History of the Pearl

This is an absolutely wonderful video about the creation of the place I live and love. It talks about how connecting people is at the heart of building the neighborhood. I am convinced that the Pearl and other inner city neighborhoods in Portland thrive due to connectivity.

Marge Boule writes beautifully of the true jewell and namesake of the Pearl in this story originally published in the Oregonian. What I love about the article is that it touches on the sense of community that existed in the District prior to the real estate development within the artistic community. The artist can see the depth of "place" often before the rest of society. This story is about why the Pearl is special......of course it is because of a woman!

This article for Explore the Pearl focuses on the history of the neighborhood in terms of Portland's history as well. Many people know that the Pearl was once an industrial neighborhood of warehouses...this story takes the history deeper into the last 1800 early 1900's. Great information!

This original story from the early 1990's talks about the first vision for the Pearl District. I love that Bill Naito call it a "wild" idea. The article also references the fact that working people were central to the formation of of the neighborhood and the early growth and shape that has taken place. This is still true. This is often forgotten as the Pearl is most often just seen as a residential zone of condos and apartments.

The Bridgeliner gives a nice timeline of the evolution of the Pearl District in a video format.