St. Johns City Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Johns City Hall |
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| General information | |
| Type | municipal |
| Architectural style | neo-Georgian |
| Location | St. Johns, Oregon (1907–1915) Portland, Oregon (1915–present) |
| Address | 7214 N Philadelphia Ave |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 45°35′20″N 122°45′21″W / 45.58889°N 122.75583°W |
| Current tenants | Portland Police Bureau |
| Groundbreaking | 1905 |
| Completed | 1907 |
| Opened | July 1, 1907 |
| Renovated | 1976 |
| Cost | $7,953 |
| Owner | City of Portland |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | W. W. Goodrich |
| Main contractor | Youngfedorf & Son |
| Designations | Portland Historic Landmark |
The St. Johns City Hall is a historic building in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. It was built in 1907 and looks like a classic Georgian style building. Youngferdorf & Son constructed it to be the city hall for the town of St. Johns, Oregon.
In 1915, St. Johns became part of Portland. The building then became the North Precinct for the Portland Police Bureau. It served as a police station until 2009. Today, it is home to the Police Bureau's Traffic Division.
Contents
History of St. Johns City Hall
Building the City Hall (1905–1915)
In 1905, the leaders of St. Johns decided to build a new city hall. They faced some money problems early on. The city almost had to sell the land they wanted to build on. A person named Charles Olhouse bought the land for $3,500.
The city council needed to pay for the land. They received help from M. L. Holbrook, who gave $2,000, and W. M. Killingsworth, who gave $1,000. These amounts were promised to be paid back later.
One council member, S. C. Norton, did not agree with the plan. He thought the council was misleading the public. He also believed the $10,000 cost for the new city hall was made up. Despite this, a contract for $7,953 was given to Youngferdorf & Son. They were in charge of the building's foundation, walls, roof, and floors.
Construction Challenges
The building was supposed to be finished quickly, by the end of 1906. However, Youngfedorf & Son did not meet the deadline. The city had to take over the project for a short time. The contractors were paid $2,000, but $800 worth of work was still left.
Alderman S. C. Norton was concerned about the delays. He questioned why the building construction was rushed. The building's architect, W. W. Goodrich, explained that bad weather and delayed shipments caused the problems. Eventually, the mayor decided to let Youngfedorf & Son finish the work.
A week later, the architect, W. W. Goodrich, passed away. His son took over the project. The building was planned to be ready by July 1, 1907.
What Was Inside the Building
The new city hall was a two-story brick building. It had a strong concrete foundation. On the first floor, there were offices for the mayor, city recorder, city attorney, and police chief. There was also a fire department office, a gym, and a room for records.
The second floor held the council's main meeting room. There were also smaller rooms for committees and jury meetings. The basement of the building even had jail cells.
In 1915, the people of St. Johns voted to become part of the City of Portland. The mayor of St. Johns made one last order: to free the only person in the jail. On July 8, 1915, the keys to the building were given to Portland officials. They also received $292.69 from the city's money.
Serving the City of Portland (1915–Present)
After St. Johns joined Portland in 1915, the building was used by the Portland Fire & Rescue and the Portland Police Bureau. In 1954, a new fire station was built in St. Johns. This left the police as the only group using the old city hall.
In 1976, the building closed temporarily for updates. These improvements were part of a city plan led by Mayor Neil Goldschmidt. In the late 1970s, the police allowed a local club to use the conference room.
Efforts to Keep the Precinct Open
There were plans to close the police precinct in 1994, but these plans were stopped. Residents of St. Johns and Mayor Vera Katz strongly urged to keep it open. Budget cuts again threatened to close the building in 1997. Once more, Mayor Katz helped save the precinct. She also defended it during budget cuts in 2002.
By 2007, the North Precinct had the fewest police calls in Portland. In 2009, Police Chief Rosie Sizer announced changes. Portland's five police precincts would become three. The North and Northeast precincts combined into one larger North Precinct. The new main office was in the former Northeast precinct building.
Since then, the old North precinct building (the former St. Johns City Hall) has been home to the Portland Police Bureau's Traffic Division.
