I don’t normally go to parties put on by real estate developers. However, if I have a chance to take a look at the inside of a historic Portland bar before it gets hollowed out and turned into apartments, I’m there. Innovative Housing, the evening’s host, was celebrating their plans for Erickson’s Saloon (9 NW […]
History
Posted inMusic
The Only Presidents Day Songs Humanity Will Ever Require
Created by Dina Martina, (AKA genius Grady West). Find the full Dina Martina Holiday Album at iTunes!
Posted inHistory
Happy Oregon’s Birthday, Everyone!
It’s Oregon’s birthday, everyone! 155 years ago our particular piece of geography went from being a territory to a full-fledged member of these United States. In celebration of our state’s birthday, here are some facts about Oregon that you might not know. -Oregon has a double-sided flag, just like Paraguay! -Oregon is America’s ninth largest […]
Posted inArtsy
Inside the Old Post Office/Soon-to-Be PNCA Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design
You might already be aware that the Pacific Northwest College of Art is in the midst of an impressive expansion (here’s my post on the new dorms from back in August), or that part of it includes Portland’s original US Post Office, the grand old lady at 511 NW Broadway that I, at least, had […]
Posted inHistory
Apparently, It’s Time for Everyone to Argue Over Whether JFK Was a Republican or a Democrat
So Republicans are taking the 50th opportunity of JFK’s assassination to claim JFK as their own. Grover Norquist even praised JFK for being a member of the NRA: In addition to his across the board tax rate cuts JFK was also a life member of the National Rifle Association. He is missed.— Grover Norquist (@GroverNorquist) […]
Posted inPortland
Know Your City’s Latest Push for Its Kiosk Fund
As we’ve mentioned, Know Your City (née the Dill Pickle Club) is currently raising funds to pay for a mobile kiosk, which they will mostly use in the Ankeny Alley tourist triangle and attempt to convince passersby that the city was actually founded prior to Voodoo Donuts. They have seven days to go to reach […]
Posted inHistory
The Gettysburg Address: Who Recited it Better?
In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, documentarian Ken Burns enlisted a TON of people (politicians—right and left, entertainers, journalists, etc.) to videotape themselves reading the Address… because… well, listen to it and marvel about how much of it is still pertinent into today’s volatile political climate. Anyway, to watch people like […]
Posted inHistory
New Book Debunks Important Piece of JFK Assassination Theory
Politico’s James Hohmann writes: A forthcoming book raises serious doubts about a key piece of evidence that led a House committee to conclude in 1979 that President John F. Kennedy was likely killed as part of a conspiracy. University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato commissioned a scientific analysis of the Dallas Police Department’s Dictabelt […]
Posted inHistory
Portland Noir Screening at the Mission Theater
We here at the Mercury are big fans of Kick Ass Oregon History—they produce a great podcast, as well as bus and walking tours and other live events, and I think they do a great job combining a deeply geeky appreciation for Portland’s history with booze, jokes, boobs, and other things that are fun. (The […]
Posted inHistory
Grand Marketplace
(I’m categorizing an antiques-related post as “history.” That works, right?) I go antiquing and thrifting kind of a lot. I’m late to it, but I married into a family of semi-professional design gleaners, and have spent the last 8+ years learning the ropes—what’s good, what’s fake, when a seller doesn’t know what they have (that’s […]
Posted inEvents
Win Tickets to This Weekend’s Central Oregon Ghost Town Tour!
If you’re not a planner, your plans have fallen through, and/or you can appreciate the exhilaration of spontaneous travel, consider this: Know Your City is hosting a two-day tour of the storied, romantic, and kind of creepy Central Oregon boom towns that went bust. Called “Ghosts of Times Past,” and includes stops in the ghost […]
Posted inPortland
This Is Portland in 1971
Well, this is charming. Here’s a film shot in 1971 on black-and-white 16mm film by Portland filmmaker Tim Smith when he was 15 years old. It’s called This Is Portland, and aside from being a goofy spoof of a travelogue, it’s an immaculate visual time capsule of the city more than 40 years ago. Here’s […]