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Since launching our Chasing Ghosts feature in August 2022, WW has explored the stories behind more than 120 vacant or decrepit buildings. As this map shows, the properties are in all corners of Portland, from hollowed-out downtown to the long-neglected streets of the outer eastside. We’ve highlighted the addresses of 10 locations whose changes are considered in this week’s issue (shown in blue), as well as 10 other spots that proved especially memorable (marked in magenta). This week, we’re launching an interactive map so that when you pass a blighted property on the street, you can check on your phone to see if we’ve examined it and why it’s empty.
In this week’s issue:
2738 NE Alberta St.
Al Forno Ferruzza
See what happened here.
3312 NE Broadway
Gordon’s Fireplace Shop
See what happened here.
12350 NE Sandy Blvd.
Kmart
See what happened here.
915 NE 21st Ave.
Sunshine Dairy
See what happened here.
2436 SE 12th Ave.
Carter Machine & Tool
See what happened here.
7421 N Denver Ave.
The Farmer’s Barn
See what happened here.
4904 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie #3256
See what happened here.
2375 NW Thurman St.
Food Front
See what happened here.
2630 N Lombard St.
Tom’s Pizza
See what happened here.
6700 NE Broadway
Pacific Market
See what happened here.
Noteworthy properties:
2931 SE Harrison St.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The loss of parishioners at one of Oregon’s oldest Mormon churches hastened its closure—and was an early signal of the “great sort” in which people moved to be near their political compatriots.
401-419 SW Washington St.
Washington Center
Fentanyl dealers set up a drug den in the alcoves of a once-thriving downtown shopping plaza. WW’s reporting spurred city officials to mothball the property.
1819 NW Everett St.
Christian Science Church
Long the venue for children’s plays at the Northwest Neighborhood Cultural Center, the water-damaged building stands empty while a Las Vegas developer plans a boutique hotel.
8501 N Lombard St.
Pattie’s Home Plate Cafe
Developer Kevin Cavenaugh had ambitious redevelopment plans for the vacant storefront that long held a St. Johns greasy spoon. He instead snagged a tenant who contacted him after our story appeared: Sabatino Moto, a moped dealership.
5733 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Abandoned car wash
People were camping in the car wash while its owner enjoyed a tax break by pledging to build affordable housing there. It has since been purchased by the Black-run nonprofit Our Streets PDX, which also plans to build low-income apartments.
3835 SE Powell Blvd.
Dunkin’ Donuts
First a doughnut franchise, then a payday lender, the building now sits fallow while its owner racks up property tax debt.
4516 & 4511 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Hawthorne Center
Neighbors complained for months about a gauntlet of buildings overtaken by squatters along Hawthorne Boulevard. Then, in April 2023, a pit bull sprang from one of the properties and mauled pastry chef Cheryl Wakerhauser.
5015 SE 82nd Ave.
The Organ Grinder
Long a family restaurant featuring pizza, a massive pipe organ, and live monkeys, the glass palace has reopened as Super King Buffet.
2855 SW Patton Road
Strohecker’s
The onetime home of a market popularly known as “Stroh’s” is required by city zoning code to be a grocery store. None has materialized.
100 SW Wright Ave.
The Bear House
City parks officials can’t afford to preserve or demolish the Tudor shed that once housed the Portland Zoo’s grizzlies. So it just rots.