Northeast Alberta Street is definitely one of the hippest streets in the City of Portland. The street has certainly gone upscale over the past decade, but keeps a great mix of local businesses that are fun to browse among. The walk not only takes you along the NE Alberta stores, but also visits nearby changing residential and commercial neighborhoods, and starts and ends at a great McMenamin destination. This walk is 3.7 miles long, and traverses flat terrain.
The walk begins at the Kennedy School. This elementary school was opened in 1915, and after sixty years of service it closed in 1975, deemed too old and expensive to renovate by the Portland School District. However it wasn't torn down, and finally in 1997 the McMenamin brothers reopened it as part of their growing empire of brew pubs. The school is much more than a pub, encompassing several restaurants (some with outdoor patio dining) and taverns, party rooms, lodging, a small outdoor pool, a cinema, and even a cigar bar. All within the confines of a traditional elementary school, most notably the long and wide hallways, decorated with artwork and photographs, that connect the different attractions. It's worth a stroll around before the walk begins, and a nice meal, drink, movie, or even cigar afterwards.
From the front of the Kennedy School along NE 33rd Avenue, cross the street and walk west on Jarrett Street. You will be walking by a mixture of different styles and eras of houses, some old and seedy, some old and refurbished, and some, like these two residences on your right, recently built. These two homes are on a corner lot, having been built within the last couple of years.
Continuing down Jarrett, also on your right a couple of blocks before entering Alberta Park are these two homes, also built within the past couple of years, in a much more traditional "old-PDX" architectural style. In home plan books from Sears Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, and other 1920's "house-by-mail" sellers, these homes would have been called labeled as four-square or farmhouse architectural style.
Directly ahead, Jarrett Street stubs into Alberta Park. This 17-acre park, with lots of trees, has been around since 1921. This
interesting story from 2011 gives some information about the park, including bike polo activities on an old tennis court. Once you reach the park, turn right and navigate its circumference, all the way to Concordia Street at its north end (the location of a baseball diamond) and then back to Killingsworth Street and 20th Avenue on the south end of the park.
Across Killingsworth on the left side of 20th Avenue is Vernon Elementary School. On the right side is the Redeemer Lutheran Church, also the home of the
Portland Tool Library. This is exactly what it sound like - a place where patrons can check out tools for a specified period just as a standard library checks out books.
Cross Killingsworth and walk south on 20th Avenue. After one block on the left (the intersecting street is Emerson) you will see these two older houses that have been refurbished and restored. Probably built at the same time by the same builder, they represent a craftsman two-story bungalow style from the early 20th century. Turn right on Emerson Street and walk four blocks to 16th Avenue. Turn right on 16th and walk one block back to Killingsworth Street.
It's
a sign of changing times in NE Portland that commercial revitalization is
coming even to this stretch of Killingsworth, between 13th and 17th Avenues. On
the north side of Killingsworth, between 16th and 17th and to your
right, is this commercial structure, hosting Podnah's Pit Barbecue and La
Taq Mexican restaurant. Meanwhile, on the south side of Killingsworth is
the very modest Killingsworth Market.
Turn left on Killingsworth. In the block between 15th and 16th on the south (left) side of the street is Fruteria Don Pedro, an open air market with an interesting display of food items and flowers. Contrast this four-block stretch of Killingsworth to NE Alberta later on this walk -it will be interesting to see what happens to this smaller commercial area over the next few years.
Continuing on Killingsworth to 13th Avenue, you will see these newer townhome-style residences on the north side of the street. They were built in 2008, and are still "pioneers" among the mostly older homes in this area.
At 13th Street, turn left. Go one block to Emerson, then take a jog on Emerson to the right and then continue on 13th. At 13th and Roselawn, one block later, you will see this beautiful home on a narrow corner lot. It looks like it could be new, but it was originally built in 1906 and renovated in 2008. Other signs that it is an old house - there is no garage on the property (a new house would include a garage), and it has a basement (a new house, even in a period style, would most likely omit construction of a basement). There's plenty of street parking in this area, so a garage isn't really needed.
At the southwest corner of 13th and Roselawn is Roselawn Park, a small patch of grass, without even a sign to identify it. There's nothing much on the web regarding the history of this little park, and why it came into existence, other than a mention on the Portland Parks website that it is 0.12 acres and was acquired in 1996. Here's a
cute yelp story, and
one other mention that is equally baffled by this park's existence. But the house on the south boundary of the park has this childishly cute mural for you to look at.
Proceeding to the right on Roselawn Street a couple of blocks, you will see three newer homes that exemplify the design pitfalls of including a garage in the front of a narrow lot. A positive spin on the story of the 25-foot wide single family lot in Portland can be found
here. I think a better solution would be to skip the garage entirely and let the occupants of these skinny houses park on the street (each driveway means less on-street parking). But you be the judge ...
Continue on Roselawn to NE 9th Avenue, then turn right. Proceed two blocks to Alberta Street. At 9th and Alberta is St. Andrew Catholic Parish. The parish has served the community from 1908, since 1929 in this stately French Gothic building.
Turn right on Alberta. At the southeast corner of 10th and Alberta (on the right side of the street) is this building housing the Eritrean Community Association of Oregon, a non-profit group. Eritrea is a nation along the African side of the Red Sea, which gained independence from Ethiopia in 1991.
Continuing east on Alberta brings you to the Alberta Street commercial district. This area is a mixture of old and new, funky and shiny, and has a lot of places to shop, dine, drink, or just browse. Most notably, the street seems devoid of national chain stores. It will be interesting to see if this pattern continues - national chains have moved in to other once funky now fashionable inner Portland commercial districts such as SE Hawthorne and NW 23rd. The Tin Shed, on the south side of Alberta between 14th and 15th Streets, is a well known restaurant known for its breakfasts, but also serving lunch and dinner. There is usually a line to get in.
While the pictures and text below provide some street highlights, there are many more restaurants and shops that might catch your eye and your wallet. Feel free to explore the establishments that interest you
Continuing down Alberta Street, at the southeast corner of Alberta and NE 17th Ave. (on the right) is the
Community Cycling Center. No self-respecting Portland neighborhood is without a local bike shop, but this one is unique in that it is operated by a non-profit organization devoted to increasing access to cycling for persons of all ages and income levels. The Center's bike shop, with its colorful side wall mural, sells only used and refurbished bicycles, but also new parts and accessories. It also includes a full-service repair shop
Continue east on Alberta Street. On the left (north) side of the street between 20th and 21st Avenues is another new Portland icon, Salt & Straw Ice Cream. Beginning only 10 years ago in a food cart, success led to establishing this permanent location a few years later, and a second location on NW 23rd Avenue more recently. Exotic and unusual flavors are given to very tasty ice cream. The line out the door and down the sidewalk is the norm for this very popular establishment.
Continuing three blocks further east, the corner of NW 23rd Avenue and Alberta presents an interesting contrast. On the south (right) side of the street is this new mixed-use building, with an upscale sushi restaurant on the ground floor and what look like fancy apartments above. On the north (left) side of the street is a funky collection of food carts on an old parking lot, serving up various inexpensive eats.
Three blocks further east, the corner of NE 26th and Alberta (on the right) is the site of this new development of condos, built in 2011.
Continuing four blocks further east, on the south side of Alberta at 30th Avenue (to the right) is the Alberta Rose Theatre. This 400-seat venue hosts a variety of events, including acoustic music concerts, art house films, and live performances. Opened as a movie theater in 1927, it became the home of a church in 1978, and was reopened by its current proprietors in 2010.
From the Alberta Rose Theater, continue on Alberta Street two more blocks to 32nd Avenue. Turn left, and go two blocks through a residential neighborhood to Emerson Street. Turn right at Emerson and walk two blocks to 33rd Avenue. You will be facing a sure sign of a changing Portland neighborhood (the positive adjective is "revitalized," the negative adjective is "gentrified"), a New Seasons Market. Started in 1999, this grocery chain now has 13 stores, and is located in several formerly run-down, now hipster Portland neighborhoods.
Turn right on 33rd Avenue and go two blocks north, past Killingsworth Street, to your starting point at the Kennedy School.
