Hidden Landmarks
of Albina's Black Community
The term "historic landmark" is often used to describe a community's oldest or most architecturally-significant buildings, communicating to the public that these are the places where history was made. The federal government’s National Register of Historic Places maintains a registry of such properties. State and local governments formally recognize historic structures as well.
But not all histories are treated equally in the preservation field. Historic landmarks are typically designated based on their relationship to the dominant historical narrative of the area. As a result, structures associated with people of color, women, immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ folks are often overlooked by preservation agencies. This erasure minimizes the achievements of marginalized groups, and limits resources which could be directed toward the maintenance of these structures.
Portland, Oregon's Albina area has many historic properties associated with the neighborhood's African American history, however, few of these structures are formally designated as historic landmarks. This exhibit highlights just a few of these structures, hidden in plain sight, which together reveal the social, political, and entrepreneurial bonds of 20th-century Black Portlanders.
Albina was originally an independent city, located opposite of Portland on the east side of the Willamette River. Sparsely populated before 1880, Albina's population grew rapidly as the railroad brought new industrial work opportunities. In 1891, Albina was consolidated into the Portland city limits.
Click this module to explore the Gordly-Burch House exterior in 3D
A small number of Black Portlanders began moving to Albina in the late 1880s. Most were single men employed in service positions, but soon middle-class Black families began settling in Albina as well. In the first years of the 20th century, Albina was home to a Black physician and lawyer, shipyard workers, restaurant owners, newspaper publishers, and religious leaders.
Albina's Black community grew slowly but steadily during the early 20th century. Then, World War II began. The Pacific Northwest became a hub for manufacturing and shipbuilding, and thousands of Black workers from across the US came to Portland for these jobs. From a pre-war Black population of under 2000 in 1940, Portland's Black population had grown to over 20,000 by 1943. The vast majority of these newcomers resided in Albina, as housing covenants and discriminatory mortgage policies made the rest of Portland off-limits to Black residency.
Click this module to explore the NAACP Credit Union exterior in 3D
As Albina became more Black, White residents began moving out in droves. Property values plummeted in the late 1950s, and much of the area became ineligible for federally-insured loans from the Federal Housing Administration. Foreclosures of Black homes and businesses left an abundance of vacant properties. This made these properties easy targets for demolition during the urban renewal movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Between 1960 and 1973, Interstate 5 and Memorial Coliseum construction, and Emanuel Hospital expansion efforts, led to the destruction of more than 1000 residences and dozens of businesses in the heart of Albina. Iconic community properties were razed, further marginalizing Black history within Portland's historic landmarks.
Click this module to explore the First AME Zion Church exterior in 3D
