09/20/2016
Last Thursday, Innovative Housing, Inc. unveiled the first in a groundbreaking series of sound art installations designed to help bring the history of Old Town to life. Guests gathered to celebrate Old Town’s newest attraction, created by historian Jacqueline Peterson-Loomis and sound recordist Larry Johnson, and produced in collaboration with Charles Morrow of Charles Morrow Productions.
The first soundscape evokes August Erickson’s Workingman’s Saloon between 1890 and 1916. It is located on NW 2nd Avenue between Burnside and Couch, in front of the Erickson Fritz Apartments. For the first 15 minutes of each hour, those who pass by on the sidewalk will find themselves enveloped in the sound bubble of another era. Soon to come will be soundscapes that tell the story of the Greek community in Old Town circa 1925-1960, the Jewish immigrant experience from 1925-1960, and the Japanese American experience from 1915-1941. Each soundscape will be installed on an historic building within a 3-block radius so that visitors can easily enjoy a self-guided tour through Old Town’s past.
The Old Town Soundscape Project is generously funded by the Portland Development Commission and the Oregon Cultural Trust.
