The historic buildings in her neighborhood inspire entrepreneur and artist Rachel Elizabeth. She s restoring a former Rexall drug store at North Shaver and Mississippi to its original 1900 condition. The historic Mississippi District of inner-north Portland is surging with new development. And many folks think it s the tip of an iceberg of new development to come. This is a community that doesn t get much of a look from most city residents.
Many people don t even know it s there.
Years ago, Portland s freeway system, the construction of Interstate 5, and to a lessor extent the Freemont Bridge and I-405, put big road blocks around this part of town. Looking around, you get the sense that time has stood still. You can see the neighborhood s rich history by the old storefronts, apartment buildings, and historic homes that still exist today. Many of these buildings have been beautifully restored, including the historic John Palmer house at Skidmore and Mississippi. A couple of blocks south, a new rehabilitation project is at the corner of North Mississippi and Shaver.