By Kristin Whitney
On July 7, Legacy Health announced the opening of a new Family Birth Center at Randall Children’s Hospital, the most ambitious center of its kind in a generation and the most comprehensive, state-of-the-art birth center in Oregon.
Continue reading Randall Children’s Hospital opens new Family Birth Center
The time has come for me to step down as Editor of The Eliot News. I have enjoyed sharing the neighborhood’s news, introducing new businesses, and telling people’s stories. The people I have met, the history I have discovered, and everything I have learned about being involved in a neighborhood association has been so rewarding.
Continue reading Letter from the Editor: Publishing my last issue of the Eliot News
By Andrine de la Rocha and Howard Patterson
The summer heat brought some challenges to the Grove this year and many plants were defeated by the Heat Dome event. Our Oregon White Oak in the meadow gave up the ghost, but we were able to reserve another from Friends of Trees that we will plant sometime this fall. (The remains of the old oak are being transformed into a piece of art inspired by an epic dream in the hands of resident Healing Artist, Andrine de la Rocha.)
All of the remaining trees have survived so far and in their third year seem to be flourishing, despite the heat. Some of our less established shrubs did not fare as well and we will likely replace them during the wet season to give them a good head start on next year.
Continue reading Autumnal Greetings from Boise Eliot Native Grove
Monique Gaskins
Portlanders experienced extreme temperatures this summer. During the last week of June, local temperatures hit 112 degrees, the highest temperature recorded. In mid- August, another heat wave rolled through the city pushing temperatures higher than usual. Along with the heat, this has also been a dry summer. As of this writing, the warm temperatures and sparse rainfall haven’t retreated yet.
However, the city has options to help keep Portlanders cool this summer. Eliot residents are primed to take advantage without having to leave the neighborhood. During designated heat warnings, all libraries have bottled water on hand to distribute. Albina Library is participating and scheduled to fully open on August 24th. Throughout the summer, the interactive fountain / splash pad is open at Dawson Park. For residents looking to exercise or play in a pool, Portland’s public pools, including Matt Dishman Pool, are open.
Portland Parks & Recreation opened its eleven pools on June 22. The pools are dispersed around the city and include indoor and outdoor options. Eliot is home to one of the indoor pools at the Matt Dishman Center at 77 North Knott Street. The pools do not all share the same schedule. Availability of lap swim, aqua fitness, and play periods also vary by pool and by day, so be sure to check the schedule by calling ahead or looking online before planning a visit. The outdoor pools are scheduled to close for the summer at the end of August. Indoor pools should remain open.
At the time of writing, face coverings are required within city facilities to help curb the spread of Covid. The drop-in price for Adults age 18-59 is $4. For seniors and youth, the drop-in price is $3, and children 2 and under get in free. 20 visit punch passes and “Pay what you can” discounts are also available. Check https://www.portland.gov/parks/matt-dishman-indoor-pool for more details and current schedule or call 503-823-3166.
During the pandemic, I have been doing a lot of reading about the history of my neighborhood, Eliot. I came across a number of plans from the 1960’s and 1970’s that affected inner North Portland. Joseph Cortright put together a 3-part series on how the Oregon Department of Transportation destroyed Albina, the biggest cultural center for Black Portlanders at the time. At the same time, Emanuel Hospital was expanded intentionally into the area between N Williams and N Kerby all the way to I-5/I-405. This was presaged by a short study called the Central Albina Study which recommended most of what is now the Eliot Neighborhood be demolished for Industry. Warehouses were recommended west of MLK Jr Blvd and South of N Fremont. This was later amended to west of N Williams avenue.
Continue reading Historical Traffic Diversion in Boise Neighborhood, Installed and Uninstalled
Co-Chairs: Jimmy Wilson and Allan Rudwick
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The history of our neighborhood is somewhat easy to find online if you know where to look. The Oregon Encyclopedia and Wikipedia have entries, and many articles are posted on our Eliot Neighborhood Association website. Then there is the Oral History Project, a series of interviews by the youth of northeast Portland talking to the elders of their community. One name that keeps coming up over and over is Paul Knauls.
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Eliot Neighborhood 