TALKS AND EVENTS
Join us at our West's Block location for various talks and events! All of our talks will be hosted on site, at 701 SE Grand Ave.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Historic Amusements on Portland's Streetcar Lines
Streetcar companies and entrepreneurs lured people out of downtown Portland into the greater Portland area and surroundings by offering entertainment in many forms. Many still operate, but many more are a distant memory. Through stories and historic photographs, find out what people did for fun in Portland before the age of television and the World Wide Web.
June 14, 2025
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Theaters of Oregon: Before the Show Began
Theaters have always captured our imaginations. Their architecture and lighting have drawn us inside. Their decorative lobbies have let us know something special was about to happen. Darrell Jabin toured and took photos of dozens of theaters. He researched Opera houses, Chautauqua Vaudeville and movie palaces.
July 19, 2025
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
"Carlines to the Columbia: the Streetcars of Northeast Portland" Talk & Book Signing
The story of the role played by streetcars in the development of Northeast Portland begins in 1888, when rails were laid northward through virgin timber and bottomland towards the Columbia River. Tracks soon also extended eastward along a prehistoric dirt road leading toward the Columbia Slough. Many twists and turns were encountered before the last steel wheel turned in 1948.
Local historian Richard Thompson is the author of nine books on the subject of Oregon streetcars and Interurbans. He has also written a dozen entries for the Oregon Encyclopedia and has appeared in several documentaries.
August 16, 2025
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
WALKING TOURS
From March to November, we offer tours of historic neighborhoods throughout the city. Click here to learn more!
