Original posting date: February 17, 2010
I started this project two and a half years ago, in August, 2007. I was going to simply reshoot some ghost signs I'd photographed in 1996-97. That ballooned into a project to chronicle all of Portland's ghost signs. And I think I've done that, or at least all I know about and want to include.
Therefore, this blog is going into hiatus until I come up with fresh material. That may be a new (old) sign that I find, or that you tell me about. It may be a sign that's uncovered due to demolition of a building. It may be the loss of an existing sign due to new construction or covering with new advertising. Or I may wait another 10 years and start all over again to see how these great signs are holding up.
Please let me know if you think I should include something here, if you know about a sign that I don't know about. I know they're out there!
If you're a Portland history buff and love old photos, follow along on my new venture: Vintage Portland.
Introduction
Commercial buildings at one time were often the canvases for painted advertising signs. Unlike today's stick-on mega-posters advertising beer and soft drinks and mobile phones and cigarettes, a hundred years ago buildings were as likely to advertise their own business as they were commercial products like Coca-Cola and Dutch Boy Paints. Portland, Oregon, has a dwindling collection of buildings with faded lead-paint-on-brick advertising, sometimes called "ghost signs." One once-rich source, the former "Northwest Industrial Triangle," has undergone a dramatic revitalization and is now known as the Pearl District. This means many of its old buildings with ads have fallen to redevelopment, buildings have been cleaned up and the ads removed, or, in a few cases, the ads have been the victims of graffiti damage.
Many buildings are clustered around the Thirteenth Avenue Historic District but these are posted in no geographically coherent pattern. Use my map below to orient yourself and take a little walking tour.
My original intent with this blog was to cover only the Pearl district, an area I had taken pictures of in 1996-97 and could compare then and now. I've since expanded to other areas of central Portland. I plan to eventually cover these geographic areas:
- Pearl District (done)
- Northwest (west of I-405) (done)
- Old Town/Chinatown (done)
- Downtown (done)
- Southeast (done)
- Northeast (done)
- North (done)
Unless otherwise noted, all photos are mine and cannot be used without permission.
email me
Many buildings are clustered around the Thirteenth Avenue Historic District but these are posted in no geographically coherent pattern. Use my map below to orient yourself and take a little walking tour.
My original intent with this blog was to cover only the Pearl district, an area I had taken pictures of in 1996-97 and could compare then and now. I've since expanded to other areas of central Portland. I plan to eventually cover these geographic areas:
- Pearl District (done)
- Northwest (west of I-405) (done)
- Old Town/Chinatown (done)
- Downtown (done)
- Southeast (done)
- Northeast (done)
- North (done)
Unless otherwise noted, all photos are mine and cannot be used without permission.
email me
Area / Status
- Downtown (66)
- North (17)
- Northeast (18)
- Northwest (20)
- Old Town/Chinatown (42)
- Pearl District (79)
- Skidmore/Old Town Historic District (17)
- Southeast (64)
- X - extinct (67)
Locations Mapped
Ghost Signs
Other Links
- Vintage Portland
- Understanding Judge Parker
- PDX by Night
- Cafe Unknown
- Lost Oregon
- Vintage Seattle
- The ZehnKatzen Times
- Portland (OR) Daily Photo
- Nutmegger Workshop
- Mid-Century Modern League
- portland ground
- pdxhistory.com
- Up from the Deep (The Hotel Project)
- Vertigo: Then and Now
- California Rails From Above the Air
- Photos of the Forgotten
- Nike Missile Sites of the Bay Area
- Forgotten NY
- Ephemeral New York
- The Industrial Edges of New York City
- City Noise