| Nathaniel West Buildings | |
| Nrhp Type: | cp |
| Designated Other1 Name: | Portland Historic Landmark[1] |
| Designated Other1 Color: | lightgreen |
| Partof: | East Portland Grand Avenue Historic District |
| Partof Refnum: | 91000126 |
| Location: | 711–727 SE Grand Avenue Portland, Oregon |
| Coordinates: | 45.5176°N -122.661°W |
| Map Alt: | Locator map |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Built: | 1892 (right) and 1896 (left) |
| Architecture: | Italianate (right); Streetcar Era Commercial (left) |
| Added: | April 26, 1984 |
| Area: | less than 1acres |
| Refnum: | 84003095 |
The Nathaniel West Buildings in southeast Portland, Oregon, United States, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2] The two structures are part of a group of three, including West's Block, built by West in the late 19th century.[3]
Built in 1892, the brick structure at 711 - 19 Southeast Grand Avenue, in the middle of the block, is Italianate in style. Its cornice roof resembles that of its neighbor, West's Block, at 701 - 07 S.E. Grand Ave., also on the National Register. Features of the 51by building include two sets of eight double-hung sash windows with arched frames, one set per floor. The interior of the building has been subdivided for commercial space and offices.[3]
More modest than the 1892 structure, the brick building at 721 - 27 S.E. Grand Ave. was constructed in 1896 in a Streetcar Era Commercial style. Notable features of the 60by structure are pilasters that divide the main floor into three bays; double-hung sash windows on the second floor; recessed horizontal panels over each bay, and a modest cornice.
Nathaniel West (1826 - 97) emigrated with his wife and four children from New York to Oregon in 1875. Settling in East Portland a year later, West bought and sold property to raise capital and in 1883 built the West's Block building. Here the West family opened a dry goods and clothing store and lived in an upstairs apartment. Over the next decade, the family constructed several other buildings in the block.[3]
The original Morrison Bridge, near the West's Block and championed by West when he was president of the East Portland City Council, opened in 1887. Running east - west over the Willamette River, it connected East Portland to downtown Portland. By 1900, more than half of the Portland-area population lived on the east side of the river, and Grand Avenue was the main north - south street along the east bank. In 1936, work on the bridge approaches led to demolition of the West buildings except the three along the avenue.[3]
Since their construction, the West structures have served many purposes. Original uses included retail stores, a Post Office station, a drug store, and private housing. A shoe and boot store, an electric company, an oyster house, a boxing gymnasium, a sound-system company, and a saloon were among the businesses that later used the properties.[3] The Architectural Heritage Center, a non-profit focused on historic preservation, occupies the West's Block building, at 701 S.E. Grand Ave.[4]
The interior of 727 SE Grand was remodeled to accommodate the East Bank Saloon, with antique furniture and East Portland photographs on the main floor and a banquet room on the second floor.[3] Bit House Saloon opened at 727 SE Grand in 2015. In 2021, the bar closed and was rebranded as Bit House Collective.