Portland Then/Now: South End of Burnside Bridge

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Byron Beck, GoLocalPDX Features Editor

Burnside Bridge

Eastside of Burnside Bridge, Jan. 4, 1932: City of Portland Archives. A2004-001.622

Burnside Bridge

Eastside of Burnside Bridge. Jan. 2014. Photo by Byron Beck

Portland Then/Now: South End of Burnside Bridge

THEN: Our current Burnside Bridge spanning the Willamette River was built in 1926, replacing the swing span bridge that was built in 1894. There was a bit of a scandal around the building of the Burnside Bridge as well as the Sellwood and Ross Island Bridges that would end up in the recall of three Multnomah County commmissioners at the time.

This photo, taken at the east end of the bridge in 1932 includes the streetcar tracks that once served the eastside as well as the westside of Portland.

Not pictured are the ornate Italian-style towers that adorn the bridge.

NOW: Besides replacing the bridge deck in 2006, the bridge has not seen much of a remodel since its earliest days.

The gateway to LoBu (the Lower Burnside District) full of hipster haunts and some of the Portland's best restaurants, underneath the east end of the Burnside Bridge is where you will find the popular Burnside Skatepark.

Two of the buildings featured in the earlier photo are still visible. One is home to a furnishings store, and the other, the RJ Templeton Building, will soon see the opening of the third Tilt Burger location, which will feature incredible views of both the bridge and downtown Portland.