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
Skidmore-Old Town Historic District Tour
Nov 7, 2026 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM PT
Walking Tour
$35.00 General Public
$20.00 AHC Members
Learn about some of the oldest buildings in the city and the people who built them in this tour of Portland’s only National Historic Landmark District. The area also contains the highest concentration of cast-iron-fronted buildings on the West Coast and much of the iron was cast locally.
Beaumont-Wilshire: Origins and Early History
November 14, 2026
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Hosted at the Architectural Heritage Center on 701 SE Grand Ave.
Like many Northeast Portland neighborhoods, Beaumont-Wilshire was carved from orchards, open fields, and patches of forest. As a young Portland sprawled across the river, the rural landscape of the eastside was replaced by a grid of neighborhoods, a busy streetcar system, and tens of thousands of new residents.
Using early maps, documents, photos, newspaper accounts, and memories he’s collected from past residents, local historian Doug Decker will explore the early years of the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood to examine connections between past, present, and future.
Researching the History of Your House
November 21, 2026
Have you ever wondered who lived in your house before you? Or maybe even who built it? What was your neighborhood like when your house was first built? How has it changed? Researching the history of your house can answer many of the questions you might have.
Please join us as our Architectural Heritage Center Research Assistant takes us through the steps to uncover the history of your vintage house. Using the latest online sources, local archives, and libraries. We will show you that the process is not so mysterious when you know what steps to follow and where to look.
Please bring materials to take notes.
Space is limited. Pre-registration is recommended.
November 21, 2026
10:00 a.m. - Noon
Battle of the Brains - November 16th, 2026
Join us at the Lucky Lab on NW Quimby Street for a fun night of architectural history and Portland historic trivia as well as your introduction to our new Executive Director, Claire Long!
Our MC for the night is none other than historian extraordinaire, tour guide, and AHC librarian John Doyle. You will be put on a team, meet other architectural history lovers, have endless pizza, and see if your team has what it takes to be the champions of the Battle of the Brains!
When: November 16, 2026, 5:30 pm -7:00 pm
Where: Lucky Lab Brewpub, 1947 NW Quimby Street. Street parking only
Cost: $20.00 for members, $25 for non-members
Food, etc.- Pizza and Salad will be provided. Cash bar for drinks
Trivia Jock: John Doyle has been a lifelong student of history, architecture, and art history. He has lived in Portland since 1997 and has been a docent for the Architectural Heritage Center and a private tour guide since 2010. John Doyle has been making his own brand of trivia in Portland for many years, and we are honored that he is willing to create an AHC-themed Trivia Night
Portland 101: Crooked Grids, Tiny Blocks, and the Building of the City
December 12, 2026
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
How did Portland get this way, with its little square blocks and weird intersections, the funny pronunciations, and the bridge ramps to nowhere? Why is it even located where it is? There’s a reason for everything (we didn’t say a good reason!)
Stone carver’s mistakes, upside-down pineapples, and mythical tunnels are just part of the things about which true Portland residents should know. We’ll look at the grid, the naming and re-naming of our streets, and the eras of commercial architecture that have marked our compact and vibrant downtown, as well as the near blitzkrieg effect of the Great Demolition which left us with parking lots where the temples of finance and industry once stood. Long-time AHC Education Committee member Robert Jordan will guide us through 150 years of Portland’s development – a great overview for those just getting interested in Portland’s architectural heritage as well as for anyone who ever wondered “Why did they do THAT?”
This lecture program is held at the Architectural Heritage Center - 701 SE Grand Avenue
Seating is Limited. Pre-Registration is Highly Recommended.
Space is limited. Pre-registration is recommended.
December 12, 2026
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
What is the style?
Residential Building 3944 SE Stark
Portland’s Residential and Commercial Architectural Styles
January 16, 2027
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
At the AHC we regularly receive calls, including everyone from residents to realtors, asking us to help determine the style of a house or other type of building. If you’ve ever wanted to learn what style to call your house or your favorite Portland area building, here’s a great opportunity!
Please join us, as Professor Tom Hubka presents this course in architectural styles, as he takes a look at common Portland area designs. Through photos and diagrams, Tom will help us to better understand the details to look for in styles, including Greek Revival, Romanesque, Classical Revival, International, and even Post-Modernism. From architect-designed to the vernacular, this program will provide you with a better understanding of the buildings we live and work in every day.
The program will be presented by Thomas Hubka
Professor Emeritus Department of Architecture University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; author of Houses Without Names, He has published widely on topics of vernacular or popular architecture including theoretical works and detailed studies of common buildings such as New England farms, bungalows, ranch houses, and workers’ cottages.
This lecture program is held at the Architectural Heritage Center - 701 SE Grand Avenue
Space is limited. Pre-registration is recommended.
WALKING TOURS
From March to November, we offer tours of historic neighborhoods throughout the city. Click here to learn about more about the tours we offer!
THANK YOU TO OUR WALKING TOUR SPONSOR
