1940's view of downtown Los Angeles

Great 1940's view of downtown LA. City Hall front and center.

Los Angeles County Hospital

Wonderful early views of this amazing still standing 1933 Art Deco building.

Portland Sanitarium - Portland Oregon

Wonderful 40's view of the 1922 Portland Sanitarium. The building survives today at SE 60th and Yamhill though there are numerous modern additions (1949 and 1965) on various sides. All in a wonderful buff color brick.

Amazing sidelights on a simple farm house

Fairly simple farmhouse with some pretty amazing sidelights. Unknown location.

Old home in Brooklyn Wisconsin

Mailed from Brooklyn Wisconsin in 1912. Check out that porch swing!

Kruxo Real Photo Post Card

Unknown location but you can't beat great architecture in the SNOW!

Spectacular Victorian with 2 story turret!

This photo is among my favorite type of finds. It's a cabinet photo of just the house. Recently built and someone is very proud of it. It's in the Northwest for sure. Possibly Portland. Love the staggered picket fence. The house itself is quite simple but has a fairly elaborate roof and bracket work

Great Chicago Fire

Image from a Lovejoy & Foster stereoview I recently purchased at an estate sale.

Clark St Bridge Looking North - Chicago

Awesome old 1871 image of the Clark Street Bridge in Chicago. This was scanned from a Lovejoy & Foster stereoview I found at a local estate sale.

Mt St Joseph's Home for the Aged - Portland Oregon

Still standing at SE 30th and Stark in Portland Oregon.

Main Street - Moorland Iowa

Wonderful early dirt road view of Main St in Moorland Iowa

Our Lady of Good Council Catholic Church Moorland Iowa

Wonderful early view of Our Lady of Good Council Catholic Church in Moorland Iowa. This image shows it prior to an addition on the front of the building. It also shows the parsonage.

Old home - Galena Illinios

Great old house dating to the 1860's or 70's. Galena Illinois.

Group photo in front of the High School - Galena Illinios

My best guess is this is the old high school perhaps before an expansion. Same architecture but smaller than what's there today. Unknown date.

A. C. Platt photo of College Square (Oberlin College)

Wonderful small and old image of College Square at Oberlin College. Taken in the 1870's or 1880's. The chapel is at left. Not sure what the building on the right is.

Beautiful basalt stone porch. Possible Old Portland OR home

I purchased that real photo post card recently and it just has a real Portland feel. All that's written on the back is: "This is a picture of out house. Melvin is Standing on the porch". No address no family name. You can however see that the address was 121. IF this is Portland (and I do mean IF) it's clearly taken before 1931 when the city was renumbered. I was able to determine with about an hours worth of eye strain that there were 43 addresses in Portland before 1931 that were "121". I individually googled and then if necessary portlandmaps.com'd the addresses to see what I could find. Of the 43 I found no certain matches. The house is VERY VERY similar the the home that currently houses Rimsky-Korsakoffee House but there were some slight period details that rule it out (probably). 2 of the potential addresses also match the 2 block swath that is now the Belmont Townhomes. There is a spattering of some other addresses that are either eaten up by freeway projects including 2 near the I-405 on ramp from I-5 as well as some parking lots and modern commercial spaces. A total of 14 possible locations using the pre-1931 "121" address. Or again, it's not even Portland. Either way it's a pretty cool home!

Early view of Hell's Gate Canyon - Montana

Unknown date but a great early view of Hell's Gate Canyon in Montana.

Friday Harbor, Washington

Wonderful view of Friday Harbor. This is from a real photo post card mailed from Friday Harbor in September of 1938

Business Section of Portland Oregon

Wonderful tinted post titled: "Overlooking Business Section of Portland, Oregon". Lots of great details including some painted signs. Note the L. Mayer & Co Grocers, Honeyman, DeHart & Co Hardware, Iron Steel, Stoves and Tinware signs. I'm still not 100% sure what street this is looking onto. I vaguely recognize some buildings but can't make a certain guess.

J. H. Bratt image of Astoria Oregon

Wonderful early view of Astoria, Oregon by James Henry Bratt. He photographed Astoria from 1893 to 1895.

Early view of buildings on Third & Alder - Portland OR

Great image of SW Third in Portland. The wonderful Second Empire designed Masonic Hall (1871-1928) is the most striking. See also the intact Dekum Building and Postal Building as well as the long lost chamber of Commerce Building. Oh and there's a HOUSE in there too!

1705 SE Salmon - Portland Oregon

Wonderful early view of 1705 SE Salmon. Still there and pretty much unchanged! Wonderful Buckman Neighborhood street for viewing all kinds of historic homes!

"Modern Bungalow" on the Road of a Thousand Wonders

I'm not entirely sure this is even Portland as I have some similar postcards that say Portland but are actually homes in California. Also not too sure what this "Road of a Thousand Wonders" is. Sove the river rock foundation and the very simple stone wall!

Tinted postcard of Downtown Portland

Wonderful early view of Downtown taken sometime before 1922 when the Henry Failing House was razed.

The Lane House - Manzanita Oregon

Wonderful beach cottage! Doubt that it's still there..... :(

Original E. M. Waite Menorial Fountain Salem Oregon

Early 20's image of the original E. M. Waite Memorial Fountain in Salem Oregon. It was replaced in the 1960's after it was damaged in the Columbus Day Storm.

Band Stand Chemawa Oregon

Wonderful post card image of the band stand at the U.S. Indian Training School in Chemawa, Oregon.

Ladd School - Portland Oregon

Long gone downtown school. Once located on the Park Blocks. Architecture and snow..... An awesome combination!

Christian Brothers Business College - Portland, OR

I'm not sure what year it was built or when it was lost but this wonderful building once stood at the corner of NE Grand and NE Clackamas. Today it is the parking lot for my dentist.

Unindentified and

Ideas on the first one. The second home was identified by Peter Bellant on Dead Memories Portland as the Elmer E. Lytle home. He was President of Pacific Railway & Navigation Company, Columbia Southern Railway and namesake of Lake Lytle in Tillamook County. It was located at NW 24th and Johnson (historical address 175 24th Street North).

Great panorama of Tacoma, Washington

View taken from a building roughly at Market Street and St Helens Avenue in Tacoma facing Mt Rainier. The cool turret building at right is the Music Box Theater and the 1911 Puget Sound National Bank is the tallest building in the image.

Early photo of the Ontario, Oregon train station

Early view of the Ontario Oregon Train Station. Still stands today!

Wonderful early view of Astoria, Oregon

I'm not sure of the exact year but probably somewhere in the 1900 range.

US Coast Guard Lifesaving Station Barview, Oregon

Small snapshot of the US Coast Guard Lifesaving Station built in 1908 in Barview, Oregon (near Garibaldi). It still survives though not all that well.

The Madrona Inn on Orcas Island

The Madrona Inn on Orcas Island. The sign on the building simply says MADRONA INN but with a little on-line research it appears to be the central lodge at a place that had 24 cabins. The back of the postcard reads: "July `7th Dear Ellen, Arrived here 2:00 yesterday. We're tired as boar was alone. Had chicken dinner & everything & have swell cottage "Gray Gables" 3 rooms & 3 beds so ma & I sleep alone. Slept pretty well and had a fine breakfast, will hike some now & have lunch. It is ideal here & we all feel lazy. Love you all. Olive". It was sent to Mrs. James Van Allen at 6556 20th Ave NW Seattle WA. I can't make out the year.

So long 4332 NE Couch St

Looks like TTM Development Company (Tucker Merrihew) has quite frankly taken a giant shit on Laurelhurst. This unsophisticated and disrespectful development company has leveled to the ground a beautiful 1926 Spanish style home (and Home Depot-fied the garage). I was able to save a screen shot from Google so in the future when searching this address or this developer who provides, and I quote from their website, "the highest quality renovated houses available in the Portland Metro area" everyone will see just what the neighborhood lost. Really really sad.

Isaac Hodgson Jr. Home Portland, Oregon

Built in 1891 by Hodgson himself. Demolished in the 1950's.

View from Kings Hill to the East toward Mt Hood ca. 1900

Wonderful image taken from the Kings Hill Neighborhood in Portland Oregon sometime around 1900. In the foreground the spectacular 1887 C. M. Forbes home at left and St. Helens Hall at right. In the distance you can see the Portland High School, Chamber of Commerce, and the original Oregonian building tower. Not many survivors but there are a few.

Home of E. B. Mitchell Lankershim, California

Image of a wonderful craftsman home in Lankershim California.

Sciotoville Ohio (Portsmouth) flood

Wonderful image of what is probably the 1913 flood of the Ohio River but it could also be the 1937 flood.

Herman Brookman designed residence in Portland OR

3820 SE Glenwood St is a small architectural masterpiece by Herman Brookman, one of Portland's most famous architects. Among his credits are the Commodore Hotel, M. Lloyd Frank Estate (now Lewis & Clark College), the Harry A Green house also know as the Bitar Mansion, and Temple Beth Israel.

This home was built between 1928 and 1932. I was given the opportunity to tour this house by the listing agent and as usual I brought my camera. The new owners are interested in restoring the home to it's original glory. Enjoy!