Friday, December 28, 2007

Fire Apparatus

A.G. Long Building, 1904

Alexander Gotwald Long erected this building in 1904 to house his fire apparatus business. The signs are still nicely preserved and very visible from the corner of NW 6th and Couch. The building is adjacent to the Neville Bag Company in my previous post.

"While conducting his business at No. 170 Second street, in the Strowbridge building, Mr. Long erected his own building at 45-47 North Fifth street, near Couch, a three-story brick structure, fifty by one hundred feet into which he removed. He then began the manufacture of small apparatus but continued also to represent the large eastern factories. He continued in the location on North Fifth street until 1910, when he leased his building there, that property becoming very valuable. During the summer of 1910 he erected a fine brick three-story building, fifty by one hundred feet, on Sixteenth street between Marshall and Northrup, in the new warehouse district near the Hill terminals, and has recently removed his stock to the new location."
- Portland, Oregon, Its History and Builders, Joseph Gaston

His building on NW 16th also carries a ghost sign.

1996:
2007:

2 comments:

peterinwa said...

I have a brass nozzle that reads A.G. Long Fire Apparatus Portland, OR.

Unknown said...

Alexander G. Long was my great-grandfather. I think it is amazing that you have this.