221-0110. www.bellagiospizza.com Delivery, take-out, drive-in. Traditional and gourmet pizza, cold beer, wings, salads, calzones and breadsticks. Now serving toasted grinder sandwiches. Eat Pizza! 2037 SW Morrison St. 503-243-3663. www.EatPizzaPortland.com. Delivered Neapolitan (NY) style pizza, deli-

cious sandwiches and salads all using local suppliers and responsible practices. Local draught beers and friendly dine-in service greets you at the door. Escape From New York Pizza 622 NW 23rd Ave. 503-227-5423. “I have a dream that one day we will be judged by the quality of our pizza and not of the character of our pot holes.” --Phil Mangia Pizza 1937 NW 23rd Place. 503-222-2667. www.mapclicks.com. Hand-tossed thin crust pizza, calzones and salads using only top-quality ingredients. Slices Mon.-Fri. before 5 p.m. Cozy atmosphere and two great patios. Beer and wine to go, catering and business delivery. Pizzicato Pizza 505 NW 23rd Ave. 503-242-0023. 2025 Miller Rd. 503-525-2800. www.pizzicatopizza.com. Now offering free home delivery from both NW Portland locations. Traditional and imaginative pizzas, salads and Panini. Everything made fresh and from scratch. Please see their website for specials and promotions.

RESTAURANTSSTEAKHOUSES RingSide Steakhouse 2165 W. Burnside St. 503-223-1513. www.ringsidesteakhouse.com. In Portland, the Ringside Steakhouse is the prime steakhouse! This highly honored dining establishment was founded in 1944. Owned by the third generation of the founding family, it is the steakhouse with more than 70 awards.

RESTAURANTS-THAI Beau Thai 730 NW 21st Ave. 503-223-2182. www.beauthai.com. Year after year Beau Thai is still the Northwest’s favorite Thai restaurant. Try the best salad rolls in Portland or one of their alwaysexciting special dishes. Kinara Thai Bistro 1126 SW 18th Ave. 503-227-5161. www.kinarathai.com

“Portland’s Favorite Sports Bar.” Over two dozen TVs with all the games. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Daily food specials, soups and salads. Recession Buster Breakfast $3.95 Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-11 a.m. Outdoor seating. Marathon Taverna (See listing under Pub, Brewpubs & Taverns) Nob Hill Bar & Grill (See listing under Pubs, Brewpubs & Taverns) On Deck Sports Bar & Grill 910 NW 14th Ave. 503-227-7020. www.ondecksportsbar.com “Portland’s Best Sports Bar” since 2004 has a huge outdoor dining area. Warm, inviting and casual. Daily happy hour food specials. $6 lunch deals Mon.-Fri. Private party catering.

TEA & TEA HOUSES

730 NW 21st Ave • 503-223-2182 WWW.BEAUTHAI.COM

A casual tea house nestled above NW 23rd with a year-round outdoor balcony. Portland’s largest selection of organic teas. 15 handmade chai blends. Daily soup and vegan red beans and rice. Free WiFi. Typhoon! (See listing under Restaurants) World Cup Coffee & Tea 1740 NW Glisan St. 503-228-4152. www.worldcupcoffee.com. Locally owned with over 10 years serving locally roasted, direct trade coffee, fresh pastries and housemade sandwiches. Free WiFi. Private room available. Now serving beer and wine. World Cup Coffee & Tea Powell’s Books. 1001 W. Burnside St. 503-228-4651, ext 1234.

WINE & WINE BARS Liner & Elsen, Wine Merchants 2222 NW Quimby St. 503-241-9463 (WINE). www.linerandelsen.com

Typhoon! 2310 NW Everett St. 503-243-7557.

Uptown Billiards 120 NW 23rd Ave. 503-226-6909.

www.typhoonrestaurants.com.

www.uptownbilliards.com

From humble beginnings on Northwest 23rd Avenue, Chef Bo Kline and Typhoon! have become icons of the Northwest food scene. Maine Lobster Phad Thai headlines outstanding winter specials.

Where else in Nob Hill can you find 10 fun, interesting wines by the glass and more than 200 wines by the bottle?

www.kingstonsportsbar.com

Open Monday-Friday for Lunch & Dinner • Weekends All Day

www.teachaite.com.

“Portland’s Premier Wine Shop” (Gourmet) for 15 years. Knowledgeable staff knows the best wines from NW and the world. Tasting every Saturday starting at noon and first and third Friday evenings. On-site parking. Shipping.

Kingston Sports Bar & Grill 2021 SW Morrison St. 503-224-2115.

Vegetarian Dishes Our Specialty Try Our Fast Take Out Service

Tea Chai Te 734 NW 23rd Ave. 503-228-0900.

Voted “Yelp.com’s Thai Restaurant of the Year 2009,” Kinara continues to provide excellence and innovation in the art of Thai Cuisine, appreciative customer service, intimate, cultured atmosphere and genuine value.

SPORTS BARS

“Northwest Portland’s Favorite Thai Restaurant”

Vino Paradiso Wine Bar Bistro 417 NW 10th Ave. 503-295-9536. www.vinoparadiso.com Wine Spectator magazine award-winning wine program, cocktails, full dinner menu, hip ambience and non-pretentious service. Art gallery. On the streetcar line. Come as you are or dress up!

Northwest Examiner, march 2010

17

going out

Community Events History of 23rd

Linnton Feed Store. For more information, rd “The History of 23 Avenue,” a 90-min- contact Pat Wagner at 503-286-4990. ute slideshow narrated by Tim Hills and the Northwest Examiner’s Mike Ryerson, Benefit for Haiti Five Portland chefs and three Willawill be presented at the Mission Theater Monday, March 15, at 7 p.m. There will be mette Valley vineyards will contribute to no admission charge. Drug Store Cowboy, the second annual St. Joseph Day Dinner which was partially filmed in Northwest at St. Mary’s Cathedral beginning at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 18. The event is free Portland, will be shown afterward. and open to all. Donations will be accepted, with all proceeds going to Catholic Relief Corned Beef & Cabbage Services in Haiti. Rev. Peter Arteaga will Dinner St Patrick’s Catholic Church, 1623 NW offer brief comments about his recent trip 19th Ave., will hold its annual St. Patrick’s to Haiti after the earthquake. The dinner will feature the cooking of Day corned beef and cabbage dinner SunLoren Bentley, Ringlers; Michael Barshis, day, March 14, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets The University Club; Michael Cronan, are $15 for adults and $5 for children under Caffe Mingo; Marco Frattaroli, Basta’s 10. Beer, wine, Irish coffee and a raffle will Trattoria; and Dominique Geulin, St. be available. Dinners may also be ordered Honore Boulangerie. Wines will be profor takeout. vided by Ferraro Cellars, Medici Vineyards and Sineann Wines. The dinner will be St. Patrick’s party Lower Cathedral Center, The McMulligans Pipes and Drums served in the th 131 NW 17 , near Davis St. For further bagpipe quartet will perform at a St. Patinformation, contact the St. Joseph Group rick’s Day benefit for the Linnton Comat 503-223-6737. For reservations, call munity Center, 10614 NW St. Helens Rd., 503-228-4397 by March 15. Sunday, March 14, 7 p.m. Doors open at 6

preschool, after-school programming, summer camp, plagroup and Project Return. Tickets are $100 and include silent and live auctions, beer and wine, a three-course dinner, kids’ games, party favors and prizes. To purchase tickets, email Denise Lafond at [email protected] or call 503-228-4391. 

for all ages and experience levels. Instructor Kelsey Cairns is a second-degree black belt instructor in Tien Tae Jistu, an eclectic, family-oriented, martial art school based in Beaverton. A free, trial workshop will be held Tuesday, March 25, 7-9 p.m. Preregistration is required. Call 503-228-4391.

Town hall

Zimmerman Community Center will host a panel of “life coaches” who will speak and answer questions about their field Tuesday, March 30, 7-8:30 p.m., at KEEN’s Great Room, 926 NW 13th Ave., #210. Panel members are Andrew McDonald, Dave Mullan and Jemila Kwon. The sliding-scale fee is $5-$15. To register, visit www.zcommunitycenter.org or call 503.224.4636.

Sen. Suzanne Bonamici, Rep. Mitch Greenlick and Rep. Chris Harker will host a post-legislative session town hall meeting at the Beaverton Arts & Communications Magnet Academy, 11375 SW Center St., Wednesday, March 10, 6:30 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to attend and discuss issues of concern with the legislators.

Park stewardship day

Celebrate the Vernal Equinox Saturday, March 20, by joining Forest Park Stewardship Day and helping remove invasive plants. Meet at 8 a.m. for a continental breakfast and briefing by Forest Park Conservancy members at the Linnton Trailhead, located at the bus turnaround at 105th Avenue on St. Helens Road/Highway 30.

Senior field trips

Friendly House offers four senior field trips this month: Bob’s Red Mill, March 9; Paddy’s Bar and Grill, March 17; Oregon Zoo, March 23; and Woodburn Tulip Festival, March 30. Call 503-221-1224 to reserve a spot and arrange transportation.

p.m. There will be dancing, an Irish corned beef and cabbage dinner, beer, wine, home- Swing Into Spring Self-defense Friendly House’s annual Swing Into made desserts and a 50/50 raffle. AdmisA six-week course on self-defense will be sion is $15 (including dinner); children are Spring dinner and auction is Friday, March held Thursday evenings in April at Friendly free. Advance tickets will be available at the 12. This year’s event celebrates 80 years of House, 1737 NW 26th Ave. It’s suitable serving children through programs such as

Life coach panel 

Rotary schedule

Pearl Rotary hosts speakers every Tuesday morning at 7:30 in the Ecotrust Building, 721 NW Ninth Ave. A $10 charge includes a continental breakfast. For information, contact George Wright at [email protected]. March 9: “Edu-preneurship: Empowering and Educating Youth for the 21st Century,” Adam Reid, co-founder, Leadership Entrepreneurship High School March 16: “One Rescue at a Time,” Jenny Brazie, onsite project coordinator, Wildcat Haven, Sherwood March 23: “Oh, the Humanities! Connecting Oregonians to Ideas That Transform Communities,” Cara UngarGutierrez, executive director, Oregon Humanities

Then

CHAPMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 1445 NW 26th ~ 503-916-6295

www.chapman.pps.k12.or.us MARCH

&

Now

10 Site Council Meeting, 2:30 PM 10 PTA Board Meeting, 7:00 PM 15 Teacher Planning Day NO SCHOOL 17 Late Opening School Begins at 10:00 AM for all grades 19 Report card carried home by students 22 - 26 Spring Break NO SCHOOL

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Northwest Examiner, MARCH 2010

Top: In 1938, a radio sales and service business occupied the storefront on the southwest corner of NW 23rd Avenue and Irving Street. (Tom Robinson/Historic Photo Archive.) Bottom: Today, the same corner is the former home of Elizabeth Street women’s boutique. Both photos display a “for lease” or “for rent” sign. (Mike Ryerson photo.)

Building community, one friend at a time.

danielstarkphotography.com

Northwest Examiner, march 2010

19

business

Finance & Real Estate

Tour turns up new pollutant ESCO never reported plastic sheets used in foundry By Paul Koberstein A public relations tour of ESCO’s main plant on Northwest 24th Avenue uncovered an unreported source of pollution and possible odors. Mary Peveto and Bob Holmstrom of Neighbors for Clean Air toured the company’s foundry last December and learned that plastic sheeting is consumed in the process of molding molten steel, a fact not previously disclosed to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Neither the process nor the pollution it emits are described in ESCO’s air pollution permit, but they likely will be covered by the next permit, which is expected to be approved in a year or two, said the DEQ’s permit writer, George Davis. “ESCO uses plastic sheeting in one of their casting processes known as the vacuum process,” he said. In this process, a thin, preheated sheet of plastic film known as low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is placed over a pattern, and a vacuum is applied to draw the sheet to the pattern contours. “It appears that the plastic sheet serves essentially the same purpose as the binders used in other molds,” Davis said. “That is, to hold the shape of the mold while steel is poured in.” ESCO has been producing parts for the construction, mining and timber industries at this plant since 1913. The company operates a newer, smaller foundry at 2211 NW Brewer Ave. Aubrey Baldwin, an attorney with the Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center at Lewis and Clark Law School, has suggested that this plastic sheet be investigated by a consultant DEQ proposes to hire for an independent review of ESCO’s emissions and control options. DEQ agreed. “The plastic sheeting is not addressed in the current permit,” Davis said. “DEQ will take it into account during the permit renewal process.” One question is what happens to the plastic during manufacturing. Davis said the molten steel is heated to about 2,000

degrees Fahrenheit, causing the plastic to vaporize and decompose rather than melt, and the fumes to then ignite and burn. “This will cause some air pollution, including air toxics such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds,” he said. Davis said the vacuum process has not been tested for air emissions, “and it may be difficult to get an adequate sample to test, since the plastic sheet is probably destroyed in a matter of seconds.  We will have to consider how to take these emissions into account as we work on the permit. Until

ulated in the list of 188 substances defined as hazardous by the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act include formaldehyde, propionaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is ubiquitous in the environment and may be formed in the body from the breakdown of ethanol. Short-term exposure to acetaldehyde causes irritation of the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Symptoms of long-term intoxication of acetaldehyde resemble those of alcoholism. Acetaldehyde is considered a probable human carcinogen based on inadequate human cancer studies and animal studies that have shown nasal tumors in rats and laryngeal tumors in hamsters. IndustrialMetalCasting.com

Diagram of the vacuum process, which was invented in Japan in 1971 as an improvement on conventional sand casting. In this process, a thin preheated sheet of plastic film material is placed over a pattern and a vacuum is applied to draw the sheet to the pattern contours. The flask containing the mold is then filled with sand. we have more information, it’s impossible to say whether emissions from the plastic sheets will make a noticeable difference in the emission factors.” According to a statement issued by the plastic sheet’s manufacturer, the material is a translucent solid with a waxy color. It is a petroleum product and releases carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and aldehydes when burned. Aldehyde is a family of chemicals, some of which are highly toxic.  For instance, acrolein is a highly toxic aldehyde. Other aldehyde compounds that are reg-

Exposure to formaldehyde may occur by breathing contaminated indoor air, tobacco smoke or ambient urban air. Acute and chronic inhalation exposure to formaldehyde in humans can result in respiratory symptoms, and eye, nose and throat irritation. Limited human studies have reported an association between formaldehyde exposure and lung and nasopharyngeal cancer. Animal inhalation studies have reported an increased incidence of nasal squamous cell cancer. The EPA considers formaldehyde a probable human carcinogen (Group B1). Propionaldehyde is used in the manu-

facture of plastics, in the synthesis of rubber chemicals, and as a disinfectant and preservative. No information is available on the carcinogenic effects of propionaldehyde in humans.  Animal studies have reported that exposure to high levels of propionaldehyde, via inhalation, results in anesthesia and liver damage, and intraperitoneal exposure results in increased blood pressure. The EPA has not classified propionaldehyde for carcinogenicity. “These are regulated hazardous pollutants,” said Baldwin. “Thus, emissions of these substances should have been quantified in the permit application and added to the total of hazardous air pollutants from all other sources at the facility. Some insignificant sources of pollutants can just be mentioned and included in narrative form.” There are no “penalties” for failing to include a particular source of pollutants, she said. “The remedy is via challenging a permit,” she said. “Once the time to challenge a permit has passed, the appropriate step is to petition the issuing agency to reopen the permit for cause. If a newly issued permit fails to include all sources of pollution, the appropriate step is to challenge the permit in the appropriate forum (for Title V permits there are two—the state courts and EPA). The source, however, is bound to make a complete application.” Peveto, who formed Neighbors for Clean Air last year over concerns about industrial air pollution around Chapman School, said ESCO staff told Holmstrom and her about the plastic sheeting during their tour, but they did not see it. “During our tour of the facility,” said Peveto, “it was clear that there are many opportunities to look at better capture of toxic emissions, particularly fugitive emissions. “I remain very optimistic that the best way to identify specific process and/ or technology improvements needed to achieve the goal of eliminating dangerous toxic emissions from ESCO will be through the thorough audit by a qualified independent contractor. I appreciate DEQ’s and ESCO’s cooperation in seeing that happen.”

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Northwest Examiner, MARCH 2010

p. 21-26 DEQ continued from page 1 sions probably amount to “95 percent” of all toxic compounds in the air. Wind had been responding to a December 2008 USA Today story, “The Smokestack Effect: Toxic Air and America’s Schools,” that ranked the air around Chapman and other Northwest Portland schools among the 2 percent most polluted in the nation. In essence, it said school children are exposed to some of America’s most unhealthy air, largely due to ESCO’s toxic fumes. “This is Portland,” several neighbors said in a form letter sent to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson. “This is Oregon. We can do better.” The DEQ has not been the only source of government misinformation about ESCO. Madonna Narvaez, administrator of the EPA’s air-toxic program in the Pacific Northwest region, said in a telephone interview that she had wrongly told Northwest area residents that Northwest Portland’s air problems had “decreased significantly” from 2000 to 2007. She acknowledged that this determination was based on her own misreading of emissions data from ESCO. Federal reports show ESCO has increased its emissions of lead, one of the most toxic pollutants in urban air, 32-fold from 2001 to 2007, and that it increased toxic glycol ether emissions from about two tons in 2003 to more than nine tons in 2007. Revelations about Portland’s toxic air may tarnish the city’s green reputation, which was recently burnished by online eco-maga-

zine Grist. Grist named Portland the second most environmentally friendly city in the world. “The City of Roses’ approach to urban planning and outdoor spaces has often earned it a spot on lists of the greenest places to live,”  Grist  said. “Portland is the first U.S. city to enact a comprehensive plan to reduce CO2 emissions and has aggressively pushed  green building initiatives. It also runs a comprehensive system of  light rail, buses and bike lanes to help keep cars off the roads, and it boasts 92,000 acres of green space and more than 74 miles of hiking, running and biking trails.”

County air third worst

Maybe Grist wasn’t aware of two recent reports that were critical of Portland’s toxic air, including the EPA’s 2008 modeling highlighted by the USA Today account and a second EPA report, known as the National Air Toxics Assessment, which in 2009 found that Multnomah County’s air was the third most toxic in the country. DEQ officials challenged the negative insinuations about Portland’s air contained in both reports. More than anything, they think it is a public relations problem—the city’s poor ranking may actually reflect the fact that Oregon is doing better work on air toxics than other states. If environmental agencies in other states put more effort into air toxics, they would look just as bad as Oregon, the DEQ’s reasoning goes. In other words, the DEQ says Oregon is being unfairly criticized for a job well done.

That might be true in the case of the National Air Toxics Assessment, which is based on submissions from states. But it is no excuse for the USA Today report, which was based solely on information supplied to the EPA by polluters and had nothing to do with reporting by states. The EPA responded to the  USA Today report by conducting air monitoring nationally in 2009. In Portland, monitors were set up at Harriet Tubman Leadership Academy for Young Women near the Rose Garden Arena, and in Toledo. The Tubman location came under sharp criticism from

people in Northwest Portland who thought it was too far away to detect problems at ESCO, and was within a mile of another DEQ air-monitoring station on North Roselawn Street that has been gathering similar data for years. Critics said the EPA spent precious airmonitoring funds to gather information it already had. A letter to the EPA from Heather Handy of Northwest Thurman Street pointed out that the Roselawn site “is not representative of the ‘hot spot’ of industrial activity that our schools are exposed to on a daily basis.”

Odors prompt DEQ investigation Many Northwest and North Portland residents experienced strong petroleum odors the morning of Sunday, Feb. 28, and 21 of them complained to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Despite follow-up home visits and investigations at several industrial sites, the agency was unable to identify the source as of March 2. Northwest Natural said it was not a natural gas leak. DEQ is also following up leads at Union Pacific Rail Yard, Carson Oil, Myers Containers and Vigor Industrial (formerly Cascade General Shipyard). Mary Peveto, founder of Neighbors for Clean Air, reported that, “while out hiking on the Forest Park trails above the neighborhood, a resident was so bothered

by the presence of gasoline odor that she told her hiking partner, ‘The air is getting to me, I am going to stop.’ “Staff that opened Food Front called Northwest Natural because of the strong presence of gas odor at the store,” Peveto said. “It was reported that NWNG [Northwest Natural Gas] did not find any source related to a natural gas customer.” A cyclist at Northwest 19th and Everett reported a strong gasoline smell at that corner. A resident at Northwest 23rd Place and Thurman made several calls to DEQ about an acute gasoline odor. A cyclist on St. Helen’s Road also complained to portlandair.org about a strong petroleum odor.

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