The Kenton neighborhood is about to get an overhaul a long time in the making. The North Denver Streetscape, first proposed in 2005 by the Portland Development Commission (PDC), is a plan to renew the look of the 150 year-old neighborhood's main drag, North Denver Avenue. The plan was created through collaboration between the PDC, the Portland Bureau of Transportation, and a citizen advisory committee and includes widening the sidewalks, planting "business friendly" street trees (trees that won't block signage or thoroughfares), adding pedestrian sitting areas and public art.
At a press conference held on August 25th, Mayor Sam Adams said it was time to celebrate: "The contracts are signed [the contractor for the work will be R&R Contractors] and the work will begin after Labor Day," the mayor announced to hearty applause. He said that while the proposal for the streetscape began in 2005, the first study to discuss the revitalization of the area began 18 years ago, and five more studies since then have taken place. A Kenton resident himself, the mayor could not hide his own enthusiasm.
Some of the older residents might argue that this change has been brewing for a lot longer than the nearly two decades that the mayor had claimed. Kenton, whose Northern border is the Columbia river, has been a community on the edge of Portland in more ways than one.
Kenton was first developed as a "company town" in 1911 by the Swift Meat Packing Company. "Company town" means that nearly all the residences and businesses were owned by Swift, and that the area was developed to provide housing and amenities for the employees of the plant.
By the 1920s, Kenton was a bustling district; prior to the construction of North Interstate, it was a main thoroughfare and boasted many businesses, including one of the largest movie houses on the east side of the river. According to historian Alta Mitchoff in her book History of the Kenton Neighborhood, booze was the culprit behind the end of Kenton's glory days:
Mr. Berry, from the confectionery store in Kenton, was on the liquor commission. Vanport had one liquor outlet. Vancouver, Washington had a "blue law" which meant no liquor could be sold on Sundays. Kenton, being the closest to Vancouver, and also to Vanport, prompted Mr. Berry to do his friends a favor by allowing them liquor licenses for taverns in Kenton. That is why Kenton was so saturated with liquor outlets. Kenton had too many for such a small area. All they wanted was to capture that Vanport business. That is when Kenton started ‘going downhill.
Regardless of who you ask, it is safe to say that the inhabitants of the neighborhood are, for the most part, ready for a facelift. Giving it more of a "main street" appearance will perhaps restore some of it's original charm, and putting in bioswales and street trees will also give it an eco-friendly 21st century vibe. That said, the removal of the center turning lane to make room for wider sidewalks, the art and bench installations, the additional trees -will make interruptions along North Denver necessary. According to Carol Herzberg, PDC project manager, these interruptions will not effect businesses ability to remain open.
"They will work in one-block increments," Herzberg says of the construction crew. "There will be open routes to all businesses throughout construction."
Angela Moos, President of the Kenton Neighborhood Association stressed the importance of patronage of those businesses during construction of the streetscape. She also pointed to the building of a Kenton branch of the Multnomah County Library and the renovation of the historic Paul Bunyan statue (both currently underway) as further examples illustrating that Kenton is a "liveable, close-in city."
Two people I spoke to couldn't agree more. Aaron Fabbri, owner of the soon-to-open Homebrew Exchange says he doesn't mind the interruption, knowing that in the long run the new look will be a boon for area businesses.
Jessie Burke, owner of the busy Posies Café, couldn't agree more.
"I've been in the neighborhood for six years, and have wanted to open a business. When I caught wind of the Streetscape, I knew it was time." Active in the neighborhood association and in the new "Third Thursdays" Art Walk, Burke is eager for not only the streetscape project, but for the positive momentum she believes it will foster. She believes the updated look will be a catalyst to encourage new businesses to move into Kenton; the more pedestrian-friendly design encouraging neighbors to stroll the strip, come out for Art Walk, visit the shops. She says that business owners and neighbors alike are ready for the changes that Kenton is undertaking, and that they are already beginning to work together in a way they haven't before.
"We're talking about the ways we can become involved in our own revitalization," she says. The renaissance of Kenton is evident as I sit in Posie's Café with Burke. Young mothers take advantage of the "playroom" replete with toys, people in business attire stand on line with bike helmet-touting hipsters, and Jessie Burke seems to know most everyone there. It appears that she isn't alone in believing in the Kenton Neighborhood and the facelift for North Denver will be well appreciated by the folks who call it home.
View the slide show for more images of Kenton's North Denver Street or visit our Flickr gallery:
