The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-04-21
OBSERVATIONS
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building bears the date OF 1863, the
Corbett building 1870, New Market
Is72 and many other with dates eX-
tending up into the sos. They are sun
filling their place in the business
world for which they were originally
constructed, but time and the eie-
ments have so disfigured these relics
of bygone age that they are any
thing but pretty to look upon. Scaled'
and splotched, and discolored, the
fronts of the old buildings in numer-
Gus instances look as though they
we're suffering from some ulcerous
affliction.
But what attracts the attention ana
stimulates the risibilities OF the
prowler over the territory wherein
was the beginning of this healthy and
progressive city is the ornamentation
thought necessary to give individuality
to the more protentious structures
Communications that no doubt were
! considered the very acme OF good taste
in that day and age. These decorative
appendages took on shapes as var
led as a crazy quilt, and some of them
must have been designed by builder
while suffering from delirium tremens.
| The jig saw certainly had its inning
at that period in the building game.
The frontal aspect of some OF these
buildings is enough to give modern
architect the willies. In some in
stances the decorative features run to
columnar effect with foliated capitals
and grinning faces staring down on
the human ants chasing the elusive
dollar in commercial competition. In
others the garnishments are in the
nature of all kinds of warts, and
curves, and curlicues, and gewgaws in
brick and stone, wood and metal, and
if variety is the spice of life then here
is where life could be very thoroughly
spiced. Undoubtedly those very early
builders were happily satisfied with
the result of their work, and they are
entitled to credit for the confidence
they had in the future Of Portland by
making what must have been consid-
cred a pretty heavy investment in inn
DrOvements 80 years ago. At that time
those builders little dreamed that
within quarter of a century their
pretentious three and four story build
ings would sink into insignificence in
comparison with the skyscrapers that
| have become necessary to meet the
rapidly growing city.
1t is not alone the buildings in that
! part of Portland in juXtaposition with
| he water front from which the visitor
can derive entertainment if he has a
disposition to stroll around that Sec
ton of the city. At the start. Portland
streets were not laid out with geo.
metrical exactitude and the pedes.
trian will find himself tangled up in
short, narrow byways that start alb
ruptly out of some thoroughfare and
End nowhere in particular. Then
streets run together at different angles
| leaving triangular spaces upon which
are erected buildings that narrow
down almost to the width of door
at one end and spread out in cOnfor-
nifty with the widefting of the triangle
at the other end and are designated as
flat-iron buildings. Tradition attrib-
utes the crookedness of the streets in
| incient Boston to the alleged fact that
early settlers built their houses along
COW paths, and it would be no stretch
Of the imagination to believe the first
settlers of Portland followed the same
system to a somewhat lesser degree
as this tumble of down town thorough
fares is confined to a limited space.
| Having dwelt briefly upon feature
Of Oregon's chief metropolis present
up to any length we do not wish to
| convey the impression that this an
cient nucleus around which has been
built up big city in any way detracts
| from the charm Of Portland as Il
whole, charm that is recognized,
acknowledged and commented on by
every stranger who sojourns even for
| a brief period within it's corporate
limits. That older section gives a
| touch of color to picture that is very
colorful from any point ov view as
color it may be somewhat drab, but
that very contrast is an attraction.
Probably We selected the subject be-
cause those of us who have lived long
in the northwest have contracted a
habit of barking back to those days
beyond recall when the northwest was
raw and very much in the making, and
in this instance it gives opportunity
of comparing the Portland of 40 years
ago with the Portland of today. The
change that has taken place within
that period of time is marvellous, and
while we cannot be here to see the
prediction verified We firmly believe
that within the next 40 years Portland
will make a far greater growth than
during the past four decades, and
that her pOplation will crowd the
million mark.
IO0MJS ITEMS