School Courtyards

Things that school courtyards have in common:
- not used regularly by students or staff
- visible to students and staff thanks to a breezeway or hallway
- very pretty
- some sort of project has been started, possibly abandoned

Case 1: George Middle School, Portland Public Schools, North Portland, built in 1952, 328 students




Case 2: Lynch View Elementary School, Centennial School District, outer Southeast Portland, built in 1958, 492 students

Marks the Spot

Built in 1960. It looks like there are about twenty 600 square-foot apartments here. An interesting sight in a neighborhood overflowing with upscale condo conversions.

May 21

For our four-year wedding anniversary, we took the day off work.



We had coffee, of course


We visited the Pittock Mansion. But not the inside because $7/person seemed like a bit much.


The view of Portland.


That's quite a door.

Skinny House 1: Bend, OR

A few months ago I got interested in narrow houses in Portland, thanks to spotting one in NoPo.

Spotted on US-97 North

This weekend I found that they have also appeared in Bend. A June 2007 CNN article ranks Bend as the most overvalued real estate market in the US.

This development is named Bend Ten.


Conveniently located across the highway from Wal-Mart.


That's right, I went in the back yard for you.


Is this blog an excuse for nosiness?

Woodhill Homes is offering these 1711 square foot homes at $250 - 270 K, thought the brochure I picked up had the upper price at $314. You can look at a floor plan on their site. There are four built, it looks like there are utilities in place to add at least another four. Maybe the goal is to build ten.

The narrow homes I've seen in Portland are on nicer sites. I think they do better as an addition to a neighborhood rather than as a new development.

Do they remind you of this, too?

NE MLK and Graham, Part 1

All sorts of development has happened over the past few years in the neighborhood where I work. It sometimes seems to be on the verge of becoming another cute Portland gentrification.
Part one of the story of the intersection of NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Graham is about a bank building built in 1955.

The building has been empty for a long time. The main feature of the building was a mural above the bus stop.

The picture tells the story. Worth checking out at a higher resolution.

As you can see, somebody has big plans for this space. Thanks to the magic of Portland Maps and other internet resources, I know that the building was valued at just under $1.2 million, but sold for $2.2 million. What did they get? 6000 square feet on the main level on just over half an acre of land.

One of the owners isn't new to the neighborhood, they recently renovated the former county coroner's office into a dermatology clinic on the same block.

view from the Nike Factory Store

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the new banner advertising potential boutiques and a boulangerie arrived shortly before the tags (now painted grey.)

SE 28th and Pine

One thing I think about a lot is the development I see in Portland. New construction and rehabilitations in Portland seem to be trending towards density and ownership, which reflects the increased value of property and the increasing population (a million new people in the region in 25 years.)

This building is a small apartment complex that was remade into condominiums. The sign says the "5 Luxury Condos" cost between $229K and $299K, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath.

The prices are about right for a condo in this area. I couldn't find enough information on this property to give an accurate cost for square foot. For $350K you could buy a single-family home in the same neighborhood. That's where I get confused.