If you walk up SE Lincoln Street with the river at your back, at the corner of SE 54th Avenue you'll pass an historic storefront surrounded by a sea of houses. Built in 1913, the building calls back to the city's early development, much like the commercial clusters just a block or few long that are nestled in so many neighborhoods. It's a vestige of early-twentieth-century streetcar lines.

These commercial districts were a key feature of what made Portland a "streetcar city." With the city laid out in a grid, most homes were within a five-minute walk of a streetcar stop. (Before the first line was created in 1872, people primarily walked to where they worked and shopped, and so were limited to what was accessible within a mile or two of their home.) By 1916, the Portland Railway Light and Power Company (predecessor to today's Portland General Electric) had 40 lines trucking over 300 miles of track, and small-scale commercial hubs with sidewalk-facing shops were often built along these busy thoroughfares. 

Sure enough, a 1915 streetcar map reveals that this building sat on one such route, where the streetcar rolled down E 54th from Hawthorne before turning left at Lincoln and heading for E 60th. It still has the same pleasant street presence as back then, including a corner entry flanked by big picture windows for display, and a row of clerestory windows above to let the light in. The airy interior has 11-foot-high ceilings, with basement storage and half-bath, currently housing Afterglow Pottery Studio; it previously held the Lincoln Street Kayak and Canoe Museum.  

These commercial buildings typically had residences above the shop, but this one was different, instead having an oversize front facade but no build-out above the first floor. A 2012 overhaul rectified that, adding a new second story and a svelte, 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment there. Access to the apartment is up a short flight of stairs at the rear, through a wood slat feature wall integrated with a door and leading into an open-air stairwell protected from the elements by its enclosure.

Inside, the overall mood of the apartment is just as airy as the historic downstairs, but with a streamlined, modern look. Think hardwood floors, white walls, and open living spaces, with a four-panel glass door leading to a balcony, perfect for catching the sunset over the city.

The kitchen and baths all skew utilitarian, from the kitchen's white cabinets and induction stove to the bathroom's wall-mounted sink and brushed metal accents. Meanwhile, the backyard serves up its own form of beauty and utility, with several raised garden beds already in place.  

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 5340 SE Lincoln St, Portland, OR 97215
• Size: 2,080 square feet/2 bedroom/2 bath
• List Date: 1/22/2026 
• List Price: $1,095,000
• Listing Agent: Joel Roth, Neighborhood Works

Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer who has focused on Pacific Northwest design and lifestyle since 2008. Contact Dalton here. 

Editor’s Note: Portland Monthly’s “Property Watch” column takes a weekly look at an interesting home in Portland’s real estate market (with periodic ventures to the burbs and points beyond, for good measure). Got a home you think would work for this column? Get in touch at [email protected].