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(click here for beer menu)
Motoring Through Portland’s Past
Walk into Old Town Pizza /Old Town Brewing Co.
and listen closely. You might hear the far-off strains
of an idling engine mixed with the hum of guest
chatter. That’s because this location has a storied
history as a center of automotive commerce, dating
back to before World War II.
In the early 1930s, Herbert L. Frank opened a used
car dealership just south of where Old Town Pizza
now stands. Through the early half of the 1940s,
with the war halting the manufacturing of new cars,
used auto lots like Frank’s were commonplace up
and down what was then Union Avenue.
In 1946, post-war prosperity boosted demand for
sleek new cars; Americans were ready to roll, and
Detroit was pumping out cruisers for an auto-
hungry public. Frank Chevrolet was born. Across
the street were a new Ford dealership and a small
pharmacy (later to become a Fred Meyer Department
Store). Frank Chevrolet lived on this block through
the prosperity of the 1950s and tumult of the 1960s,
until finally surrendering in 1972. A year later,
Harley Davidson opened a dealership, but rode it
out only until 1977. Through the rest of the 1970s
and into the 1980s, the building housed a
succession of auto repair and service businesses.
By 1990, the neighborhoods along Union Avenue
had been through many evolutions… including the
thoroughfare’s name change to Martin Luther King
Jr. Blvd.
Old Town Pizza is proud to play a role in the
regeneration of inner northeast Portland as one of
the first to sign on with Vanport Square, a Portland
Development Commission-backed project that has
its roots in the City of Vanport. A bustling
shipbuilding community of the 1940s, Vanport was
home to many of the area’s African American
citizens until the flood of 1948 – and discriminatory
housing practices – drove them into Portland’s
inner north and northeast neighborhoods.
With our family home just three blocks away, we
believe in our “old town” neighborhood of Walnut
Park, and are taking the opportunity in our history-
rich location to showcase our philosophy of
sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Many of the design features – such as the weathered
wood wall from an old Oregon barn, the giant beams
from barracks that housed Italian immigrants at the
San Pablo Fish & Wildlife Refuge, and the
centerpiece chandelier that hung in the Portland
Art Museum until a 1970s remodel – were
reclaimed and given new life here… just like our
neighborhood.
Old Town Pizza has been a part of Portland’s culture
since 1974, when the Accuardi family opened the
doors of the historic Old Town Pizza landmark
location. We’re carrying on that tradition here, with
a second outpost dedicated to serving up
Portlanders our legendary pizza and craft beer.
Cheers,
The Milne Family
(click here for beer menu)
Motoring Through Portland’s Past
Walk into Old Town Pizza /Old Town Brewing Co.
and listen closely. You might hear the far-off strains
of an idling engine mixed with the hum of guest
chatter. That’s because this location has a storied
history as a center of automotive commerce, dating
back to before World War II.
In the early 1930s, Herbert L. Frank opened a used
car dealership just south of where Old Town Pizza
now stands. Through the early half of the 1940s,
with the war halting the manufacturing of new cars,
used auto lots like Frank’s were commonplace up
and down what was then Union Avenue.
In 1946, post-war prosperity boosted demand for
sleek new cars; Americans were ready to roll, and
Detroit was pumping out cruisers for an auto-
hungry public. Frank Chevrolet was born. Across
the street were a new Ford dealership and a small
pharmacy (later to become a Fred Meyer Department
Store). Frank Chevrolet lived on this block through
the prosperity of the 1950s and tumult of the 1960s,
until finally surrendering in 1972. A year later,
Harley Davidson opened a dealership, but rode it
out only until 1977. Through the rest of the 1970s
and into the 1980s, the building housed a
succession of auto repair and service businesses.
By 1990, the neighborhoods along Union Avenue
had been through many evolutions… including the
thoroughfare’s name change to Martin Luther King
Jr. Blvd.
Old Town Pizza is proud to play a role in the
regeneration of inner northeast Portland as one of
the first to sign on with Vanport Square, a Portland
Development Commission-backed project that has
its roots in the City of Vanport. A bustling
shipbuilding community of the 1940s, Vanport was
home to many of the area’s African American
citizens until the flood of 1948 – and discriminatory
housing practices – drove them into Portland’s
inner north and northeast neighborhoods.
With our family home just three blocks away, we
believe in our “old town” neighborhood of Walnut
Park, and are taking the opportunity in our history-
rich location to showcase our philosophy of
sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Many of the design features – such as the weathered
wood wall from an old Oregon barn, the giant beams
from barracks that housed Italian immigrants at the
San Pablo Fish & Wildlife Refuge, and the
centerpiece chandelier that hung in the Portland
Art Museum until a 1970s remodel – were
reclaimed and given new life here… just like our
neighborhood.
Old Town Pizza has been a part of Portland’s culture
since 1974, when the Accuardi family opened the
doors of the historic Old Town Pizza landmark
location. We’re carrying on that tradition here, with
a second outpost dedicated to serving up
Portlanders our legendary pizza and craft beer.
Cheers,
The Milne Family
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| 5201 NE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD - 503.200.5988 |
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