Ornate sandstone arches and palatial century homes announce your arrival to the Laurelhurst neighborhood, one of Portland’s earliest parcels of developed land. The streets are curvy, the trees are old, and there’s plenty of old-timey charm.
🎤 Why You Should Visit This Week: Comedy in the Park
What started as a way for Portlanders to safely gather and giggle during a decidedly unfunny time (you know, the pandemic) has grown into a marquee summertime event. At Kickstand Comedy in the Park, hundreds of people lay blankets on the grass in Laurelhurst Park to hear sets from hilarious local and traveling comics, free of charge.
The season kicks off this Friday, June 5, and runs until Sept. 4, with each show starting at 6:30 p.m. You can expect “clean” material, although some jokes may toe the line (just in case you have particularly discerning kiddos). Weekly lineups are announced on Kickstand Comedy’s Instagram page; opening night will feature Jordan Casner, Virginia Jones, Derek Sheen, Jaci Terjeson, and Kenny Tam, hosted by Julia Corral and Rachelle Cochran.
🔪 Biz Notes: A Slice of Sandy
Largely a residential neighborhood, Laurelhurst’s businesses sit along a short section of Sandy Boulevard. There, you’ll find Steelport Knife Co., a local producer of heirloom-quality culinary knives that offers free tours during business hours. Next door at PulsePDX, an upbeat gym known for its dance fitness classes, you’ll find a sweaty form of self-expression.
And two blocks away on Northeast Wasco Street, Daffodill Studios is the ideal place to try a new creative pursuit in an encouraging environment. Workshops include jewelry crafting, rug tufting, stained glass cutting, bookbinding, ceramics, and printmaking.
For food and drink, there’s brunch bites at Petite Provence, Haitian comfort food at TapTap Cuisine, and Chopsticks, the lively Chinese restaurant and karaoke bar with plenty of chow mein and local mystique (Elliott Smith and Sleater-Kinnery used to hang out at the original location).
🛶 History: Cows to Crowns
Before Laurelhurst became a streetcar-serviced suburb, it was a sizable dairy operation called Hazel Fern Farm owned by William Sargent Ladd (yes, that lad).
The Laurelhurst Company — named for a neighborhood it had previously developed in Seattle — bought the land in 1909. A variety of house styles were built through 1925, including Arts and Crafts, Colonial Revival, and Foursquare homes. Many of them, like the Albee House, aka the “Mayor’s Mansion,” have landed on the National Register of Historic Places and are included in the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association’s walking tour.
At the heart of Laurelhurst Park, the natural spring that once fed cows became Firwood Lake, inspired by Olmsted’s nature-based landscape design. For years, queens of the Rose Festival were crowned on lavish rafts and boats there. The pond has also been the stomping grounds for fearsome swans. A white waterfowl dubbed General Pershing once ruled with iron feathers, preventing anyone from enjoying the shoreline without a fight; another more affable bird called Big Boy was regularly fed by a local man, who also taught him to nod his head and honk a greeting to visitors.
Did we miss something in Laurelhurst? Send us a line to share your recs.
