Old Town Chinatown, Portland, Oregon

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**Old Town Chinatown, Portland, Oregon**
Neighborhood representation
Association	Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association
Neighborhood geography
Area	0.53[1] km² (PDF map)
Location	Interactive map

Union Station.

Old Town Chinatown is a neighborhood in the Northwest and Southwest sections of Portland, Oregon. The Willamette River forms its eastern boundary, separating it from the Lloyd District and the Kerns and Buckman neighborhoods.

In the Northwest section, NW Broadway forms the western boundary, separating it from the Pearl District, and W Burnside St. forms the southern boundary, separating it from Downtown Portland. In the Southwest section, the neighborhood extends from SW 3rd Ave. east to the river and from SW Stark St. north to W Burnside St. (with the exception of areas south of SW Pine St. and west of SW 2nd Ave, and south of SW Oak St. and west of SW 1st Ave., which are part of Downtown).

There are actually very few Chinese people living in Chinatown; indeed, a second Chinese area has sprung up around SE 82nd Avenue. Instead, the area has long been home to many elderly and mentally disabled residents living in turn-of-the-20th-century hotels and boarding houses. As redevelopment of the area continues, the question of where these residents will go remains unanswered as does how to relocate the civic and private social service organizations located there.[2]

The neighborhood is well-served by various modes of transportation. Amtrak's Union Station and the Greyhound bus station are located in the northwestern portion of the neighborhood. The Broadway Bridge marks the northern tip and ends of the Steel & Burnside bridges are along eastern border.

The MAX light rail line turns south into the neighborhood from the Steel Bridge and stops at Old Town/Chinatown, Skidmore Fountain, and Oak Street/Southwest 1st Avenue; the system connects the neighborhood to Northeast and North Portland across the Willamette, and to Downtown Portland to the south and west. The Portland Mall begins at the Greyhound station, providing local bus (and future light rail) service along 5th and 6th Avenues south into downtown.

[edit] Old Town

Old Town was the original core of the city, straddling W Burnside St. (including an area under the Burnside Bridge). It includes the Skidmore/Old Town Historic District (designated 1975). Attractions include the Portland Saturday Market; the Shanghai tunnels; and Ankeny Plaza, site of Portland's oldest public art work, the Skidmore Fountain (dedicated September 22, 1888). The fountain, designed by Olin L. Warner of New York, is named after pioneer druggist Stephen G. Skidmore.

Businesses located in Old Town include Dan and Louis Oyster Bar (since 1907) and Voodoo Doughnut. The area is the site of former attractions such as Satyricon nightclub, the X-Ray Cafe, and the 24 Hour Church of Elvis.

[edit] Chinatown

Portland's China Gate

The Chinatown portion of Old Town extends north from W Burnside St. to Union Station. The entrance is marked by a China gate, complete with a pair of lions, at the corner of NW 4th Ave. and W Burnside St. The core of the area, from W Burnside St. to NW Glisan St. and from NW 5th Ave. to NW 3rd Ave., was designated in 1989 the New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District.

When compared to the more well-known Chinatowns of Oakland and San Francisco in California and Vancouver, British Columbia, Portland's Chinatown is smaller and less active. It has more than two dozen Chinese-owned businesses, including restaurants such as a nostalgic 1940s-era chop suey restaurant, gift and import shops, club houses, an herbal medicine store and an Asian food market.

Other major orginazions based in Chinatown include the Port of Portland, Oregon Department of Transportation's Portland offices and NW Natural Gas. There is also a parking structure with a helipad on top.

In a step towards revitalization of the area, the Portland Classical Chinese Garden opened September 14, 2000. The $12.8 million park covers an entire city block and was built by 65 workers from Suzhou, China of imported materials (though all plants were grown locally). More recently, NW 3rd and 4th Avenues recieved streetscape improvements, including plaques describing historical features. Two block-long "festival streets" that can easily be used for street festivals were also created between these streets.[3]