Dan & Louis Oyster Bar
208 SW Ankeny St
The Bickel Building is named after Louis Bickel, a businessman who owned shops and rental properties in Portland. Like many buildings in Old Town, the Bickel Building was made with brick and cast-iron details, which were very popular in Portland during the late 1800s.
One of the most interesting things about the Bickel Building is how it was used over time. Many different businesses have occupied it, including small stores, offices, and restaurants. Today, the building is best known as the longtime home of Dan & Louis Oyster Bar, which opened in 1907. This makes it one of Portland’s oldest family-owned restaurants.
Inside the restaurant, visitors can see a cistern, which is a deep water storage tank built under the floor. Long ago, cisterns were important because they held water for fighting fires before modern plumbing and hydrants existed. In the Bickel Building, the cistern can still be viewed through a glass window in the floor, making it a unique feature.
Architecturally, the building shows what early Portland looked like. It has tall, narrow windows, decorative trim, and metal details that were common in the 19th century. These cast-iron elements were made in local foundries, which helped Portland become known for its ironwork. Buildings like the Bickel help preserve the character of Old Town and help people understand what the city looked like more than a century ago.
It is interesting to note how narrow SW Ankeny is. This is because it was historically the dividing line between two early land claims and one of the property owners failed to dedicate their portion of land for the full street width. Captain Ankeny set aside a 30-foot wide strip on his land claim to provide half of a standard street.
Captain Stark, was expected to do the same on his side. However, before he could, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1861 and moved to Washington D.C., where he evidently forgot about the commitment.
As a result, only half of the intended street width was initially built, and developers on the Stark claim built their properties right up to the edge of the narrow path, creating a permanent alley-like dimension.
Today this narrow street is a pedestrian only right-of-way and adds to the historic character of the area.
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Discussion Questions:
Why were cisterns important to early Portland ?
How does the narrow street make you feel?
Would it feel differently if cars were allowed on it?
Vocabulary: cistern, pedestrian
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State Education Standards:
Visual Arts.5.PR2.3 Compare and contrast how art exhibited in and outside of school in museums, galleries, and other venues, including virtual spaces, contributes to the community. Presenting-Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
Social Studies 3.2. Describe the responsibilities of people in their community and state. Civics and Government
Social Studies 3.17. Use a variety of historical sources including artifacts, pictures and documents to identify factual evidence. Social Science Analysis
Social Studies 3.19 Analyze different ways that people, other living things, and the environment might be affected by an event, issue, or problem. Social Science Analysis