On a recent visit to City Archives, we turned up a great old photo of a local landmark you’ll recognize, and some amazing drawings that allow for Beaumont neighborhood time travel and trivia. Let’s start with the photo (from 1929) and its companion view today:
Looking south at NE 41st and Fremont. Top, September 1929. Courtesy of City of Portland Archives, A2001-062.46. Bottom, same view in March 2019.
This building was designed and built by Shipley & Snashall, a partnership between two carpenters operating from 1922 until 1931. George Shipley and Valentine G. Snashall specialized in design and construction of eastside retail spaces, though they built several residences as well.
Their most well-known work is the building that in 2019 houses Peet’s Coffee and several other shops at the northwest corner of NE 15th and Broadway—you can see clear family resemblances—which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Shipley & Snashall completed the Beaumont building—which in our opinion is also likely register-worthy—in September 1928.
Our other recent archive discovery relates to the Beaumont Market building due east of the Shipley & Snashall building and which most people assume is all part of the same structure. Amaze your friends and neighbors with local trivia by explaining how the market building was actually built seven years after the signature buildings at the corner.
In January 1935, before being issued a building permit, architect Charles Ertz had to demonstrate how his adjacent market building would meet a contingency in zoning requirements at the intersection and be “in harmony” with the older buildings. So he submitted these colored-pencil renderings on onion-skin paper, which just about left us speechless when we found them recently. Click into these for a good look:
Here’s the related correspondence: a “do pass” recommendation from the Commissioner of Public Works and lead building official giving City Council a thumbs up to proceed, which they did unanimously.
Courtesy City of Portland Archives, reference A2001-062
Like many of us, you may have thought all those storefronts at NE 42nd and Fremont were one single building. Now we know. Tip of the hat to the architect!
If you haven’t already seen them, a ways back we shared a half-dozen or so photos of Beaumont from the 1920s along with a deep dive into the retail history of the intersection. Be sure to check them out here, here and here. And our short biography of architect Charles Ertz.
Alameda Old House History 
I recall a little grocery store on the corner of 42nd and Fremont in the 1950s. It was called Lew’s Super Store and owned by Willis Lew Smith. Across the street was another grocery store across the street called Buy Rite.
I wonder if Lew’s was the original store in the building that was built next to the Dutch Village building.
Beaumont Market is a terrific place to pick fresh produce and choice selections of quality salads, desserts, breads, meats, wines, dairy products, even household items like light bulbs. They have just remodeled the outside to protect windows from vandals, thieves and bad drivers. If you just need a few things, BM is a friendly alternative to gargantuan Fred Meyers.
I have many fond memories sitting at the counter and having a vanilla or cherry coke
Good afternoon,
Thank you for the articles about Old House History here in NE Portland. I am curious if you have any historic pictures or further information about our home at 4624 NE Fremont Street. We know the home was built by Mr. Eubanks, who had been in the employ of Mr. Edison prior to his move to Portland with his new wife. The lot size decreased in 2007, when a portion of the lot was sold for condominium development.
For your information, we established a music and education NPO two years ago: CDZ Collegium Musica. We hope small concert series at the house, provide educational classes and workshops to the community, as well as do arrange programs at other locations.
Again, thank you for your work.
Best regards,
PJZisa
*Dr. Peter Joseph Zisa, Ed.D, **M.M.* *Educator, Performer, Composer* Associate Professor at Pacific University & Portland Community College *CDZ Collegium Musica (501-C), Founder & Director *
*www.cdzcollegiummusica.org * *Director of Guitar Studies, NPO String Project* *Director of Special Events for the Portland Guitar Society* *www.peterzisa.com * *(503) 307-4907*
“I often think in music… The most joy in my life has come to me from my violin.” Albert Einstein
On Sat, Mar 2, 2019 at 7:11 AM Alameda Old House History wrote:
> Doug posted: “On a recent visit to City Archives, we turned up a great old > photo of a local landmark you’ll recognize, and some amazing drawings that > allow for Beaumont neighborhood time travel and trivia. Let’s start with > the photo (from 1929) and its companion view t” >
Thank you for the great research on this building! My grandparents lived at 42nd and Klickitat for many years and I spent an enormous amount of time in the neighborhood thereabouts in the 1950s as a young boy. As I recall there was Beaumont market, a bakery, a five and dime store, and then on the other corner was a drugstore with a soda fountain. Not sure but there may have been a beauty salon in between as well. My grandmother and I used to walk down to the Hollywood theater (via the Alameda Ridge stairs) to see a film then afterwards stop at the drugstore fountain for some ice cream at the counter. Wonderful memories.
In the 1940’s there was a variety store next to the drugstore and I coveted a pink cardigan in the window. Mrs. Quimby, the store owner, let me pay 50 cents a week (my whole allowance) until the glorious day it was paid for and I could claim it. And upstairs was the office of Dr. Salstrom, the dentist, who hummed all the time he worked. On the corner of 43rd was a little restaurant called Oh So Good and it was.
While out for a walk one day near my house, I noticed a house on NE 40th/Alameda that had the same exact distinctive roof tiles as the Beaumont Market (and adjacent). I thought: hmmm, I wonder if there’s a connection? So one day when I had way too much time on my hands I visited the downtown library and OHS and performed a quick and dirty title search…usually these are too sketchy to turn up anything significant. But this time I hit pay dirt: The first owner of the NE 40th house was one Charles Ertz .. the architect of the Beaumont Market. Bingo! Now it’s impossible to tell for sure if he actually lived there or was just the builder. But other circumstantial evidence points to him being a resident. He must have lived there prior to his relocation to Lake Oswego…As they used to say: There are a thousand stories in the naked city. This is one of them 😁
Hi Jack. Your powers of observation are switched on, as usual! Thanks for dropping by. The Polks I consulted show Ertz living at 3027 NE Alameda in the 1920s prior to his move to LO, but you never know…