– Northwest –
The Northwest District is the generally thought of as the area around NW 23rd Avenue and NW Lovejoy Streey. Known as “Northwest” (a.k.a Northwest 23rd, Nob Hill, and The Alphabet District), it is among Portland’s best spots to find residential streets densely packed with some of the city’s oldest and most lovely historic houses.
Large, ornate historic houses line the streets around NW 23rd. One has to walk this neighborhood slowly and take time to appreciate the overwhelming treat for the eyes this architectural goldmine bears. Houses dating to back to the late 1800’s are not unusual. Styles prominent in Northwest include Craftsman, Foursquare, Arts & Crafts, Victorian, Colonial Revival, Old Portland Style, and Queen Anne. Once such stunning property in NW is the Robert Wilson house. The Colonial Revival style house, built in 1904, also has hints of Foursquare architecture.
NW 23rd is also famous for its trendy shopping and dining, The somewhat touristy zone is popular with locals as well.
A good portion of Northwest is comprised of the Alphabet District. A designated historic preservation district, the Alphabet District is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Northwest District is border by the Pearl on the east and Goose Hollow to the south. The collection of historic building photos on this page includes many around NW 23rd as well as the greater Northwest Portland area, such as the famous Pittock Mansion.
The opulent Pittock Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1974. It is now owned by the City of Portland and manged by the Bureau of Parks and Recreation. The Mansion is open for public tours. The mansion was scheduled for demolition in 1964 but was saved thanks to the efforts of Portlanders conscientious of the property’s historic value.
In 2007, the nonprofit Pittock Mansion Society took over museum operations. The Society works in collaboration with Portland Parks & Recreation to operate and preserve the historic buildings on the property. Tour information can be found at http://pittockmansion.org/.
