Portland's Downtown Churches - SW Portland

PORTLAND'S DOWNTOWN CHURCHES

This walk goes by thirteen historic "downtown" Portland churches, all generally west of the city's commercial and cultural core area. All but two are monumental structures built before World War II, several in the 19th century. One of the two more modern churches was designed by famous modern architect Pietro Belluschi, and the other is a beautiful Northwest Contemporary wooden structure. Only one of the structures (the oldest, built in 1882, now known appropriately as the "Old Church") is no longer being used for religious services. This walk will also take you through part of Portland's scenic South Park Blocks, which also host Portland's art and history museums. You will also see Providence Park, home of the wildly popular Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns soccer team. Many of these churches undoubtedly have beautiful interior spaces as well - the best way to see the interior of one of these buildings is to visit it on a Sunday morning for services. A sign on the outside of the building or the church website will list the service times.

The walk starts at the First Presbyterian Church, at the intersection of Southwest 12th Ave. and Alder St., but your journey can really start just about anywhere along the route. Street parking is available along the entire route - for a price ($1.60 per hour from the meters). The walk is exactly two miles in length, on fairly level terrain.

The First Presbyterian Church was established on this site, in this building, in 1888. The congregation is a member of the Presbyterian Church USA, a "mainline" protestant denomination with 1.8 million members. Presbyterianism's Scottish founder, John Knox, was a disciple of John Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland. He led the breakup of the Scottish church from Roman Catholicism, and the official Church of Scotland is the mother of all Presbyterian congregations worldwide. Presbyterian Church USA is undergoing divisive struggles over doctrine and positions on social issues, with many of the more conservative congregations leaving the organization for breakaway Presbyterian factions.  First Presbyterian operates the beautiful Menucha Retreat, located on the Historic Columbia Gorge Highway east of Portland.

At 12th Ave., turn right and head south. In the back of the First Presbyterian Church you will see a restful looking garden area, which is normally accessible only from the church interior. Continue two more blocks to the corner of 12th and Taylor St., where you will see the First Baptist Church.

The imposing First Baptist Church has been occupied by its congregation since it was opened in 1894. This congregation is a member of the American Baptist Churches USA, originally known as the "Northern Baptists" (as opposed to the more well-known and numerous Southern Baptists). The organization has a national membership of approximately 1.2 million. While individual congregations are given wide latitude to develop a religious position, the American Baptist Churches USA are generally seen as the "liberal" Baptists as opposed to their more conservative Southern Baptist brethren.  The Baptist movement began in the early 17th century as a "dissenting" church in England, and continued that pattern in the American Colonies - the most notable first American Baptist was Roger Williams, the Massachusetts renegade who founded the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. All Baptists believe that this Christian sacrament must be performed on conscious adults instead of infants, just as the most famous Baptist, John, did on the banks of the Jordan River more than two millennia ago. Of particular note regarding First Baptist Church is that it holds weekly services in Cambodian to serve that immigrant community.

Continue one block south on 12th Ave., and at the corner of 12th and Salmon St. you will find the First Unitarian Church.

The First Unitarian Church is actually a combination of several buildings. The Eliot Chapel, on the corner of 12th Ave. and Salmon St. (the spired structure in the picture) was constructed in 1924 for the Unitarian Church and is on the National Register of Historic Places. However the distinct building located on 12th Ave. and Main St. to the south of Eliot Chapel was originally constructed in 1921 for the First Church of the Nazarene Congregation. When this congregation moved west into Washington County in 1979 the Unitarian Church purchased it, and now holds its main services in this building. Meanwhile, the Buchan Building facing 13th Ave. was added to the original Eliot Chapel in 2009, and includes additional church facilities and offices. The Unitarian Universalist Church has its roots in early Christianity among those who challenged the orthodox "Trinitarian" view of the faith, and its history and basic theology is described well in this passage from the congregation's website.. Throughout Christianity's history a Unitarian strain of thought has bubbled through now and again, most notably with the "Socinians" of the 16th century and the establishment of Unitarian churches in what is now Romania. In the United States Unitarianism caught fire in the 19th century. Unitarians are known to question their faith, and search for truths in other world religions. Among other organizations using the church, the Northwest Academy, whose headquarter are a block away, holds classes there. The Eliot Chapel is named for Thomas Lamb Eliot, first minister of Portland's Unitarian Church in 1867, among his many other accomplishments.

Continue one block further on 12th Ave. and then turn left onto Main St. Go three blocks on Main St. until you reach the South Park Blocks. Cross Park Ave. into the Park Blocks, and then turn right at the walkway in the middle of the park. You will see Portland's statue of Abraham Lincoln in the middle of this block. The churches you will be viewing are on both sides of the Park Blocks. The first one, on the left, at the intersection of Madison St. with the Park Blocks, is the First Congregational United Church of Christ.

The First Congregational United Church of Christ building, finished in 1895,  is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is a majestic presence on Portland's South Park Blocks, with its large tower. The United Church of Christ, with 1 million members nationwide, is a descendant of New England's austere puritan congregational churches of the 17th century. But today's UCC is a very liberal denomination, perhaps the most liberal mainline protestant sect in terms of its support of gay rights.



One block farther, at Jefferson Street on the right, is St. James Lutheran Church.

St. James Lutheran Church, another stately religious presence on the South Park Blocks, was constructed beginning in 1891 and finished in 1910. St. James is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), a mainline denomination with 4 million members nationwide. It was formed in a merger of three separate Lutheran sects in 1988, and has had some rocky times in the past few years over the issue of gay clergy - the ELCA decision to authorize ordination of same sex clergy in monogamous relationships has led to breakaway Lutheran factions around the nation. The Lutheran Church was founded by the most famous Protestant of all, 16th century German monk Martin Luther, one of the most controversial and charismatic figures in the history of Christendom.

The next block is Columbia St. On the left is the First Christian Church, while on the right is the Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist.

First Christian Church, the next South Park Blocks grand religious building, was constructed in 1923. It houses the First Christian Church of Portland, which is a member of the Disciples of Christ. The Disciples of Christ is one of the smaller mainline protestant denominations, having its beginnings in Kentucky in the early 19th century. The denomination rejects any test of faith other than a belief in Jesus - all other religious beliefs are open to discussion and debate. Individual congregations within the Disciples profess a wide variety of doctrines. Among U.S. Presidents, Lyndon Johnson and James Garfield were lifelong members of the denomination, and Ronald Reagan was a Disciple in his youth. Among the interior features of this church is a labyrinth, Many Christian churches feature labyrinths, which are considered a metaphor for life's journey.

The Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist, located on the Park Blocks right to the south of St. James Lutheran Church, was opened in 1931. The church was founded by Mary Baker Eddy in the late 19th century, and is best known for its belief that sickness can be cured by prayer alone. This was obviously a controversial doctrine, leading to quite a few early 20th Century prosecutions of parents for refusing medical assistance to their children. From 270,000 adherents in 1936, church membership has declined to about 100,000 today. As a result, the "flagship" Christian Science church in Portland, located a little more than a mile away in North Portland, closed in the 1970's. The Sixth Church of Christ Scientist does not have an active website, but the church's message boards indicate two Sunday services and a Sunday school.

Continue one more block on the South Park Blocks, and then turn right onto Clay St. Continue one block on Clay, and at the northeast corner of Clay and 10th Ave. (to the right) is the Portland Korean Church.

The Portland Korean Church apparently still occupies this building. I say "apparently" because a 2011 Daily Journal of Commerce story indicated that the building was for sale, and that the congregation was planning to move to Beaverton. However, all signs on the property indicate that the Korean Church is still ensconced in the building. As for the church website, other than a few words in English (including the church address at this location), the site is entirely in Korean. Anyway, this historic church was originally constructed in 1905 and was the home of the First German Evangelical Church.

A sign on the building façade reads in German, "Erbaut 1905." The congregation was most likely an ethnic German Lutheran or Reformed (Calvinist) Church. At some point in the 1960's that congregation disbanded, and a series of new religious users, culminating in the current Korean Church, have made this building their home. Thus the story of this building exemplifies the need of America's ethnic communities to band together in religious congregations, and perhaps the lessening of that need as the ethnic group assimilates into wider American culture and society. Christian missionaries in the 19th century had much more success in Korea than in either China or Japan, perhaps because the missionaries identified with the subjugated Koreans rather than with their colonial Chinese and then Japanese overlords.

Continue on Clay St. one more block, and at the corner of 11th and Clay (on the right) is the Old Church.

The Old Church is no longer in operation as a church, but instead is an event venue. The oldest of the existing downtown church buildings, it was built in 1882 by the Calvary Presbyterian Church, which moved out in 1948. After a couple of other congregations came and went it was purchased for its current use in 1968. Unlike most of Portland's downtown historic churches, it is constructed of wood.

Continuing on Clay, at the corner of Clay and 12th Ave. is Grace Bible Church.

Grace Bible Church was constructed in 1910, and has been occupied by the same congregation since its opening. The church began as an Evangelical Reformed congregation serving ethnic Germans in 1874. However, in 1955 when the group of churches the congregation was in association with joined the United Church of Christ (see the Portland Congregational Church discussion above), this congregation decided not to join and became a non-denominational church, not associated with any grouping or association. Grace Bible has what can be described as a conservative belief system as expressed on their website, including a belief that the Bible is the inspired and infallible word of God. This site has some interesting material on the Grace Bible church building (as well as some of the others on this tour), noting a mysterious stone owl on one of the building's turrets.

Continue on Clay. at the Corner of Clay and 13th Ave. (on the right) is St. Stephens Episcopal Parish.

St. Stephens Episcopal Parish (individual Episcopal

churches are either called parishes if self-supporting, or missions if supported by the diocese of Oregon) was constructed in 1925, although it includes a few elements from an earlier 1890 structure that was mostly destroyed by fire. The red doors (standard for Episcopal Churches around the U.S.) house ministries for the homeless, LGBT community, and even what could be best described as a community of rebellious Roman Catholics. Another notable feature of this church is its bicycle shrine, noted proudly on the church signs outside, dedicated to memorializing those who have died in bicycle-related accidents in Portland.

St. Stephens is on the northwest corner of SW 13th Ave. and SW Clay St. Turn the corner (right) on Clay and head north on 13th - the noisy 205 freeway will be on the other side of the street to your left. On your right will be this Episcopally red doorway for a side entrance to St. Stephens, displaying information about two of the charitable projects the church hosts.

Continue north on 13th Ave. to Columbia St., then turn right. Go one block and then turn left onto 12th Ave. One block later, at the intersection of 12th and Jefferson St., you will see this building with a Mexican flag, and if you are walking by during working hours, you will see people going in and out of the building and hear them speaking Spanish. You are walking by Portland's Mexican Consulate.

Turn left onto Jefferson St. and proceed west. In a couple of blocks you will cross the Interstate 405 freeway, which skirts the west side of downtown Portland. Former Portland Mayor Vera Katz (Mayor from 1993-2005) proposed covering parts of this freeway with a park similar to the award-winning covering of Interstate 5 in Seattle. While a park would be a big improvement in this location instead of an open freeway cut, the massive expense of such a project was too daunting. The idea, at least in a much smaller form, remains alive today, but we'll see if it ever happens.

Once you cross the freeway, continue on Jefferson St. to 18th Ave. You will come to a roundabout that integrates the intersection of Jefferson and Columbia Streets, 18th Avenue, and Portland's East-West MAX light rail line. At the roundabout go to the left past Columbia, and you will see The First United Methodist Church.

The First United Methodist Church is located in this beautiful Northwest Contemporary structure, part of a large complex of buildings. The Methodist Church began with John Wesley and other Anglican priests who decided, after many years, to form this new non-established church in both England and in the American colonies. Wesley and the early Methodist clergy were known for taking their religious fervor out of the cathedrals and church buildings and directly to the people at open air meetings and camp revivals. First United Methodist describes itself as a reconciling congregation, which mobilizes Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to transform the Church and world into the full expression of Christ's inclusive love.

After viewing this church, turn around and head north on 18th Avenue for three blocks, to the intersection of 18th and Salmon St. On your left is the Zion Lutheran Church.

The Zion Lutheran Church opened in 1950. It was designed by renowned modern architect Pietro Belluschi, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It replaced an earlier Lutheran church that was home to the same congregation starting in 1890. The congregation is a member of the Missouri Synod group of Lutheran Churches, with 2.2 million national members. The Missouri Synod is the more conservative branch of the Lutheran church groupings in the United States, believing that the Bible is the only standard by which Church teachings can be judged, but that scripture is explained by the Book of Concord, a series of 16th century confessions of faith composed by German Lutherans. The Church believes in biblical inerrancy and also believes that the story of creation in the Book of Genesis fully explains the Earth's origins. The church's website states that "Zion has chosen to stay with a traditional setting for worship, combined with a timely message that is personal, practical, and positive."

Continue north on 18th Ave., and as you cross Salmon Street on your right will be Providence Park, the stadium that serves as a shrine to Portland Soccer. The Major League Soccer men's team Portland Timbers and the National Women's Soccer League Portland Thorns play here. The stadium was once owned by the Multnomah Athletic Club, located on its south end, and the club still has its own private grandstand seats, which you can see attached to the club at the stadium's left end.

Continue north on 18th Ave., and on the left side of the street between Morrison and Alder Streets you will find on a small triangular parcel the Portland Firefighters Park. This park is dedicated as a memorial to Portland firefighters who have died in the line of duty. You will find more information about this little memorial park here.

At Alder St., turn right. A five block jaunt will bring you back to your starting point at First Presbyterian Church.

Salem, Downtown and Waterfront

This walk starts at Oregon's State Capitol and winds through Salem's downtown to the Willamette River and then back. Highlights include historic downtown Salem buildings, a pedestrian bridge across the river (formerly a railroad bridge), and a visit to Salem's Riverfront Park. The walk is 3.3 miles along, and is on level terrain.

Oregon's State Capitol, finished in 1938, replaced the previous capitol, with a traditional dome, that burned to the ground in 1935. This capitol building definitely has a 1930's art deco look to it. The dome is topped by the Golden Pioneer, also known among the building's staffers as Capitol Man. The Golden Pioneer is only gold-sheathed - his interior is made of bronze.

  

Continue to the west of the State Capitol (to rhe right when facing the building's Court Street entrance), and on the west side of the building is the pavilion of flags. Flags from all 50 states and also the nine flags of the Oregon Native American sovereign tribes are displayed. Plaques below each flag identify the state or the tribe it represents.

   

Winter Street stubs into Court Street to the west of the Capitol grounds. Cross Court Street and continue on Winter. On your right is the Oregon State Library. This building was completed in 1939 in the same art deco-public monument building style as the State Capitol, completed a year earlier. This library is definitely not for book browsing - go here if only if you are looking for a specific reference book, or come to attend the historical lectures the library hosts on a more or less monthly basis.

         

On the right side of Winter Street is First Presbyterian Church. Amazingly, this substantial church building was moved to this location. The church was originally at the northeast corner of Winter and Chemeketa Streets. In 1958 it was moved diagonally across the Chemeketa/Winter intersection to its current location, to make room for the State's Bureau of Labor and Industries building.                       

At Chemeketa Street, turn left at the next block, cross Cottage Street, and you will come to Ike's Box, a non-profit coffee shop. Ike's Box is operated by Isaac's Room, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help "divested young people build the capacity to rise to the challenges of life." The husband-and-wife founders of Isaac's Room named the organization after their son Isaac, who died in 1998 at the age of two months. Ike's Box also hosts concerts and other events in furtherance of its mission.

Continue on Chemeketa another block to Church Street. On your left, between Church and High Streets, is Courthouse Square, which contains some Marion County government offices and is a transit center for Salem public bus system, which goes by the cutesy name of Cherriots (Salem is "the cherry city"). Built in 2000, in 2010 the building was declared too dangerous to occupy and required four years and $23 million to repair. The series of events that led to this debacle remains, perhaps purposefully, murky, with Marion County, the construction contractors, the engineers, and everyone else involved  blaming each other.

Continue on Chemeketa Street three additional blocks to Commercial Street. On your right you will see several blocks devoted to the Salem Center, a shopping mall with several department stores and connecting skybridges over the intervening streets. Multi-story adjacent parking garages provide the final suburban touch. At Commercial Street turn right and go two blocks to Marion Street. Off to the left are two one-way auto bridges across the Willamette River, often choked with traffic, only one (Marion Street bridge) with a sidewalk. But the route of this walk, while going across the Willamette, does not take you across either of these bridges.

At the northwest corner of the intersection of Commercial and Marion is Marion Square Park. Head into the park and cross it on a diagonal path. The park includes a skateboarding area. At the other end of the path is the intersection of Front and Union Streets.Cross Front Street on the right side and proceed on the sidewalk toward the river along Water Street. You will cross railroad tracks which belong now to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, but were originally completed in the early 20th Century by the Oregon Electric Railway. This rail line provided electric passenger service between Salem and Portland until the late 1920's, but has hauled freight only for many decades since.

As Water Street veers right, keep going forward and you will come to the former Union Street Railroad Bridge, completed in 1912 to serve a branch line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. This line left the Southern Pacific's main line in east Salem, followed the present-day course of Union Street, crossed the rival Oregon Electric Railway's tracks, and then crossed the Willamette on this bridge to connect to lines in Polk County to the west. After the railway ceased operations in the 1980's the bridge lay abandoned until the City of Salem assumed responsibility and spent the money to repurpose it as a pedestrian bridge. It reopened in 2009. The wide bridge surface has plenty of room for both bicyclists and pedestrians.

   

From the bridge, there is a great view of the Willamette River, both north and south. This is the view to the north, and there is little trace of civilization right along the river banks. The Willamette Queen, shown in this picture, is a small paddleboat steamer that cruises up and down the Salem stretch of the river several times per day. Passengers embark and disembark to the south, in Riverfront Park.

 

Cross the river on the bridge to West Salem. While the surface of the bridge betrays no trace of its former railway use, a look below shows a typical railroad trestle underneath. There isn't much to see in West Salem - if you want to extend the walk, you can traipse around Wallace Park and its softball fields. Otherwise, once you reach the end of the bridge, turn around and head back to the east side of the Willamette.

   

Once you reach the east end of the bridge take a right turn onto Water Street and pass underneath the Marion and Center Street vehicle bridges. Beyond, on the left, is A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village, a children's museum located in these brightly painted Victorian structures. A.C. Gilbert (1884-1961) was a Salem native who became a renowned toy maker, most famous as the developer of the Erector Set. The museum is home to the world's largest Erector Set tower, at 52 feet. The museum itself is a private non-profit. In this picture is the Andrew T. Gilbert house, built on this site in 1887.

 

On the right is the Willamette River. As you pass under the two auto bridges you can look back at the pedestrian bridge you crossed earlier.

 

Continue on Water Street to its end. A pathway continues into Salem's Riverfront Park. Prior to the 1980's the 23-acre park site was a Boise Cascade lumber mill. After the mill closed the city purchased the property and created the park. There are many benches such as these with scenic views of the Willamette River. The view in this picture is actually of a side channel to the Willamette. Across the channel is the 1.5 square mile Minto-Brown Island, another Salem city park, with the only access several miles upstream. The city plans to construct a pedestrian bridge from this spot to the island.

 

Follow the path along the riverfront to its southern tip, which is the location of the eco-earth ball. The source material for this sculpture came from an acid ball left over from the Boise Cascade lumber mill formerly on the site. The acid ball was necessary to the processing of wood pulp into paper. The sculpture is described as "a vibrant symbol of our world's struggle for peace, cultural diversity, and ecological awareness."

 

The eco-earth ball is at the south end of Riverfront Park. Go around the ball and start north on the pathway that is farther inland from the river. After a few hundred feet of walking you will come to Salem's Riverfront Carousel. Inside is a carousel for youngsters and those who feel young, costing $1.50 per ride. Given Northwest weather, the enclosure of this carousel is a good idea. The carousel is operated by a non-profit association.

   

At the carousel, turn right and cross the railroad tracks and then Front Street. Continue straight ahead on State Street, which begins once you cross Front Street. One block beyond, at the corner of Commercial and State, on the right, is the Ladd and Bush Bank Building, constructed in 1869, with the original cast iron facade intact. After another block, at the corner of Liberty and State, also on the right, is the Capitol Center, originally the First National Bank of Salem, built in 1927, and at 151 feet and 11 stories the tallest building in Salem other the Capitol (and not counting the spire on the First Methodist Church, which you will see later on this tour).

 

Continue on State Street. One block beyond, at the corner of State and High Streets, on the right, is 101 High Street, now the home of the Willamette Valley Bank, but originally constructed in 1911 as the Masonic Building. The first floor was streetfront commercial space, the second through fifth floors were office space, and the top floor was the Masonic Hall. The building has beautiful details in an Italianate terra cotta style, especially on the top two floors.

As you cross High Street, look to the right. Halfway down the street is the historic Elsinore Theater, constructed in 1926 as a palatial movie house, and now refurbished for showing of vintage films and live shows. But perhaps the most interesting sight involving the Elsinore is not on High Street, as you shall soon see.

   

Continue straight ahead on State Street for another block to Church Street. The street is most likely named for this structure, the First Methodist Church of Salem on the corner of State and Church Streets, originally built in 1878. It's spire is taller than every other structure in the city other than the State Capitol.  The original spire had to be replaced in 1984, but the new spire is an identical match.

 

At Church Street turn right. One the left side of the street is the First Methodist Church. On the right side, after a Wells Fargo bank building, you will see this mural painted on the back of the Elsinore Theater building. It is a homage to silent films, which played at the Elsinore when it opened in 1926. The man in the hat on the left is Charlie Chaplin; the hatted figure on the right is W.C. Fields. But do you recognize the female silent film star between them? Here are some hints: despite being characterized by her studio as "the daughter of an Arab sheik and a French woman, born in the Sahara," she was actually born in Cincinnati. She became known in her films as "the vamp," and her most famous screen line (as revealed on one of the intertitle cards in a 1915 silent movie) was "kiss me, my fool."

 

Continue on Church Street one more block to its intersection with Ferry Street.  At Ferry, make a sharp left. The traffic on Ferry Street curves to the right (with a name change to Bellevue St.), and the original Ferry Street continues straight ahead to the east. Stay on the "old" Ferry Street. After one block, turn left on Cottage Street. Before you reach State Street, the MICAH building is on your left. MICAH is the Methodist Inner City Activities House, but this building was originally constructed in 1925 as an Elks Lodge.  The Cottage Street frontage of the building is a Baha'i Faith Center. The Baha'i Faith was founded in 19th century Iran, and asserts a synthesis of past prophets of many world religions into a new monotheistic religion of world peace and unity. There are about 5 million adherents worldwide. The largest number used to be in Iran, but the Islamic regime under Ayatollah Khomeini and his successors has worked to ruthlessly extirpate the faith from that county since 1980.

 

At the intersection of Cottage and State Streets, cross State and continue into Willson Park on the right. This park blends into the State Capitol Grounds to the north. A site in the park along Cottage Street was home to several dozen "occupy Salem" protesters in 2011-2012.    

Continue through the park back toward the State Capitol, past the Walk of the Flags again. And here is the end of the walk, back at the State Capitol building.   

SOUTHEAST PORTLAND CHURCH WALK

SOUTHEAST PORTLAND CHURCH WALK

This walk is the first of several to be devoted to seeing the religious institutions in a walkable neighborhood. The Southeast Portland church walk will take you by eleven local religious institutions, some grand, some modest, some historic, some not, some "mainstream," some "out of the ordinary." In addition you will see an historic structure that used to be a church, as well as Portland's first cemetery. If you are feeling adventurous, go into one of these places and talk to someone, or perhaps even go back and attend a service or other event. The walk is a long 4.5 miles, but the terrain is pretty level.

You could really start this walk anywhere along the route, but we'll start this one at the corner of SE 35th Ave. and Yamhill St. by the first religious institution on this walk, the Sunnyside Methodist Church.

Sunnyside Church is member of the nationwide United Methodist Church. Methodism was founded in the 18th century in England by John Wesley, who actually spent most of his life as a clergyman in the Church of England (ancestor of today's Episcopal churches in the United States). It began as an alternative to the established and government-supported Church of England, emphasizing a more direct and informal approach to spreading the Christian message. It is the largest "mainline" church organization in the United States, and is the third largest such organization overall, after Roman Catholicism and the Southern Baptist Convention. It's mission statement reads: Sunnyside Church is a place of rest, laughter, growth, and joy. We honor diversity and support those who seek new insights, question assumptions, and employ a variety of means to realize the Divine. Into this family we welcome people of all ethnic groups, income brackets, religious or spiritual traditions, and sexual orientations. The beautiful church building itself is more than 100 years old.

Go south on 35th to the intersection of 35th and Main St. (three blocks), and on the corner will be the Portland Mennonite Church.

The Mennonites are perhaps the most prominent American church representing Anabaptism - other Anabaptist churches in the US include the more famous Amish. Anabaptism literally means "baptized again," because the original 16th century Anabaptists believed that baptism required the baptized to be a conscious adult, not an infant. Anabaptists actually rejected this name given to them by their opponents, because in their view the "first" infant baptism was actually not a baptism at all, and conferred no Christian status upon the baptized. Unlike the "Baptist" churches in the US with the same belief about the practice of baptism, Anabaptists such as the Mennonites have also traditionally rejected the taking of oaths, participation in civil government, and participation in military actions. The church's website provides some interesting material entitled "What is a Mennonite?" The Anabaptists were considered Christian "radicals" in the 16th and 17th centuries, and were persecuted by other Christians for their beliefs. One angry "Christian" ruler at the time advocated that Anabaptists be given a "third baptism" and be drowned. Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper" contains a heartrending account of Baptist (Anabaptist) women burned at the stake in front of the young king in disguise as the pauper.

Turn right on Main St., go one block, and then turn right onto 34th Ave. Go two blocks, then turn left onto Taylor St. At 32nd and Taylor is the Mars Hill Church

Mars Hill Church is a very new congregation in a very old building. The church began in the Seattle area in 1996, and has grown to membership of 6500 persons on 15 church sites located in five western states. The church moved into this historic old building, constructed in 1905 as a Congregational church (the denomination of the original Massachusetts puritans), in 2011. Mars Hill is a non-denominational church, and combines a very fundamentalist religious message with modern accoutrements such as Christian rock music at services. Most notably, the church is strongly opposed to gay marriage and homosexual conduct of any kind. The name "Mars Hill" is a translation of "Areopagus," a spot where the Apostle Paul preached as is related in the New Testament's Book of Acts. UPDATE: As of 2015 the Mars Hill Church dissolved in an agony of acrimony over the actions of chief pastor Mark Driscoll. The church building is now occupied by a new non-denominational congregation, the Redeemer Church.

Continue on Taylor to SE 28th St., and then turn left. Go three blocks, and on your right, before you reach Madison St.,will be the Epworth United Methodist Church.

Epworth United Methodist Church was founded by Portland's Japanese American community early in the 20th century and moved to this site in 1952. It has served an important role in supporting Portland's Japanese-American community during the tumultuous first half of the 20th century. Epworth and other Japanese Methodist churches integrated with the United Methodist Church (which also has nearby Sunnyside Church as a member institution) in 1964. While the congregation has had non-Japanese members, 95% of the congregation consists of Japanese-Americans. The congregation included George Azumano, founder of Azumano travel, who recently passed away in December, 2013.

Continue south on 28th one more block to Hawthorne St., and turn right. On the other side of the street is a Safeway market. Go one block to 27th Ave. and then cross Hawthorne. Continue three blocks on 27th to Stephens St. Turn left on Stephens, and on the right side of the street is the Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church.

Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church is an amalgamation of several other Southeast Portland Presbyterian congregations, who all moved into this new building in 1962. The congregation is a member of the Presbyterian Church USA, a "mainline" protestant denomination with 1.8 million members. The Presbyterian Church is the official Church of Scotland, founded in the mid-16th Century by John Knox, based upon the principles of John Calvin's Reformed Protestant Church of Geneva, Switzerland. Knox led the Scottish church in its break away from Roman Catholicism. Presbyterian churches are notable for their absence of bishops, and are governed by groups of "presbyters" all the way up to the national level of the Presbyterian General Assembly. Colonial Heights' objectives include: "honoring diversity and support of vulnerable communities, strengthening families and children, increasing stewardship of the environment, promoting music & the arts, and supporting opportunities for education and nurture across generations."

Continue on Stephens St. one block to 29th Ave. Turn right, and on your left is a stake house for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known (at least to non-members) as the "Mormon" church, needs little introduction as to its history and doctrine, which generate controversy and passionate opinions to this day.  The church has a strong hierarchical organization, and this building is a "stake house," one of many in the Portland region.  Each of the stake houses is home to one to three "stakes" (congregations) which are geographic groups of Mormons. Unlike most religious institutions, the LDS church requires its members to belong to a geographically based stake. This stake house was constructed in 1929, and is more attractive than the more recently-constructed stake houses in suburban locations.

At the intersection of 29th Ave. and Harrison Street the front facade of the LDS stake house is to the left. The route of this walk turns right at Harrison, and within two blocks you will see St. David of Wales Episcopal Church on your left.

St. David of Wales Episcopal Church is a member of the Oregon Diocese of the Episcopal Church USA. As such it is also a member of the Anglican Communion, led by the venerable Church of England established by Henry VIII in the 16th century. St. David of Wales states "we are a sacramental community: our holy table is the center of our common life," and also "we are an open and affirming church. Wherever you may be on your journey, there is a place for you here, and all are welcome." The Episcopal church can best be described as the Protestant church that is closest to Roman Catholicism in terms of its liturgy, even with "priests" rather than "ministers" in charge. But, unlike Roman Catholic priests, Episcopal priests can be women, and can be married. The church has 1.9 million members nationwide. It survived controversy in the last decade over the ordination of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire, with a few conservative congregations breaking away, but most staying and either embracing or accepting the change.

Continue west on Harrison and then turn left on 26th Avenue. After three blocks turn right onto Sherman Street, and go three long blocks to 20th Avenue. Turn left on 20th and then right on Division. Continue on Division for one block to Tamarack, then turn right. As you head down Tamarack, which is one of the diagonal streets in the Ladd's Addition neighborhood, St. Philip Neri Catholic Church is on your left, and the former Mizpah Presbyterian Church is on your right.

The Mizpah Presbyterian Church building was originally constructed in 1891 on a site at SE 13th and Powell, and was moved to this site in 1911. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. As the congregation dwindled it consolidated with other Presbyterian congregations into the Colonial Heights congregation, and after several other short-lived religious endeavors, the building was vacated in 1978. The owner then converted the building into four apartments. A nice placard in the front yard explains the building's history. This building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

On the opposite side of Tamarack is St. Philip Neri Catholic Church and the Paulist Center.

St. Philip Neri Catholic Church consists of two buildings, the original church located on Hickory Street, built in 1913, and the more modern building facing Division Street, built in 1952. The latter was designed by renowned architect Pietro Belluschi. Philip Neri was a 16th century Italian priest known for his work with the poor, and he was canonized by the Roman Catholic church for his achievements. The church is managed by the Paulist Fathers, an American Catholic evangelizing organization founded by Isaac Hecker in the 1850's.

Continue on Tamarack, and then turn left onto Hickory Street. The 1913 building is located on the corner of Hickory and 16th, with the front facade in this picture facing 16th Street. The mission of the Paulist Fathers was to convince the skeptical majority Protestant population to return to the fold, but now that mission has evolved into converting the unchurched and bringing lapsed Roman Catholics back to the church.

Continue on Hickory to its end at Orange Ave., then turn right. Turn left at Birch Street, go three blocks, and turn right on Spruce Ave. The I AM Sanctuary is on the left, at the corner of Spruce and Harrison Street.

The I AM movement was the creation of Edgar Ballard in the 1930's, and gained quite a following. The AM stands for Ascended Masters, who are individuals that have evolved and perfected themselves to a degree that they, unlike the rest of us, are not reincarnated upon death, but instead ascend to heaven. After Ballard's death in 1939 his wife and son were prosecuted for mail fraud, and eventually convicted in 1942 after their case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and back on a question of interpretation of the religious exercise clause in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The conviction was eventually overturned in 1946 on the grounds that women had been excluded from the original jury. The movement claims to be Christian because it asserts that Jesus Christ was among the greatest of the "Ascended Masters." This I AM Sanctuary began operation in 1956, occupying a church building originally constructed in 1923 for a Swedenborgian congregation (an obscure and very small Protestant sect).

Continue on Spruce Street and on your left is one of the Ladd's Addition rose gardens. After passing the rose garden, turn right onto Harrison St., go one block, and you will be at the Ladd's Circle park in the actual center of Ladd's Addition. There is a nice coffee shop along the circle to the right if you want to make a stop. However the walk continues to the left along the circle, and between Ladd Ave. and 16th Ave. is the Chinese Baptist Church.

The Chinese Baptist Church moved to this location in 1954. The church is a member of CBNorthwest, which describes itself as a "covenant community of conservative Baptist churches in the Pacific Northwest." A Yelp review states that the church is closed, but the church's website lists Sunday services and bible studies and the telephone number is active. While the term "Baptist" encompasses a wide variety of denominations, they all generally share a belief that the Christian sacrament of baptism must be performed upon consenting adults, rather than infants who are unable to make a conscious decision to become a Christian. The existence of this church, as well as the Japanese-dominated Epworth Methodist church seen earlier on the tour, also exemplify Martin Luther King's statement that "the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o'clock on Sunday morning."

Turn left on 16th Ave. and go one block to the next Ladd's Addition rose garden. On your right will be St. Sharbel Church.

St. Sharbel is a Maronite Rite Church. The building was constructed in 1911 as the First United Evangelical Church of Portland. The Maronites took over in 1970. The Maronite Church is the primary Christian denomination in Lebanon. Church services are in both English and Arabic, and the Eucharistic consecration is said in Aramaic, the original language of Jesus and first century Palestine. Unlike most other Middle Eastern Christian churches, the Maronites are in harmonious communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Sectarian strife in Lebanon has reduced the membership of the church in that nation.


At the rose garden, veer to the right onto Poplar Ave. Follow this street through several blocks of stately Ladds Addition homes, all the way to Hawthorne St. Turn right and go one and one-half blocks to 20th Ave., where you will cross Hawthorne and continue northward three blocks to Hinson Memorial Baptist Church.

Hinson Baptist Church's imposing structure was constructed in 1918. These Baptists are members of the Conservative Baptist Association of America, an organization of 1200 churches and about 200,000 members. The history of formations, splits, and unions of groups of Baptist churches in this nation is much too complicated for any explanation here. Groups of Baptist churches are often very loosely organized, and the particular theology of individual Baptist churches in the same grouping may vary widely.

Continue north on 20th Avenue and in two blocks you will see Colonel Summers Park on your left. The park has a community garden along its 20th Ave. frontage. The park was established in 1921, and was renamed in 1938 in honor of Colonel Own Summers, an Oregon Legislator and commanding officer of a volunteer regiment in the Spanish-American War.

 

Continue north on 20th past Belmont to Morrison St. On the northeast corner of Morrison and 20th is the beginning of the Lone Fir Cemetery, established in 1846. The vacant lot at the street corner has an interesting history, which the Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery summarize on their website. Once enough funds have been raised, this former site of a Multnomah County building will have a memorial to Portland's Chinese community, whose ancestors were buried here.

Turn right on Morrison and go one block. On the north (left) side of the street will be a pedestrian entrance to the Lone Fir Cemetery. The Cemetery contains a number of the gravesites of prominent early Portlanders.

The cemetery is divided into blocks, with walkways between the blocks. Once you enter the cemetery, turn right at the first intersection, and then left at the next path. On your right you will see this mausoleum constructed for the MacLeay family (who also have a West Hills park named for them). If there are any MacLeays left in Portland they are not concerned too much about this mausoleum, as the "Macl" remains of the block lettering above the structure.

At the end of this pathway turn right at the T-intersection. Soon on your left you will see this memorial to Portland's Civil War soldiers.

Continue down the pathway to the east end of the cemetery. Take a look at some of the ornate headstones and small buildings that house our ancestors. The park exit will put you on 26th Ave. Turn left, and then right on Washington St.

Continue on Washington St. two blocks to 28th Ave. and turn right. The modern, well-landscaped building along the right side of the street is Our House, which has provided care to Portlanders living with HIV/AIDS for over 25 years. This facility provides residential care for those living with AIDS.

Turn left on Alder St. The first block is a glorified alley, and then turns into a normal street. At 30th Ave., jog left and then cross the street to continue on Alder. The streets start to curve in this area, and at the first intersection keep to the left on Alder Ct. Turn right on 32nd Ave., and then left again onto Alder St. At 33rd Ave. turn right. On your right you will see this bungalow court, a popular and attractive form of apartment housing from the days when lots of people living in apartments didn't have cars.
 

Continue on 33rd Ave. two blocks to Belmont St. At the corner of Belmont and 33rd is the Belmont Dairy redevelopment project from the late 1990's. A Zupans market is on the corner, and behind the old dairy are modern new apartments and condominiums. Turn left on Belmont, which has some interesting shops and the Avalon Theater along this two-block stretch. At 35th, turn right and you will be back at your starting point near Sunnyside Methodist Church.