Floods – 1894 and 1948
133 SW Second
The Haseltine Building originally housed J. E. Haseltine & Co., a company that sold hardware, supplies, and wagon materials. The building was constructed during a time when Portland was growing quickly, and many new businesses were opening to support the needs of the developing city.
The building’s exterior has a strong and sturdy appearance. The lower floors are made of heavy stone, while the upper floors are covered in stucco over brick. One of the most noticeable features is the series of large stone arches on the ground floor. These arches were popular in late 19th-century architecture and give the building a bold, almost fortress-like look.
One of the most interesting things about the Haseltine Building is the flood markers on its outside walls. These markers show how high the water rose during major floods in Portland’s history. Two of the most important floods were in 1894 and 1948. The 1894 flood marker is placed surprisingly high on the wall, showing how serious that flood was. The water remained high for days but people adjusted by using canoes, and rowboats to travel through the city. Shopkeepers raised shelves above the floodwaters and reopened for business. Customers arrived to shop by boat. Waterfront businesses sustained the most damage as their foundations shifted and interiors were water damaged. Recovering from the floods was expensive and took a long time.
The 1948 flood was the result of a break in a dike along the Columbia River. The flood wiped out the community of Vanport in North Portland and left 18,000 people homeless. The water level was not as high but it reminds us how the Columbia and Willamette rivers have shaped the city.
Today, the Haseltine Building is still used for retail, offices and businesses, and many of its historic architectural features have been carefully preserved. Visiting the building and seeing the flood markers helps people understand what earlier residents experienced and how the city has changed over time.
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Discussion Questions:
Have students measure their height against the marker. Would their heads have been above water?
Vocabulary: hardware, dike,
State Education Standards:
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
Visual Arts 10.CO1.3 Identify and show how artwork forms meanings, situations and/or culture (e.g. popular culture, online and local experiences) Connecting artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context, to deepen understanding.