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Dawson was changed to Lombard at two locations - in 1909 and 1916
Bales Thriftway at 8336 N Ivanhoe after fire in 1965
Bales Food originally opened in 1941 at 8402 N Lombard. Moved to 8336 N Ivanhoe January 1951 (Photo). Fire in 1965, Nov 15 1970 Bales leases to Daris (Dee) Taylor name changed to Taylor's Thriftway.
Odus Bales of Bales Thriftway July 1951
Interior of Currin's for Drugs 8438 N Lombard October 1963
This photo was taken in April of 1920. The James Arthur Hoes family lived at 7806 N Jersey, which was on the corner of Jersey and Tyler. This view of the home was taken from Tyler St. Mr Hoes had photography studios at three locations in St Johns over the years. The first was across of the street from James John School. Stack of wood on lawn is spare slabs of wood from the lumber mill used as firewood. Many home owners used this type of wood in their fireplaces prior to WWII.
Photo of the Cochran Block and Central Hotel from Risa Davis. There is an article in the April 8, 2016 issue of the St Johns Review about the Central Hotel building and plans to rebuild it. The original Central Hotel was in the building called the Cochran Block which opened in November of 1904. The Cochran Block was three stories with shops and businesses on the street floor on Jersey (Lombard) and Philadelphia. The hotel was on the upper two stories.
Old Ironsides under the St. Johns Bridge
Aerial of St Johns, year unknown. This was given out by Benj. Franklin Savings & Loan when they were in St Johns.
From Richmond looking towards Charleston on Fessenden
August 19, 1938. Looking N W on Fessenden from Six Point. Cassidy Grocery on right next is bank building. Old train tracks in center of road.
May 23, 1985. Wayne Hatch of Currins for Drugs with Cornet store in background at Lombard and Leavitt. Gil admits he spent a lot of time in Cornet's as a kid, hanging out in the toy department.
The old B & R Drive-in at 8071 N Lombard Way became Zoz's Restaurant in 1982 and in this article from the June 9, 1983 St Johns Review shows plans to remodel the building.
An earlier look at the B&R Drive in. This photo from the St Johns Review in 1981. The article detailed the history of the B & R Drive In which is now the Kung Food.
This is probably Gil's favorite aerial photo of St Johns. If you can see the blue circled buildings (good luck!), the first on the left is the old James John High School at Philadelphia and Syracuse, the second is the old St Johns City Hall at Burlington and Syracuse, the third is the old Central school which was in the present playground of the James John School at Lombard and Charleston and the fourth is the old French Block a group of business places on Lombard and Oswego. We're going to guess the date taken was in the mid to late 20's.
May,1979 - St Johns Parade and Carnival from a St Johns Review article
Michael Noce, long time resident of St Johns gives his views of changes being made to the town in an article from the September 1, 1977 issue of the St Johns Review. This was 39 years ago.
Not a good picture but this article from the November 9, 1978 St Johns Review shows the birth of Ivy Island.
Here is the man that helped fund Autzen stadium. He is Thomas J. Autzen a St Johns business man. Thomas J. went to what is now Oregon State University but had the stadium named for his eldest son who had gone to the University of Oregon. Thomas J Autzen is in the front with his son Thomas E Autzen in back to his left. Thomas J. was involved with Portland Manufacturing Co., known for its plywood manufacturing innovations.
Late Forties or very early Fifties. Safeway where Plews is now. Photo taken in front of the old B & C department store on Lombard between Leavitt and John. Stores to the right of the Safeway are the Swanson Market and the Super Food Mart.
November 1976 - The Oregonian. Barricades put up to check traffic flow as part of planning of the St Johns Plaza.
I am trying to find descendants of this family who lived at 7229 N Willamette Blvd. near Burr. House, built in 1906, is still there. I have come across much family information and photos of this family. Andrew O. Gren born in 1852 was married to Catherine Kerby born in 1854. They had two daughters Mildred Gren born 1872 who married Edward P. Kendall and Martha C. Gren born 1880 who never married.
Those guys are still up there building the bridge, or at least pretending to do so. This photo taken April 2,1931. This was 2 1/2 months before they officially opened it in June 1931.
This is an article from the St Johns Review of February 22, 1979 about James John written by David Swart a long time resident of St Johns and writer of many articles for the St Johns Review.
Aerial view of St Johns Portland Lumber Mills. Wayne Smith photo.
1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition. Street Car driven by Ira Basey of the Byars family of St Johns on ground.
The Lind family of St Johns were active in the Bachelor Club. Halvor (Grit) Lind, Donald (Bat) Lind, Nooma Lind and Thomas (Scoot) Lind at a Bachelor's Club party in the 70's
Aerial picture of St Johns from a newspaper article in the late fifties showing City Hall in the center and Philadelphia and Ivanhoe as the main streets. A gas station sits where the furture Marvel building will be.
Sternwheeler "Laura Belle" going under the bridge in 1993. It was in the movie "Maverick".
Early St Johns Waterfront about 1910. Bottom left in picture is the St Johns Ferry, bottom right is the Claremont Tavern. On the waterfront of St Johns is the Gillen-Chambers Asbestos plant and beside it the Jobes Flour mill. The large white structure in the upper left is the St Johns Water Works tower.
Starbucks building in the early sixties. Benjamin Franklin Savings and Loan. Bob Hazen President of the bank lighting the streetlamp. photo came from Robin Smith.
This was the original post card photo from which there were many different copies made. The details are clearer here .This is looking from Burlington towards Alta. The date was 1908.
1920 Shaw Grocery located at Ivanhoe and Catlin. In 1962 new building Bradleys and now B Mart. House next door still there 9511 N Ivanhoe built 1905.
I am posting this to show what N Lombard and Philadelphia, the heart of St. Johns, looked like in 1900 and again in 1965.
Story from August 1982 St Johns Review about the Six-Point Inn
DMSJ (Dead Memories St Johns) - Remember Smitty's at St Louis and Lombard? Smitty's tavern article from the February 1, 1979 St Johns Review.
Float built by the Bachelor Club in 1922 won a blue ribbon in the Rose Festival Parade. Replica of the battleship Oregon. "Grit" Lind was the architect. It was covered with roses picked from the fence of the Portland Woolen Mills. The float is turning the corner at Philadelphia and Lombard which is now the north parking lot of the US Bank. The St Johns Grocery building in the background is on the corner of Leavitt and Lombard which is now the Children's Relief Center. Nine years later, in 1931, the Rose Festival floats would be going around the same corner going to the dedication of the St Johns Bridge.
National Cash Register building from the 1905 Lewis and Clark Fair as it first looked after being relocated to St. Johns. Photo taken in1906. Members of the I.0.0.F. in front.
Good day to leave your car at home and take the horse and buggy. Off to your left you see today the US Bank and the south parking lot. The building on the right was the old Couch and Co building, today the Marvel complex.
Schuman's Boulevard Grocery on S E corner of Willamette and Van Houton. Building was torn down many years ago.
In August of 1909 H.F. Clark buys the confectionary store from G W Simmons. In the attached photo on the left you can see G W Simmons store. It is directly across the street from where Clark had his first furniture store.
The man on top of city hall is Howard Galbraith "Mayor of St Johns" who is fixing the bell so it will ring again. Howard Galbraith is responsible for establishing Cathedral Park and championed City Hall's renovation.
This article was from the August 3, 1977 issue of the Oregonian.
Late 60's photo from Robin Smith. The gals are practicing for the parade in the north parking lot of the US Bank. Rexall Drugs (now Pattie's Home Plate) and the Cornet store (now Children's Relief Nursery-Lifeworks in the background.
Original St Johns Map dated July 20, 1865 by James John consisting of Eight Blocks. Borders of St Johns: West - Burlington, East - Richmond, South - Albany, North - Crawford.
Donna Lee's Antique Junktion located once upon a time at 8712 N Lombard, in the St Johns Theater building. Photo from the 1978 St Johns Review.
November 8, 1984 St Johns Review -The Lind Brothers of the Bachelor's Club. The Lion they mentioned also went up the stairs to the second floor of the Leo building at Lombard and Chicago.
July 13, 1978 - St Johns sidewalk sale.
What Dad's (Central Hotel) was like January 1978 from the St Johns Review.
January 1978 - St. Johns Review
From April 1989 Oregonian, St Johns is the place to be in 1989
I am posting this to see if anyone recognizes anyone in the photo. This is the Eighth Grade class of 1953 of Sitton School. This building was built in 1949. The teacher is Mrs Floy Pepper. Other teachers were Mr Larson, Mr Fleming, Mr Keith Bannister, Mrs Wiabel, Mr Imes, Mrs Cutler, and the principal was Viola Harrington. These people would all be about Seventy-Five now. Viola Harrington later become the principle at Kennedy School, retiring in 1964. Miss Harrington would often say "what's fair for one is fair for all"
Blow Fly Inn -- This is information from Allan Toelle a decedent of one of the first St Johns Donation Land Claim holders William Gatton. "Burton M. "Duce" Brooks inherited a service station and a tavern from Ross Gatton. The Blow Fly Inn 9101 N Swift Blvd was located across from the incinerator in the corner of the filbert orchard. In back of the tavern was a metals recycling lot and building where the dump pickers sold their daily treasure. I imagine that Ross Gatton also owned the section of filbert orchard to the rear" From the DMP site says that Ted Brausen owned it later.
This is a photo of the Peninsula Tunnel that goes through Mocks Bottom. Here is a website with all the details - http://peninsularrtunnel.blogspot.com/
There has been discussion of many old buildings being torn down. St Johns has many old historical buildings left. This St Johns photo of around 1915 looking west from Lombard and Burlington. First street on the left is Alma, where the St Johns Theater is now. The first building on the right is now Slim's Restaurant. Slim's and the four tallest buildings on the right are still standing and were built from 1906 to 1911.The building to the right of Slim's not shown was the old St Johns Hardware store and was built in 1898.
Photo from Polk 1962 Portland directory
From Robin Smith - January 1980
Mystery building from the St Johns review of December 4, 1914. This is what the Wilderness building at 8325 N Central looked like when it dedicated in Dec of 1914 as a Seventh Day Adventist Church.
December 26, 1905 Oregonian article on the plans for the Portland & Seattle railway bridge and the Cut.
August 17,1978 - St Johns Sporting Goods. New owners Plews building
April 13,1978 St Johns Review. Don and Ethel McGill
This is a view of the side of the old H F Clark / Huk Lab building showing the original siding before they put on the plaster coating. They stripped off the coating before taking it down. One of the workers on the demolition team said the reason it came down wrong was because the building was so top heavy.
Window from John Mock's home on Willamette Blvd. From an article by Fred Leeson.The house originally had 18 art-glass windows produced by the notable Povey Brothers firm of Portland. Six remain.
Original John Mock Home built in 1894 at 4333 N Willamette Blvd still standing. Photo from Fred Leeson (image courtesy Architectural Heritage Center). Go to the files section and download the Word file. It contains this photo and others and an article on the John Mock house by Fred Leeson is president of the Bosco-Milligan Foundation and its Architectural Heritage Center.
1918 photo of the corner of Burlington and Ivanhoe looking east. On the right is the St Johns Hotel that was built in 1907 and now home to the St Johns Denture clinic and a bicycle shop on the corner.The building on the left was tore down for the south parking lot for US Bank.
William Gillmore home built 1910 - 9232 N Syracuse about 1918. Before cement sidewalks. House is still standing. John Franklin Gillmore also lived in this house. He had a real estate office in the building where Proper Eats is located in 1918.
They just repainted this store located next to Slim's at 8641 N Lombard. In the past this building was home to Goodwill, a bowling alley and when it was built in 1912 it was a motion picture theater called the Multnomah. In this 1924 photo we see the ticket window. Hugh McCreadie who was manager of the Multnomah built the Venetian Theater in 1925 across the street at Alta and Lombard. This is the St Johns Theater now and was also once called the Northgate.
St Johns was 150 years old in 2015. James John had a portion of his land surveyed and platted into eight blocks on May 20, 1865. This was named St Johns in his honor. St Johns had established city status.
Land was one mile along the river front and one-half mile up to the plateau. James John's 1st Addition to St John was made on July 30, 1870 and James John's 2nd Addition to St Johns was made September 15, 1876. This map of St Johns is from 1891.
The old Cornet store not sure of the date. Remodel for the Children's Relief building. Robin Smith (son of Wayne Smith, the barber) shot photo on Leavitt looking at the James John school. This building was originally built in 1941.
James John Ferry. First launch April 1907
From a June 2011 issue of the Oregonian about the 80th anniversary of the St. Johns bridge. In the top right of the picture you can see the old James John High School. The building just beyond it is the Couch and Co Store, which is now the Marvel building at Philadelphia and Ivanhoe.
Gasco Building, not sure of the date, but notice the horse drawn wagon on the bottom left of the road.
1950 from Don Nelson's book "The Pictorial History of St Johns" showing Lombard at Baltimore looking east. In the left side of photo is the old St Johns Garage, torn down in 1979 and is now the new building between Marie's and Jower's. Under the Gas sign is a sign called "Eats" this must be the Snack Shack mentioned by Sharon Helgerson.
Chimney Park when it still had a Chimney. St Johns Incinerator. In the top of the photo you can see the Gatton ranch. William Gatton was one of the original Donation Land Claim holders to file in St Johns. Off to the left you can see Terminal Four. In 1941 Union Carbide bought the ranch and tore it down along with the hillside it was on to build its Electro-Metalurgical plant. The Blowfly Inn can be seen next to the large filbert tree orchard.
Robin Smith Photo.This is the St Johns Garage being torn down in 1979. This is where the new building between Jower's and Marie's is now. It was an empty lot for 36 years.
This photo from Robin Smith.St John's parade, not sure of the year but buildings in background Idle Hour Tavern, now Anna Bannanas, Portland Rose, now Brekkens, Pat's Tavern now Bluebird Tavern.
Just to the right of Jower's this building blends in well in with the character of the surrounding buildings.
A & W Drive In Grand Opening July 19, 1963. 7733 N Lombard from July 1963 St Johns Review.
This Monday, June 13, 2016, will be the 85th anniversary of the opening of the St Johns Bridge. This photo shows the parade turning left from Jersey (Lombard) onto Philadelphia. The building on the right is now the North parking lot of the Peninsula US Bank. Montgomery Ward float is straight ahead. Photo from the St Johns Heritage Association.
This photo shows the parade passing the old City Hall on its way over the bridge. This photo came from the St Johns Heritage Association.
From the June 18, 1964 St Johns Review. Now the Rose City Taqueria 7007 N Fessenden.
1966 St Johns Review. It answers a lot of questions about who was in the Central Hotel building at 8602 N Lombard and when they took the top two stories off. Believe first photo is the St Johns Fruit Stand mentioned in the article. This is on the Philadelphia side of the building.
June 13, 1931- St Johns Bridge Dedication. We now see the Montgomery Ward Rose Festival float reaching the West side of the bridge. (From the St Johns Heritage Association).
Robert Kennedy St Johns Parade May 25, 1968, less then two weeks later assassinated: June 6, 1968, Los Angeles, CA from St Johns Review May 30, 1968. He was in town with Senator Eugene McCarthy, John Glenn, and Terry Baker. See more photographs of RFK here.
Before Cathedral Park from May 1970 St Johns Review
From a booklet on the Columbia Slough
September, 1943. Post 98 would later purchase what had been the National Cash Register Building from the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition.
LeRoy Crouchley buys building July 9, 1943
What was showing at the St Johns Theater in July 1943
1951 Aerial photo of St Johns showing Chimney Park in the upper right. This was when James and Weyerhaeuser streets were dirt roads. The large light area in the middle right is Sitton School playground. Lombard is the street in the middle of the photo. The top middle is the Parkside Homes housing project.
April 1952 St Johns at N Jersey (Lombard after 1960) and N Burlington showing the old Electric Trolley Bus This article from a 1952 St Johns Review. The Electric Trolley replaced the rail trolley in 1937.
February 6, 1951, gas explosion destroyed a house at 8024 N Leavitt near Central. I remember this because when it happened I was in the sixth grade at Sitton. This was during the cold war and when it blew we could hear it while in class at Sitton. We were told to get under our desks because we didn't know if the Russians had dropped a bomb. I remember going there after it happened.
1912 Crouchley Plumbing Store. James Crouchley seated, Earl Crouchley next to stove at their original location at 8928 N Lombard. The other gentlemen are unidentified salesmen. Photo from St Johns Heritage Association.
Currin's for Drugs 8438 N Lombard in 1961.
Originally established by Smith & Miner as the ‘North Bank Pharmacy’ at the French Block in 1906. The first prescription sold for 25 cents. The French Block was a two-story brick building on the corner of Lombard and Oswego. Clarence and Zula Currin purchased the store in 1909 and moved the location to a building near the corner of Jersey and Leavitt. In 1917 they upgraded their store again, this time leasing the building on 7334 N Philadelphia Ave. Their final location was at 8438 N Lombard St.
The Currin family sold the drug store in October 1961 to Elise and Wayne Hatch, who kept the old name. By the 1980s competition from larger stores was causing a dwindling clientele. Currins became a Western Union certified location to drum up more business. After 91 years the pharmacy closed in 1997. Pay Less purchased the building and stock after it closed.
January 1959 Oak Pit Barbecue in Fred Meyers 6878 N Lombard from St Johns Review
1908 St Johns looking towards the old city hall in the middle. On the right is the Central Hotel called the Cochran Block. The top two stories were taken down in 1939. The buildings on the left were torn down in 1954 and later for the Peninsula U S Bank. The white building to the left of the old city hall was the Rose City Hotel. Photo from the St Johns Heritage Association.
Lombard looking West between John and Leavitt with old Cornet store on corner of Lombard and Leavitt May 1966.
Later, after the previous photo was taken, in May 1966 the Western Auto store had a fire.
St Johns Sports Shop 8415 N Lombard May 1966
Snowstorm December 27,1984 across from the Man's Shop. Photo found in St Johns Review.
These stairs are on Smith Street just east of Sitton School. They led to the old two story Sitton School which was torn down in 1964. The school was built in 1907 and housed the James John High School class for two years till their school was built in 1910.
Back in 1971 there were people who wanted the St Johns Landfill closed because it was polluting the Columbia River and Slough. A few of the people decided to protest and set up a "Dumpstser Diner" in the dump to make their point.
1940 St Johns Incinerator, future Chimney Park. Bottom left of photo shows a grove of Filberts with the Blow Fly Inn in the top right of the Filbert grove.
I know I am posting a lot on the old Sitton School but I know there are a lot of people who went to this school. This is Sitton School 1950 showing the two story building on left with walkway to the portable building and auditorium on Smith to the right. This was my Fourth Grade Class.
I am posting this Sanborn Insurance Co map showing the location of the old two story Sitton school with the auditorium and the portable building on Smith street. In 1953 they added an additional portable on the Hudson Street side. A history of the two story building. Built in 1907 and used until 1940 when it was used for storage and condemned. In 1942 after the war started they needed school space for all the additional worker's children. They remodeled the school and was used until the school was torn down in 1965.
First class of Roosevelt High School 1908.
Class photo of the 9th Grade class 1908 of Central School which is now James John School. This class moved to the Upper floor of the North (Sitton) school in 1908 while the future James John High School was being built at Philadelphia and Syracuse. The class moved to the new James John High School in 1910. This was the first James John High School class. James John High School became Roosevelt H S when it was opened June 30 1922.
In the photo the person in the top row at the far right near the building is the teacher of the class, Gertrude Edna Bailey Couch. She married Fred Cornelius Couch son of Kindle Calvin Couch who was mayor of St Johns in 1907.
The old Ah-Come-On-Inn was bought out by Rutherford's Triple X in October 1956 at 6300 N Lombard. Now the location of New Seasons which replaced the University Grill and was before that McDonald's.
St Johns streetcar accident on January 19, 1909 at Williams Ave and Cherry (McMillen). Details below.
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Last updated on 11/10/24