About the Project

In northeast Portland—near the Columbia River and the Portland International Airport, nestled between Interstate 205 and 84—lies Parkrose, a now-industrialized urban corner of the city, home to wide plots of land and expansive views of Oregon’s natural features. The community, which sits on the periphery of downtown Portland, was marketed in the early twentieth century as an agricultural suburb for white middle-class Portlanders. A century later, Parkrose is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse communities in Oregon as a result of urban renewal, gentrification, and the displacement of communities of color throughout Portland.

 

Parkrose Community Archive is a restorative public history project that aims to rectify Parkrose’s exclusion from historical and contemporary conversations about Portland. It details Parkrose’s history through essays, archival documents, ephemera, newspapers, photographs, and oral history interviews. The materials on the website explore the historical founding of Parkrose, the impacts of local, state, and federal policymaking, the perceptions and responses of Parkrose residents, and changes in the Parkrose community over time. More than anything, this project is meant to highlight, celebrate, and make tangible the rich and often untold history of the Parkrose community: it strives to preserve Parkrose’s historical documents and make them broadly accessible to community members and public audiences. As a result, this project would not be possible without collaboration and materials from Parkrose community members. Parkrose Community Archive is a home for the creation of new knowledge about Portland’s history and an educational tool that Oregonians can use to learn about this corner of the state.