The Story Line

The book chronicles five decades of urban redevelopment on the north edge of downtown Portland, Oregon.   The story began in an industrial area—The Northwest Industrial Triangle—when older, manufacturing businesses were leaving the central city. A few local developers, recognized a redevelopment opportunity, began purchasing some of the vacant or underutilized old warehouse along NW 13th Avenue. Pursuing an adaptive reuse strategy the created loft living and work spaces. Artists flocked to the neighborhood drawn by low rental rates.

Other developers, seeing these successful endeavors, followed suit converting more warehouses into loft apartments, then condominiums.  Nearby surplus rail yards became building sites for mid and high-rise buildings and neighborhood retail services slowly occupied the new ground level storefronts.  An array of restaurants and boutiques soon appeared supported by an increasing numbers of new residents seeking an urbane lifestyle in the area initially referred to as the River District. Over time, the neighborhood became known as The Pearl District.

Early in the redevelopment process artists and art galleries were attracted to the district. Later both an art college and a local theater group took up residence. Soon special art and festival events appeared, and the district took on a special ambiance—a kind of cultured pearl.

Central to this story are the business people who through their personal visions and commitment to the transformation process made possible the evolution of the area. There was no single vision or blueprint that everyone followed. Instead, there were many visions that collectively and incrementally coalesced into a dynamic organism that continues to change as the story continues.