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Two changes are afoot – one positive, one not – in the Grand Avenue East Portland National Historic District.
On the plus side, Mother Foucault’s Bookshop has moved into
the long-vacant building at 711 SE Grand Ave., a three-story building erected
in 1892. The building shares the block
with two other buildings built in 1883 and 1896, respectively, by Nathaniel K.
West, a dry goods merchant who served as president of the East Portland City
Council when East Portland was a separate city.
The oldest building of the three, at 701 SE Grand, now
houses the Architectural Heritage Center. The “newest” building at the southern end is a
tavern. Though the buildings look they
might share common walls, there are narrow spaces behind the front facades that
separate them. When they were built, they backed up to the marshy banks of
the Willamette River.
Mother Foucault concentrates in used, vintage and rare
books. With the Architectural Heritage
center next door and the new Literary Arts store across the street, the nexus
creates an interesting cultural connection for people interested in books,
historical lectures, author presentations, and architectural displays and research
all within a couple hundred feet.
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On the downside, owners of Next Adventure, a major retailer
of used sporting goods, have to enter retirement by liquidating the big store
at 436 SE Grand. The store has been a
fixture in the historic district for 30 years.
The four-story building was erected in 1911, with four
retail storefronts on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors. It is owned today by REACH Community
Development, a nonprofit that develops and manages affordable housing. The housing on the upper floors assures
continued viability for the building, although filling the retail spaces below
will be a major challenge.
Internet shopping and the pandemic seriously damaged retail
shopping both in downtown Portland and neighborhood commercial districts.
Mother Foucault is no stranger to the neighborhood. It formerly operated at 538 SE Morrison in the Clifford Apartments. It was forced to move when the apartment owner started renovating the building.
-----Fred Leeson
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