Peacock Lane Historic District | |
Location | Portland, Oregon, roughly along SE Peacock Lane between SE Stark and Belmont Streets |
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Coordinates | 45°31′05″N122°37′18″W / 45.518°N 122.6218°W |
Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) [1] |
Built | 1923–1930 |
Built by | Richard F. Wassell |
Architect | Richard F. Wassell |
Architectural style | Primarily English Cottage and Tudor Revival; some Colonial Revival and Spanish Revival |
MPS | Historic Residential Suburbs in the United States, 1830-1960 MPS [1] |
NRHP reference No. | 100001774 |
Added to NRHP | October 30, 2017 |
Peacock Lane is a four-block street in southeast Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It is known for its elaborately decorated homes during the Christmas and holiday season. [2] During this time of year, thousands of people come to view the displays, enjoy hot cocoa, and previously take horsedrawn carriage rides, and sing Christmas carols. The street earned a listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. [3]
The tradition of decorating the houses dates back to the 1920s. [4] Since beginning, the event has occurred annually, except for a short interruption during World War II while the United States was rationing valuable resources, including electricity. Additionally, the lane went dark in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many homeowners voluntarily pass along their decorations to new residents when they sell their properties. [5] No homeowner is obligated to put up any lights or displays.
Popular annual displays include several Peanuts characters ice skating on a small pond, a plywood Oregon State Beaver, and a large wooden Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! that has been a staple since the 1980s. The Grinch has been vandalized several times over the years. It was stolen for a brief period in 1994 and was decapitated in 1997. The Grinch now has a red bow tied around his neck to help conceal the damages. [6] More recent displays feature characters from Doctor Who , The Muppets, The Nightmare Before Christmas , Star Wars, and several Nickelodeon cartoon shows. A life-sized mural of Will Ferrell's "Buddy" from the 2003 film Elf adorns a small stand that gives out hot chocolate and coffee. [7] [8]
As the annual tradition became increasingly popular, residents on the lane have cited their concerns over vandalism, pollution, litter, heavy traffic, and public urination. As a result, the street is now closed to automobiles on certain evenings. The Portland Police department has also stepped up patrols and employs officers to direct traffic during busier hours. [9]
In June 2017, after a developer purchased one of the homes and began building on the lot, the area was nominated for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and earned the designation later that November. [10] [11] [3] Residents were worried that the developer would not build in the traditional English Cottage and Tudor Revival styles of the street. [10] The street contains 27 historic buildings and six buildings that are not considered historic. [10]
Eastmoreland is a residential neighborhood consisting almost entirely of single family homes in inner southeast Portland, Oregon, United States. Eastmoreland was named for a local real estate developer, Judge J.C. Moreland.
The Hawthorne Bridge is a truss bridge with a vertical lift that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, joining Hawthorne Boulevard and Madison Street. It is the oldest vertical-lift bridge in operation in the United States and the oldest highway bridge in Portland. It is also the busiest bicycle bridge in Oregon, with over 8,000 cyclists and 800 TriMet buses daily. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.
The Burnside Bridge is a 1926-built bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, carrying Burnside Street. It is the second bridge at the same site to carry that name. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.
The Morrison Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. Completed in 1958, it is the third bridge at approximately the same site to carry that name. It is one of the most heavily used bridges in Portland. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.
The Broadway Bridge is a Rall-type bascule bridge spanning the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, built in 1913. It was Portland's first bascule bridge, and it continues to hold the distinction of being the longest span of its bascule design type in the world. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.
The Interstate Bridge is a pair of nearly identical steel vertical-lift, Parker through-truss bridges that carry Interstate 5 traffic over the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon in the United States.
The Sellwood Bridge is a deck arch bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The current bridge opened in 2016 and replaced a 1925 span that had carried the same name. The original bridge was Portland's first fixed-span bridge and, being the only river crossing for miles in each direction, the busiest two-lane bridge in Oregon.
Interstate 205 (I-205) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon and Washington, United States. The north–south freeway serves as a bypass route of I-5 along the east side of Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. It intersects several major highways and serves Portland International Airport.
Interstate 405 (I-405), also known as the Stadium Freeway No. 61, is a short north–south Interstate Highway in Portland, Oregon. It forms a loop that travels around the west side of Downtown Portland, between two junctions with I-5 on the Willamette River near the Marquam Bridge to the south and Fremont Bridge to the north.
Kenton is a neighborhood in the north section of Portland, Oregon, United States. The neighborhood was originally a company town founded in 1911 for the Swift Meat Packing Company.
Sunnyside is a neighborhood in the south east section of Portland, between SE Stark Street and SE Hawthorne Blvd. and from SE 28th Ave. to SE 49th Ave.. The Sunnyside Neighborhood motto is "Proud Past, Bright Future". Sunnyside has a "strong sense of Portland individuality" with many locally owned coffee shops and businesses. Sunnyside is bordered by Laurelhurst to the north, Richmond to the south, Buckman to the west, and Mount Tabor to the east. Because of its Victorian architecture and bohemian culture, Hawthorne/Belmont is often compared to San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district. Sunnyside has been called Portland's "uncontested champion of eco-consciousness".
Interstate 5 (I-5) in the U.S. state of Oregon is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the state from north to south. It travels to the west of the Cascade Mountains, connecting Portland to Salem, Eugene, Medford, and other major cities in the Willamette Valley and across the northern Siskiyou Mountains. The highway runs 308 miles (496 km) from the California state line near Ashland to the Washington state line in northern Portland, forming the central part of Interstate 5's route between Mexico and Canada.
Interstate 84 (I-84) in the U.S. state of Oregon is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the state from west to east. It is concurrent with U.S. Route 30 (US 30) for most of its length and runs 376 miles (605 km) from an interchange with I-5 in Portland to the Idaho state line near Ontario. The highway roughly follows the Columbia River and historic Oregon Trail in northeastern Oregon, and is designated as part of Columbia River Highway No. 2 and all of the Old Oregon Trail Highway No. 6; the entire length is also designated as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. I-84 intersects several of the state's main north–south roads, including US 97, US 197, I-82, and US 395.
The White Stag sign, also known as the "Portland Oregon" sign, is a lighted neon-and-incandescent-bulb sign located atop the White Stag Building, at 70 NW Couch Street in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States, facing the Burnside Bridge. The sign faces westbound traffic as it enters downtown Portland coming across the Willamette River. The sign was acquired by the City of Portland in September 2010, and the lettering was changed to read "Portland Oregon" in November 2010.
Huber's is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon that bills itself as the city's oldest restaurant, having been established in 1879. Known for its turkey dinner and Spanish coffee, Huber's is often listed as a recommended restaurant to eat at in Portland. The establishment has also been featured in a film by Gus Van Sant. Huber's is within the Railway Exchange Building.
The Madison Street Bridge, or Madison Bridge, refers to two different bridges that spanned the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, from 1891 to 1900 and from 1900 to 1909. The bridges connected Madison Street, on the river's west bank, and Hawthorne Avenue, on the east bank, on approximately the same alignment as the existing Hawthorne Bridge. The original and later bridges are sometimes referred to as Madison Street Bridge No. 1 and Madison Street Bridge No. 2, respectively. The second bridge, built in 1900, has alternatively been referred to as the "rebuilt" Madison Street Bridge, rather than as a new bridge, because it was rebuilt on the same piers. Both were swing bridges, whereas their successor, the Hawthorne Bridge, is a vertical-lift-type.
Southeast Portland is one of the sextants of Portland, Oregon.
Bipartisan Cafe is a coffee shop and bakery in the Montavilla neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States. Since Hobie Bender and Peter Emerson started the business in 2005, the venue has hosted events that include meetings of civic groups and politicians, and viewing parties for political events. Bipartisan Cafe has garnered a positive reception, and has been named as one of Portland's best coffee and pie eateries. The venue's marionberry pie was included in the American Automobile Association's 2022 list of the ten best regional Western dishes.
There are many ways in which the Christian holiday of Christmas is celebrated in the American city of Portland, Oregon. Annual traditions include the Christmas Ships Parade, Peacock Lane, the Pioneer Courthouse Square Christmas tree, and the art installation Santa Clones. The city hosts many other displays, concerts, and other performances related to Christmas annually.