The Great Light Way: Business, Buildings and Boosters on Portland’s Third Street

By 1914, Portland’s city center had passed by Third Street and its mixture of mostly late 19th century commercial buildings. Now, all of the new hotels, department stores and theaters were being built to the west on streets like Fifth, Sixth, and the newly minted Broadway. Banding together as the “Third Streeters,” a group of merchants decided to take matters into their own hands, building the Great Light Way, a line of illuminated arches at street intersections extending from SW Yamhill to NW Glisan.

This all new presentation examines the motives of the Third Streeters in the context of progressive era civic boosterism and initiatives such as Edward H. Bennett’s Greater Portland Plan (1912), along with a special focus on the buildings of Third Street, and those of its rivals.

Presenter Dan Haneckow will take us on what will surely be an image-filled ride through the Portland of a century ago.

This lecture program is held at the Architectural Heritage Center - 701 SE Grand Avenue

Parking is on-street (free on Saturdays) or in the parking lot on the west side of Grand Avenue between SE Yamhill and Belmont Streets - just to the north of the Grand Marketplace. Do not use the lot where Dutch Bros. Coffee is located. Thank you to Bolliger and Sons Insurance for sharing their lot with us for our evening and Saturday education programs.

Image: Postcard View of 3rd Street at Night, Architectural Heritage Center Collection.