In the spirit of all the year-end reviews and lists floating around at the bottom of the year, we thought it might be interesting to look back to 1923 for a little perspective.
100 years ago tonight, Portland was in the jaws of a cold snap with temperatures in the teens accompanied by a dusting of snow. The front page of our evening paper—the Oregon Journal—previewed celebrations on tap in local theaters, cabarets and dance halls and included stories about plans for bridges over the Willamette River at Ross Island and on Burnside.
From the Oregon Journal, December 31, 1923
Elsewhere in the newspaper 100 years ago tonight—and on our favorite topic of historic homebuilding—is a review of the very busy building business in Portland for 1923. 3,000 single family dwellings built at a value of $11 million. Have a look at the numbers that go back to 1912, a barometer of economic conditions in Portland that track with the trends we’ve found in our building permit review. Interesting discussion of architectural styles too:
From the Oregon Journal, December 31, 1923
Appearing with this story is a homebuilder’s greatest hits photo montage from 1923. Click in for a closer look:
Happy New Year from Alameda History!
Alameda Old House History 
Happy New Year Doug.
I’m writing to thank you for the Christmas gift I received from my family.
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div>A history of our home and its occupants, 3460 NE 36th Avenue, is something I’ve wanted to have ever since I discovered your website and list serve shortly after we moved
In 1923 Portland added 3000 houses, when it was a much smaller city. According to the Portland Housing Bureau, things haven’t changed much:
Production during 2018 to 2021 has averaged 3,381 units per year with a high in 2020 of
5,303 units and a low in 2021 of 949 units.
And units includes apartments. Maybe the “we planned it, we built it, it worked” phrase is mostly self-deception?
Happy New Year & thanks for all your hard work in providing so much well-researched and interesting glimpses into the past!