Events

Explore this mid-century suburban style development near Reed College.

Explore this beautiful-but-hilly Northwest Portland neighborhood on the edge of Forest Park.

Free Event: Join a discussion of Portland's history and future of Design Review with Kristen Minor with Minor Planning & Design & James Santana with Cairn Pacific. They will discuss The history of Portland's 20th & 21st Century Multi-Family Buildings, Multi-Block Master Plans & the Design Review Process. Designing housing with sustainability & Livability built in.

Learn about some of the oldest buildings in the city and the people who built them in this tour of Portland’s only National Historic Landmark District. The area also contains the highest concentration of cast-iron fronted buildings on the west coast and much of the iron was cast locally.

See a variety of residential architectural styles and learn about some of the early residents in this close-in southeast neighborhood near Ladd's Addition.

Stroll through this great Southeast neighborhood filled with a fun mix of historic building types and styles.

Governor Vic Atiyeh, who led Oregon government from 1979-87, has sometimes been overshadowed by other major figures of the era in Oregon, such as Tom McCall and Mark Hatfield. But Atiyeh played a large and decisive role in transforming Oregon from its historical roots into the future-facing state it has become. This thoroughly researched biography fills in a critical part of the Oregon story - and shows in detail how a strong public executive did his work.

Explore historic and first City Park. Learn the history and visit some well known and not so well known parts of the park. Some up hill walking required to the the International Rose Test Gardens.

Explore the tree-lined streets and beautiful early 20th century architecture of this uniquely planned neighborhood.

Founded in 1882, River View is one of the West Coast's premier examples of the 19th century cultural phenomenon know as the rural or garden cemetery. River View is also home to a veritable who's who of illustruious 19th and 20th Portlanders. Gorgeous views, the tombs of the great and the humble, and buildings by A.E. Doyle and Pietro Belluschi await River View's visitors. This tour covers hilly, turf terrain. Sensible shoes are recommended.
Tour guided by John Doyle

This book presents a vivid visual history of Portland’s Chinatowns, tracing their cultural legacy through photographs spanning from the 1850s to the present. What began in the 1850s grew into the nation’s second‑largest Chinatown by the early 1900s, surpassed only by San Francisco’s.

Portland’s early Chinese residents faced exclusion, discrimination, and forced relocation—conditions that shaped what became the New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District. These photographs reveal their challenges, achievements, and lasting contributions, deepening our understanding of the American immigrant experience and honoring the resilience of a community that helped shape a vibrant, multicultural city.
Book will be available for purchase and signing.

Explore some of the commercial and residential sections of this former streetcar suburb.

Explore 70 years of architectural controversy and acclaim in downtown Portland.

Explore this North Portland neighborhood filled with beautiful buildings in a wide variety of architectural styles dating back to the late 1800s.

Stroll through the beautiful trees in some of the city's oldest parkland, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, all while learning about the rich architectural heritage of the neighborhood.

One of Northeast Portland’s signature planned neighborhoods, Beaumont—“the beautiful mountain”—was platted in 1910, had its own named school, business district and streetcar route, and was home to one of Portland’s wealthiest and most powerful families that built a compound for its seven children. Join neighborhood historian Doug Decker for a walk along Alameda Ridge that ties these stories together and explores 116 years of neighborhood development.

Explore a section of close-in Northeast Portland filled with interesting commercial and industrial architecture.

Northeast Portland’s Wilshire neighborhood has long been tied to its neighbor Beaumont. But its history and development followed a very different trajectory. On this Saturday morning stroll, local historian Doug Decker will walk the group through a planned neighborhood that was never developed, explore multiple attempts to create Wilshire Park (which almost failed!), and line up with then-and-now photo points that show dairy pasture and forest stands at the heart of today’s residential neighborhood.

Learn about some of the oldest buildings in the city and the people who built them in this tour of Portland’s only National Historic Landmark District. The area also contains the highest concentration of cast-iron fronted buildings on the west coast and much of that iron was even produced locally. 

Explore the tree-lined streets and beautiful early 20th century architecture of this uniquely planned neighborhood.

Explore the history and architecture of this hillside neighborhood filled with beautiful homes in a variety of architectural styles.

Join Dr. Tanya Lyn March for a captivating look at Portland’s "buildings on wheels."From the triumphant rescues of the Kamm House and Ladd Carriage House to the tragic mid-move calamity of the Ahavath Achim Synagogue, and the failed capital campaign for the restoration of Captain John Brown House, discover the engineering feats and heartbreaks of structural relocation. Explore the evolution of moving technology and gain essential research skills to uncover your own neighborhood's "hidden travelers."

Stroll through historic Irvington, where you'll see fine examples of the work of several important early-20th century architects who helped shape the neighborhood.

Stroll through the beautiful trees in some of the city's oldest parkland, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, all while learning about the rich architectural heritage of the neighborhood.

Portland, Oregon, in the 1950s was a city at a crossroads. Would it retain the status quo of the first half of the twentieth century or rush headlong into the future? Pitting east side upstarts against downtown traditionalists, the battle over where to build the Memorial Coliseum was at times exciting, controversial, and long-winded. Three very different locations set off a storm of subterfuge and political posturing that included the indictment of a commissioner originally tasked with choosing the site and the rise of an east side used car dealer determined to prevent the city from building the arena downtown. With the future of sports and recreation in the Rose City at stake, city leaders and private citizens sparred in public hearings and Portland’s first ever televised debates. Author Michael A. Orr provides a behind-the-scenes look at the drama and machinations in the battle to build Portland a space for future generations.

The bridges of "Bridge City" constitute a vital part of Portland's identity. This tour explores their history, construction techniques and the role the Willamette River bridges played in the growth and development of the city as a whole. All of Portland’s Willamette River bridges will be discussed on the tour tough not all of them will be visible along the tour route of approximately 1.5 miles.
Tour guided by John Doyle

Explore the commercial heart of downtown Portland and learn about the architects, designs, and building materials that changed the city dramatically in the early 20th century.

Explore a section of the historic Irvington neighborhood where the streetcar used to run every 5 minutes.

Learn about the amazing residential architecture of one of Portland's most notable architects in this image-filled presentation

Take a walk with the honorable mayor of Oregon City and explore the historic downtown.  On this walk you’ll see views of the Willamette River from the City Elevator and the beautiful arch bridge. Sturdy shoes and sun protection strongly suggested.

Join Alameda neighborhood historian Doug Decker for a history walk that explores the connections between past and present that shape the Alameda neighborhood we know today. This stroll will cover just over a mile with multiple stops focusing on pre-development conditions, planning and construction of the neighborhood, the Broadway Streetcar, architectural house styles, and stories of local interest. Most of this walk is on flat terrain other than a gradual stretch that ascends the Alameda Ridge.

Take a walk through a stunning neighborhood on the west side of Mt. Tabor Park.

Explore the tree-lined streets and beautiful early 20th century architecture of this uniquely planned neighborhood.

Visual Storyteller & Author Don Nelson will be presenting this program of funeral homes of Portland, Oregon from the past into the present day. Many were built into established buildings, while others were erected specifically for their businesses by known architects.

Take a walk through the oldest portion of this historic neighborhood and learn how it has been affected by more than a century of change.

Come explore the layers of history in the Vernon neighborhood, from development of Alberta Park, to the fall and rise of neighborhood schools, to patterns of redlining from the 1930s-1950s, the presence of a dairy, a much-loved old synagogue, a popular streetcar and a street full of small businesses. Neighborhood historian Doug Decker walks the group back in time to understand the how legacies of the past have shaped the neighborhood of today.

Explore this former industrial area that has been transformed into one of Portland's most popular commercial and residential neighborhoods.

Explore this gem of a residential neighborhood tucked in between Sellwood, Milwaukie, and the Waverley Country Club.

Stroll through Portland's Oldest Suburb and experience a variety of architecture styles constructed over the last 150 years from a long time resident and architectural Historian.

Explore some of the commercial and residential sections of this former streetcar suburb.

Stroll through one of the oldest eastside residential neighborhoods while learning about house types common to late 19th - early 20th century Portland.

Explore one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, situated on the edge of downtown.

Stroll through historic Irvington, where you'll see fine examples of the work of several important early-20th century architects who helped shape the neighborhood.

Take a stroll through this grand residential neighborhood and learn how it was heavily impacted by nearby development.

Explore the area in and around the Yamhill Historic District with its impressive variety of architecture and fascinating history as home to Portland's first Chinatown.

Explore the landmarks and lesser-known architectural gems in the center of downtown.

Explore a section of the historic Irvington neighborhood where the streetcar used to run every 5 minutes.

Take a walk through the oldest portion of this historic neighborhood and learn how it has been affected by more than a century of change.

Explore historic and first City Park. Learn the history and visit some well known and not so well known parts of the park. Some up hill walking required to the the International Rose Test Gardens.

See a variety of buildings types and styles in this one-time streetcar suburb on the east side of Mt. Tabor.

Stroll along the tree-lined streets of one of Portland's most beautiful residential neighborhoods, recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Learn about the history and culture of this district while viewing masterworks from some of the city's most notable 19th and 20th century architects.

Explore this mid-century suburban style development near Reed College.

Take a walk through a stunning neighborhood on the west side of Mt. Tabor Park.

Explore 70 years of architectural controversy and acclaim in downtown Portland.

Join Volga German historian Steve Schreiber and Professor of Architecture Tom Hubka as they guide you on a 2-mile walking tour highlighting some of the remaining churches and homes that tell the story of this ethnic group.

A walking tour of Native American public art in downtown Portland will go from a Rick Bartow statue near Pioneer Courthouse to the Portland Building to several PSU buildings (including the Native American Student and Community Center, which is filled with Native art).