North Bank Depot Buildings
Encyclopedia
The North Bank Depot Buildings, located in central Portland
, Oregon
, United States, are a pair of buildings formerly used as a freight warehouse
and passenger terminal
for the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
(SP&S). Formed in 1905, the SP&S was commonly known as the North Bank Road (or North Bank road, "road" being short for railroad) during the period in which these buildings were in use. The Portland buildings' passenger facilities were also used by the Oregon Electric Railway
after that railway was acquired by the SP&S. Located in what is now known as the Pearl District
, the buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1996. They were in use by the SP&S and its successor, Burlington Northern Railroad
, from 1908 until the 1980s. Only the east building was used as a passenger station, and this usage lasted from 1908 until 1931.
(NP) and Great Northern Railway in 1905, originally as the Portland & Seattle Railway, to build and ultimately operate new railroad lines connecting Portland with Seattle and with Spokane
, but was renamed Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway in early 1908, before opening any track sections. The planned new railroad was commonly referred to as the "North Bank road" (road being short for railroad or railroad line), or North Bank line, because the Seattle line would follow the Columbia River
's north bank as far as Kelso
and the Spokane line would also follow the north bank, running east from Vancouver
. East from Portland, the south bank of the Columbia already had a rail line, owned by the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
(later absorbed by Union Pacific Railroad
).
By September 1905, Northern Pacific had already acquired the property for the future terminal buildings and rail yard—a strip of land two blocks wide, from 10th to 12th avenues, and stretching north from Hoyt Street to the Willamette River
. Construction of the railroad itself began in early 1906. The new company needed freight storage and handling facilities in Portland, and to this end it built the two "freight houses" at 11th Avenue and Hoyt Street, in 1908. SP&S passenger train service was originally expected to terminate at Union Station, located about 1600 feet (487.7 m) to the east, but lengthy negotiations between SP&S and Union Station's operator, the Northern Pacific Terminal Company, eventually reached an impasse. The Terminal Company was only partially owned by SP&S parent Northern Pacific Railway, and partially by competing railroads. With only a few weeks to go until passenger service to Portland was to be started, it was reported that SP&S would instead equip one of its new freight houses for use as a passenger station, in place of access to Union Station, at least temporarily.
, including to Seattle, Spokane and Seaside
via Astoria
. The Portland–Spokane train, named the Inland Empire Express, connected in Spokane with Great Northern's Oriental Limited
to and from Chicago
and was advertised as the "Portland–Chicago" service.
SP&S began shifting some of its passenger trains to Union Station in 1920, and additional trains were shifted in 1922, after new platforms and train shed
s were constructed at Union Station for this purpose. However, only some trains used Union Station, including the long-distance services to Chicago (which began carrying through sleeping car
s, Portland–Chicago, at this time), while other trains continued to use the Hoyt Street station for a time. SP&S inaugurated passenger service between Portland and Vernonia
in March 1923, with two round trips per day; a passenger-only train ran to and from Union Station, but a mixed
freight-passenger train operated instead from the Hoyt Street station.
In 1912, Oregon Electric Railway
(OE) interurban
passenger trains began serving the North Bank Depot, after that company laid new track through downtown Portland
along Salmon Street and 10th Avenue to reach the terminal. OE was owned by SP&S (acquired in 1910). Electric interurbans departed from this station on journeys west to Hillsboro
and Forest Grove
, and south through the Willamette Valley
to Salem
and Eugene
.
The last OE service to this station operated on June 19, 1931, after the company requested, and received, permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission
to abandon that section of route because of declining ridership and worsening traffic congestion. The service was cut back to Front and Jefferson streets the following day, and OE moved its ticket office to that location. The tracks along 10th and Salmon streets were abandoned and were due to be removed soon. Just two years later, in May 1933, the Oregon Electric discontinued all its remaining passenger service, becoming exclusively a freight railroad.
SP&S was merged with other railroads in 1970 to form Burlington Northern Railroad
(BN). The former North Bank Depot Buildings continued to be used by the railroad for freight purposes until the 1980s, and then were vacant for a time, until at least the mid-1990s.
s adjacent to and north of the two now-Burlington Northern-owned warehouses declined to the point of their being nearly vacant. Redevelopment
of the area as a mixed-use
neighborhood with residential and retail uses was envisioned, and in 1989, the Portland Planning Commission approved a rezoning of a 40 acres (16.2 ha) tract, along with a master plan to foster such change. By this time, the Glacier Park Company
, a property-development subsidiary of Burlington Resources
, had taken over the former North Bank Depot Buildings from BN, and it was reported that the new master plan for the area would include renovation of these two Hoyt Street warehouses.
In November 1990, Glacier Park sold the 40-acre site to a Portland-based development company, Prendergast & Associates. It was determined that extensive clean-up of contaminated soil
from decades of industrial use would be needed before most redevelopment could proceed. Prendergast & Associates were predicting an approximately 20-year timeframe for redevelopment of the entire area of former railyards and associated buildings. The two former-SP&S freighthouses were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1996, as the North Bank Depot Buildings. At that time, they were vacant and had not yet been renovated. In the late 1990s, they were renovated and converted for residential use.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States, are a pair of buildings formerly used as a freight warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
and passenger terminal
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
for the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway was a United States-based railroad incorporated in 1905. It was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of the Columbia River....
(SP&S). Formed in 1905, the SP&S was commonly known as the North Bank Road (or North Bank road, "road" being short for railroad) during the period in which these buildings were in use. The Portland buildings' passenger facilities were also used by the Oregon Electric Railway
Oregon Electric Railway
The Oregon Electric Railway was an interurban railroad line in the U.S. state of Oregon that linked Portland to Eugene. Service from Portland to Salem, Oregon, began in 1907. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway purchased the system in 1910, and extended service to Eugene in 1912...
after that railway was acquired by the SP&S. Located in what is now known as the Pearl District
Pearl District, Portland, Oregon
The Pearl District is an area of Portland, Oregon, formerly occupied by warehouses, light industry and railroad classification yards and now noted for its art galleries, upscale businesses and residences. The area has been undergoing significant urban renewal since the late 1990s, including the...
, the buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1996. They were in use by the SP&S and its successor, Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
, from 1908 until the 1980s. Only the east building was used as a passenger station, and this usage lasted from 1908 until 1931.
Location
The two matching, two-story brick buildings face one another on opposite sides of NW 11th Avenue immediately north of Hoyt Street, the east building being at 1029 NW Hoyt Street and the west at 1101 NW Hoyt. Historically, they were known as the East and West Freighthouses of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway. In references to passenger services, the east building was known variously as the North Bank depot (or terminal or station), Hoyt Street depot, Hoyt Street terminal, 11th & Hoyt Streets depot, 10th & Hoyt depot, or similar. Each building measures 50 feet (15.2 m) by 200 feet (61 m).Background
The SP&S was formed jointly by the Northern Pacific RailwayNorthern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
(NP) and Great Northern Railway in 1905, originally as the Portland & Seattle Railway, to build and ultimately operate new railroad lines connecting Portland with Seattle and with Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, but was renamed Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway in early 1908, before opening any track sections. The planned new railroad was commonly referred to as the "North Bank road" (road being short for railroad or railroad line), or North Bank line, because the Seattle line would follow the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
's north bank as far as Kelso
Kelso, Washington
Kelso is a city in southwest Washington State, United States, and is the county seat of Cowlitz County. At the 2010 census, the population was 11,925. Kelso is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 102,410. Kelso shares its long western border...
and the Spokane line would also follow the north bank, running east from Vancouver
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
. East from Portland, the south bank of the Columbia already had a rail line, owned by the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company was a railroad that operated a rail network of of track running east from Portland, Oregon, United States to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho...
(later absorbed by Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
).
By September 1905, Northern Pacific had already acquired the property for the future terminal buildings and rail yard—a strip of land two blocks wide, from 10th to 12th avenues, and stretching north from Hoyt Street to the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
. Construction of the railroad itself began in early 1906. The new company needed freight storage and handling facilities in Portland, and to this end it built the two "freight houses" at 11th Avenue and Hoyt Street, in 1908. SP&S passenger train service was originally expected to terminate at Union Station, located about 1600 feet (487.7 m) to the east, but lengthy negotiations between SP&S and Union Station's operator, the Northern Pacific Terminal Company, eventually reached an impasse. The Terminal Company was only partially owned by SP&S parent Northern Pacific Railway, and partially by competing railroads. With only a few weeks to go until passenger service to Portland was to be started, it was reported that SP&S would instead equip one of its new freight houses for use as a passenger station, in place of access to Union Station, at least temporarily.
Period of active use
Passenger trains began using the new station—the east building, at 1029 NW Hoyt Street—in November 1908. The west building, used exclusively for freight, came into use at the same time, as SP&S initiated its operations in Portland. Trains operating from this station served routes within the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, including to Seattle, Spokane and Seaside
Seaside, Oregon
Seaside is a city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. The name Seaside is derived from Seaside House, a historic summer resort built in the 1870s by railroad magnate Ben Holladay. The city's population was 6,457 at the 2010 census.-History:...
via Astoria
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
. The Portland–Spokane train, named the Inland Empire Express, connected in Spokane with Great Northern's Oriental Limited
Oriental Limited
The Oriental Limited was a named passenger train that ran between Chicago, Illinois and Seattle, Washington. The train was operated by the Great Northern Railway between St. Paul, Minnesota and Seattle, Washington, and by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad between St. Paul and Chicago...
to and from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and was advertised as the "Portland–Chicago" service.
SP&S began shifting some of its passenger trains to Union Station in 1920, and additional trains were shifted in 1922, after new platforms and train shed
Train shed
A train shed is an adjacent building to a railway station where the tracks and platforms are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof...
s were constructed at Union Station for this purpose. However, only some trains used Union Station, including the long-distance services to Chicago (which began carrying through sleeping car
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
s, Portland–Chicago, at this time), while other trains continued to use the Hoyt Street station for a time. SP&S inaugurated passenger service between Portland and Vernonia
Vernonia, Oregon
Vernonia is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the Nehalem River, in a valley on the eastern side of the Northern Oregon Coast Range. It is located the heart of the most important timber-producing areas of the state, and logging has played an important role in...
in March 1923, with two round trips per day; a passenger-only train ran to and from Union Station, but a mixed
Mixed train
A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. As the trains provided passengers with very slow service, mixed trains have...
freight-passenger train operated instead from the Hoyt Street station.
In 1912, Oregon Electric Railway
Oregon Electric Railway
The Oregon Electric Railway was an interurban railroad line in the U.S. state of Oregon that linked Portland to Eugene. Service from Portland to Salem, Oregon, began in 1907. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway purchased the system in 1910, and extended service to Eugene in 1912...
(OE) interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
passenger trains began serving the North Bank Depot, after that company laid new track through downtown Portland
Downtown Portland
Downtown Portland, the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States, is located on the west bank of the Willamette River. It is in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and is where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found....
along Salmon Street and 10th Avenue to reach the terminal. OE was owned by SP&S (acquired in 1910). Electric interurbans departed from this station on journeys west to Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
and Forest Grove
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
, and south through the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
to Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
and Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
.
The last OE service to this station operated on June 19, 1931, after the company requested, and received, permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
to abandon that section of route because of declining ridership and worsening traffic congestion. The service was cut back to Front and Jefferson streets the following day, and OE moved its ticket office to that location. The tracks along 10th and Salmon streets were abandoned and were due to be removed soon. Just two years later, in May 1933, the Oregon Electric discontinued all its remaining passenger service, becoming exclusively a freight railroad.
SP&S was merged with other railroads in 1970 to form Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
(BN). The former North Bank Depot Buildings continued to be used by the railroad for freight purposes until the 1980s, and then were vacant for a time, until at least the mid-1990s.
Preservation and conversion
During the course of the 1980s, usage of the railroad yardRail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
s adjacent to and north of the two now-Burlington Northern-owned warehouses declined to the point of their being nearly vacant. Redevelopment
Redevelopment
Redevelopment is any new construction on a site that has pre-existing uses.-Description:Variations on redevelopment include:* Urban infill on vacant parcels that have no existing activity but were previously developed, especially on Brownfield land, such as the redevelopment of an industrial site...
of the area as a mixed-use
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
neighborhood with residential and retail uses was envisioned, and in 1989, the Portland Planning Commission approved a rezoning of a 40 acres (16.2 ha) tract, along with a master plan to foster such change. By this time, the Glacier Park Company
Glacier Park Company
The Glacier Park Company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern Railway , constructed and operated hotels, chalets, and other visitor facilities in Glacier National Park, Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta from the 1910s through 1960...
, a property-development subsidiary of Burlington Resources
Burlington Resources
Burlington Resources, was an American oil and gas company. Their headquarters were in Houston, Texas. The company was acquired by ConocoPhillips in 2006....
, had taken over the former North Bank Depot Buildings from BN, and it was reported that the new master plan for the area would include renovation of these two Hoyt Street warehouses.
In November 1990, Glacier Park sold the 40-acre site to a Portland-based development company, Prendergast & Associates. It was determined that extensive clean-up of contaminated soil
Soil contamination
Soil contamination or soil pollution is caused by the presence of xenobiotic chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment....
from decades of industrial use would be needed before most redevelopment could proceed. Prendergast & Associates were predicting an approximately 20-year timeframe for redevelopment of the entire area of former railyards and associated buildings. The two former-SP&S freighthouses were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1996, as the North Bank Depot Buildings. At that time, they were vacant and had not yet been renovated. In the late 1990s, they were renovated and converted for residential use.
See also
- Architecture of Portland, Oregon
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Northwest Portland, OregonNational Register of Historic Places listings in Northwest Portland, OregonThe following list attempts to comprehensively present the full set of National Register of Historic Places listings in Northwest Portland, Oregon, and offers brief descriptive information about each of them...
- Rail transportation in the United States