History

To Know Old Town's Past Is to Hope for Its Future

My grandmother’s Old Town was a vibrant, bustling place for all. Despite what handwringers say, it still is.

04/07/2025 By Lauren Yoshiko

Q&A

'Wardrobe Theory Project' Wants You to Rethink Your Closet

Can your clothes tell a story? Colin Behr thinks so.

02/05/2025 By Dalila Brent

Q&A

Ripping the City with Amir Morgan

The owner of Barnes and Morgan, a tea and fashion house, talks about the future of Chinatown and his take on Portland style.

01/29/2024 By Dalila Brent Illustrations by Betty Turbo

In Memoriam

Darcelle Has Died. Long Live Darcelle.

Also known as Walter Cole, the legendary and beloved nightclub owner and drag queen Darcelle was a Portland institution.

03/24/2023 By Margaret Seiler

History Lesson

Will Portland's Shanghai Tunnels Close for Good?

After pandemic closures, Underground Tours operators are looking for a way forward.

06/13/2022 By Michelle Harris

Pride

The Queen’s Head and Rebel Rebel Are Keeping Old Town Queer

The new bars are ready to restore Old Town to its former queer glory.

06/08/2022 By Thom Hilton Photography by Thom Hilton

Staycation

History on the Walls at Old Town’s Society Hotel

New artwork at the Society Hotel celebrates Old Town-Chinatown’s history.

12/09/2021 By Margaret Seiler

Shopping

A Custom-Built Trike Empire Grows in Portland’s Old Town

Icicle Tricycles builds everything from activewear to zine trikes.

08/25/2021 By Julia Silverman

Drag in the Pandemic Era

A New Drag Brunch Is Coming to the Historic Darcelle XV

The nightlife hub, home to the West Coast’s longest-running drag show, launches its first-ever drag brunch.

09/03/2020 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Style

Portland's New Activewear School Gets Designers Closer to That Dream Job

And it boasts a workspace that would make Tim Gunn clap with joy.

07/17/2018 By Eden Dawn

Development

The Massive Post Office Makeover Will Transform Northwest Portland

The project will reshape a whole neighborhood off the Broadway Bridge. It will, admittedly, take a while.

04/24/2018 By Zach Dundas

Business

Old Town Gets a Posh UK Hotel Brand

Will the Portland neighborhood's rough edges deter Hoxton’s globe-trotting clientele?

02/27/2018 By Eleanor Van Buren

Development

3 Bonkers Things We Learned about These Proposed Skyscrapers

No. 3: the 680-feet-high skybridge will have trees growing in it.

02/15/2018 By Marty Patail

Drink Here Now

4 New Portland Bars to Visit This Winter

Our city's latest crop of watering holes is wild, bright, and a little spooky.

12/28/2017 By Benjamin Tepler, Fiona McCann, Eleanor Van Buren, and Ramona DeNies

Hotel News

Portland's New Grove Hotel Is Now Owned by a London Developer

Bob Naito's ambitious hospitality project looked ready to open. Then a sudden ownership flip delayed the launch—and signaled that big money is now betting on still-seedy Old Town.

12/20/2017 By Eleanor Van Buren

Dispatch

Can a New Portland Museum Save Chinatown’s History?

Before it's too late.

11/20/2017 By Emma Mannheimer

Big City Lights

These 4 Giant Apartment Buildings Will Change Downtown Living in Portland

Our city's skyline is rising.

09/13/2017 By Marty Patail

Best Offices 2017: The Dream Home

Inside Architecture Firm Ankrom Moisan's Plum New Digs

The local juggernaut escapes John's Landing for Old Town—the neighborhood's first new building in a decade.

05/15/2017 By Marty Patail

Development

Major Architecture Firm Erects Old Town's First New Building in a Decade

After more than three decades transforming the city's skyline, Ankrom Moisan escapes from John's Landing.

12/20/2016 By Marty Patail