Dr. John D. Marshall Building

 

Dr. John D. Marshall Building

In 1952, Dr. John D. Marshall, one of Portland’s few Black doctors, erected a modest, one-story, flat-roofed building in the heart of Albina.  Given that Blacks could not be treated at the time at nearby Emanuel Hospital, Dr. Marshall’s clinic quickly became a busy medical hub for Albina’s heavily Black community.

 Dr. Marshall practiced at the N. Williams building until 1970.  During that time, he also leased space to o a Black-owned pharmacy and dental clinic.   Then, from 1970 to 1979, the Dr. John D. Marshall Building housed to medical facilities run by the supposedly “radical” Black Panther Party, the Fred Hampton Free Health Clinic and the Malcolm X Peoples’ Dental Clinic.

While the Black Panthers operated medical clinics in several other cities, Portland was the Panther’s only dental clinic, according to research in a National Register of Historic Places nomination.  The Portland Historic Landmarks Commission has recommended the nomination for state and national consideration.

“It was the hub of Black medical care.  Nothing else like it existed,” said Caity Ewers, an architectural historian who helped write the National Register nomination.  The nomination is based on the building's significant involvement in Portland's ethnic heritage and Black healthcare and medicine. 

Besides its medical tenants, the building also housed from 1959 to 1969 the law office of Aaron Brown, a lawyer who was the first Black appointed to the Multnomah County bench in 1969.  Judge Brown had a lengthy judicial career that was well-recognized for his personable style in handling civil cases and misdemeanor crimes.

 The Dr. John D. Marshall Building is owned today by Bernie Foster, publisher of The Skanner newspaper.  Foster ran his newspaper from the building for 10 years, starting in 1980.  Even then, he said, “People would come in and say, ‘Is the doctor in’?”

 Ewers said one element of the building’s historical significance was Dr. Marshall’s ability to finance its construction in an era when racial discrimination was highly common among Portland’s lending institutions.  He was one of fewer than five Black physicians in Portland at the time.

 The National Register nomination reflects a trend in the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to place new emphasis on historic places involving Portland’s minority communities.  “Even though we have only one building today, we have others in the pipeline,” Brandon Spencer-Hartle, the city’s historic resources manager, told the Landmarks Commission.  The bureau’s efforts are supported by consulting and research by Kimberly Moreland, who also is a Landmarks Commission member.  She did not participate in the commission’s deliberations favoring the nomination.

 The Marshall Building continues its connection with the Black community today as the home of the Terry Family Funeral Home, a Black-owned firm.  The building has undergone a few significant changes over the years, but its basic shape and Roman bricks retain the building’s original character.

 The National Register nomination will be considered next month by the Oregon State Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation.   The final step after that would be consideration by the National Park Service, which administers the federal National Register program.

 -----Fred Leeson

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