Neighborhood Profile: Fun and funky Hawthorne

Posted by Kelly Asmus on Aug 29, 2011 in Latest News, Neighborhood Profiles, _Special | 1 comment

Hawthorne is well known as a fun and funky neighborhood in the Portland area. It has also become a hot spot for entertainment. The district is filled with unique coffee shops, bars and antique shops that one would be unable to find anywhere else. With the great nightlife in this neighborhood, residents see little need to take the few minutes drive to downtown Portland for evening activities. 

One of the main attractions to this area is Powell’s Books, a new and used book store with a wide selection of over 200,000 books. This location has grown to be the largest bookstore on Portland’s East side and a popular hangout for the Hawthorne residents. Another attraction that draws Portlanders to this area is the Bagdad Theater, a landmark in this area. The Bagdad Theater is a renovated old-time theater that still has its original 1920’s charm. Guests of the Bagdad Theater enjoy $3 movies while eating freshly baked pizza and handcrafted ale.

Hawthorne not only has local businesses that set them apart from the rest, but the people in this area have a great sense of community pride. This is evident in the annual event called the Hawthorne Street Fair. The street fair caters to over 80 merchants, food and craft vendors, free movies, kid friendly festivities, live music and local artists and has people coming far and wide to take part this event.

The Hawthorne Bridge is a truss bridge with a vertical lift that spans the Willamette River, connecting Hawthorne Boulevard with Madison Street. It is the oldest highway bridge in Portland and the oldest operating vertical-lift bridge in the United States. With over 4,800 cyclists and 800 Trimet buses passing over daily, this bridge has the heaviest traffic flow in comparison to other Portland bridges. This 1,382 foot long bridge is suspended from two 165 feet tall towers over the Willamette River. The bridge may be only 49 feet above water, forcing it to be raised an average of 200 times a month. 

The Hawthorne neighborhood has no shortage of unique features that sets it apart from other Portland areas. This fact holds true to the history behind how the neighborhood came to be. Hawthorne Boulevard was originally named Asylum Avenue, after the first mental hospital in Oregon, created by Dr. J. C. Hawthorne. In 1883 the hospital moved to Salem and the residents thought the name was distasteful. The street was then renamed Hawthorne Boulevard after the doctor. In this quirky neighborhood, a typical and boring neighborhood coming-to-be would just not fit.

Renaissance Homes is proud to be building new vintage style custom homes in the SE Portland Hawthorne neighborhood with an emphasis on green building. Visit us today and become a part of this historic community.

History compiled by Macey Howard.