Northeast Portland
Hollywood Theater
Rose City Golf Club
The Kennedy School
Rocky Butte

Northeast Portland contains a diverse collection of neighborhoods. For example, while Irvington and the Alameda Ridge feature some of the oldest and most expensive homes in Portland, nearby King is a more working-class neighborhood. Because it is so large, Northeast Portland can essentially be divided ethnically, culturally, and geographically into inner and outer sections. Inner Northeast includes several shopping areas, such as the Lloyd District, Alberta Arts District and Hollywood, and part of the affluent Irvington, Alameda, Grant Park, Sullivan's Gulch and Laurelhurst neighborhoods and nearby developments.

Northeast

Portland, OR.


Outside of the Hollywood Theater in 2016
People watching a movie in the Hollywood Theater Close up of Hollywood Theater sign

The Hollywood Theater

The Hollywood Theatre opened its doors on Saturday, July 17, 1926, with a showing of the silent film MORE PAY - LESS WORK. A 1,500-seat silent movie palace complete with an 8-piece orchestra and organist, the Hollywood was the last venue in Portland built as both a vaudeville house and a movie theatre. Designed by Bennes & Herzog architects of Portland, a local advertisement called it a “palace of luxury, comfort and entertainment unsurpassed by any theatre on the Coast.” It proved such a popular destination that Portland's Hollywood District ultimately took its name from the Theatre.

In 1959, 70mm projection was installed at the Hollywood, and in 1961, the Hollywood became the only Cinerama theater in the state of Oregon. In 1975, walls and projection booths were built to divide the Theatre’s balcony and create the layout that still exists today: Three separate auditorium spaces, the 384-seat main auditorium and two smaller theaters upstairs.

Attention was brought to the Theatre when it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, but by the late ’80s, the Hollywood had fallen into disrepair, and many of the classic film formats had been lost.

In 1997, the non-profit Film Action Oregon (FAO) purchased the Hollywood Theatre and began to restore the neglected theatre into the local treasure it once was. In 2011, the non-profit dropped the name Film Action Oregon, and is now simply known as the Hollywood Theatre.

Today, thanks to ongoing restoration efforts and the support of the community, the Hollywood has been transformed into a nonprofit modern-historic movie house where visitors can experience the art of film.

In partnership with the Port of Portland, the Hollywood Theatre has opened a first-of-its-kind free microcinema at Portland International Airport. The airport microcinema is located after security in the airport's C Concourse.

The Rose City

Golf Clubhouse

The Rose City Golf Clubhouse, is significant under “Criterion A,” Entertainment and Recreation, as the second municipal golf course established in Oregon and the oldest surviving example of a municipal golf clubhouse in Portland.

Constructed in 1931 and 1932, the clubhouse was designed by Portland architect Herbert A. Angell and built by general contractor B. T. Allyn. It was made as the main facility for the Rose City Golf Course. The course was designed by landscape architect George H. Otten and constructed between 1922 and 1927. The Clubhouse has seen few changes since its opening in 1932. However, the interior has been heavily remodeled over the years. This has resulted in the loss of historic fabric and materials. Despite this, several historic features still remain, and the basic configuration and orientation of the floor plan is in place.

The building expresses the efforts of golfers in Northeast Portland to organize the community to create a recreational facility during the begining of the Great Depression. The Rose City Golf Clubhouse was constructed at a time when golf became widely popular among middle class patrons. No longer a game for the elite, the Rose City Golf Clubhouse served as a surrogate home for Portland’s growing middle class.

Vintage image of Rose City Golf Course
Vintage image of Rose City Golf Clubhouse Current image of Rose City Golf Clubhouse
The Kennedy School entrace Vintage Kennedy School entrace
A bar inside The Kennedy School

The Kennedy School

The Kennedy School, originally the John D. Kennedy Elementary School, was a elementary school that has been converted to a hotel, movie theater and dining establishment. The facility is operated by the McMenamins chain. The hotel has 35 guestrooms, a brewery, four bars, and a restaurant. The school was built in 1915. The land for the school was sold by John Daniel Kennedy to the Portland School District in 1913. By the 1990s, the school had been abandoned. McMenamins, the Portland-based hotel and pub group, bought the old building and funded a full renovation. Today, the Kennedy School functions as an event space with 57 classroom-turned-guestrooms with original chalkboards included. The old cafeteria has been converted into a courtyard restaurant, and the common areas now include a bar, gift shop, movie theater, brewery, and soaking tub.

Vintage arial view of Rocky Butte
Walk way to the top of Rocky Butte 2015 Current arial view of Rocky Butte The top of Rocky Butte 2016

Rocky Butte


Rocky Butte is an extinct volcanic cinder cone butte in Portland, Oregon. It is one of four, along with Kelly Butte, Powell Butte, and Mount Tabor, inside the city. Each butte hosts a city park, Rocky Butte playing host to Joseph Wood Hill Park. Rocky Butte is also part of the Boring Lava Field, a group of over 30 cinder cones in Oregon and Washington. The slopes of Rocky Butte are home of the Rocky Butte Natural Area. A rotating beacon at the summit of the butte is visible at night for miles.

Formerly known as Wiberg Butte, a large quantity of rock was removed from the quarry on the east face of Rocky Butte in the 1940s for use in the new Multnomah County jail, Rocky Butte Jail. After the jail was demolished in the 1980s, much of the stone was reused along the Historic Columbia River Highway.

Currently, Rocky Butte is a popular location for rock climbers in the Portland area. It hosts approximately 150 routes which vary in difficulty and type. The majority of routes will be top-roped, though there are some options for traditional climbing and lead climbing. The most popular climbs are on the section known as Video Bluff.