Next Door

 Astoria, Oregon ~ January 15, 2013

This house on Irving between 9th and 10th is the companion to yesterday's post. In yesterday's second photo, the two old Victorians looked deceptively close together.

Hilly streets and sidewalks are part of the landscape. 

I thought the treatment of the lintel over the walkway was inventive.

This old house has a nice warm sun in the points of the eaves. I don't remember what you call this part of the house.

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Green Victorian

Astoria, Oregon ~ January 15, 2013

Astoria has its share of fascinating houses.

It looks more substantial from this angle.

The details are always unique.

Like many, this old house on Irving near 9th Street bears a historic plaque:

1889

Built by J.H. Mansell, notary. La

ter occupied by John Mc Cue, U.S.

Customs Inspector, 1906. Pres-

byterian Parsonage for

W.S. Gilbert

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Unromantic?

Astoria, Oregon ~ September 19, 2012

This photo is unusual because: 1) I took it during a (please excuse me if you come from a place where these actually occur) rare traffic jam, and 2) It's not a spot I would normally think of photographing. This is the traffic circle leading onto the Young's Bay Bridge. I posted a popular photo here, where you see the same buildings and hill from a more photogenic angle. If you were to look out the passenger side window, you would soon see a view like this one.

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Coolest Sign Award

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 20, 2012

I could fall in love with almost any Victorian house, but I have a special place in my heart for Italianate Victorians. I can't tell you why. They're not as interesting-looking as the more ornate Victorians, so maybe it's their unexpectedness or their stately effect. Or maybe it's the name. This house across from the rectory (or whatever denomination it is) in my last post gets my personal "Coolest Sign of the Day" award.

Circa

1870

This Italianate was built to be the

home for the Charles Heilborn

 Family. In 1904 it became the 

home of Geo. Nelson, a ship's

Chandler. Eleanor – his

 wife – was the daughter of 

Capt. Gustov Holmes.

1929

Mildred Stacey arrived in

Astoria the night of the 

1922 fire. She moved into 

this house in 1929 and ran 

an upscale boarding house 

from 1930-1960's. She lived 

here until her passing at 

the age of 104 ~

 private     residence

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Rectory in the Rain

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 20, 2012

I always love the variety of design and detail found in Astoria's older buildings. This one bears a plaque from the historical society. I believe this is on Franklin Street. I know it's near 15th. I did not take note of the denomination of the church next door, so maybe someone will tell me.

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Drive-by Astoria #17: Perspectives

Astoria, Oregon ~ September 15, 2012

Marine Drive

At the beginning of the drive-by series, starting with photo #2, we were tripping along Bond Street. Now we're heading back toward town on Marine Drive paralleling Bond, which is somewhere in the midst of the vegetation climbing this hill. I'm not sure which row of windows is street level on the white building ( believe it's the second row from the roof), but . . . (see below) . . . 

. . . this nearby tall building is the back of the apartment complex I showed in this post. The lower row of windows seen here is at street level on the other side. You can just see the top of the windows on the 4th floor, and there is one more below that - the apartment where I lived when I first moved here. From this angle, it looks like it wouldn't have much of a view, but it certainly did.

When I stepped out the back door and climbed half a dozen steps . . .

. . . the world opened up. These last two photos were taken August 7, 2001.

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Drive-by Astoria #14: Uniontown

Astoria, Oregon ~ September 15, 2012

Marine Drive, Uniontown

Still on our drive-by excursion, we pass some buildings in the short stretch of Marine Drive called Uniontown that were apparently built as houses, but most often are home to small businesses. I enjoyed the funky and eclectic "Captain Fishhead's Emporium," or whatever the official name was, but it's emptied out now. Stores in this area have ranged from the fun and funky to the downright sleazy. I got my favorite shoes mended in this vicinity, so that was quite useful. You can see in the upper left of the photo how the bridge ramp vaults into the air at a nice clip.

What are your favorite or least favorite places in Uniontown?

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Drive-by Astoria #12: A Woodsy Scene on Marine Drive

Astoria, Oregon ~ September 15, 2012

Marine Drive

Being built on a hill, Astoria provides numerous views like this one, and being in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), the views are usually green, even before the rains start after summer. I took this photo along Marine Drive not far fron where the bridge crosses to Washington. There may be Blackberries in there. . . .

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Drive-by Astoria #11: Houses on Young's Bay

Astoria, Oregon ~ September 15, 2012

Still on Young's Bay Bridge almost to the Astoria side, we get a good view of Astoria's cool wooden houses along Marine Drive at the base the Astoria hill. The pilings with lintels (?) are left over from a dock. There was also a beautiful red boathouse (which I never saw) and net shed where people could be seen mending nets. Gill net boats were often tied up there as well. The building was blown down in a storm in about the 1970s. If anyone can describe more about Astoria's lost features at this location, please comment or send e-mail. That's Florence Avenue starting its trip up the lower part of the hill. The tall hill with the Astoria Column on top is out of sight on the right. 

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Drive-by Astoria #3: A Finnish House

Astoria, Oregon ~ September 15, 2012

Bond Street Hill

This recently-painted house on Bond Street is in the Finnish style, lacking the Victorian elements seen in yesterday's post. Pat asked if Astoria was originally a Finnish town. Not entirely, but there were a lot of Scandinavians here working in the fishing industry - catching fish making boats, repairing nets and other equipment, and working in the canneries. Fishing was a huge enterprise here in earlier decades, and much of the tuna you ate as a kid probably came from Astoria.

We're getting higher up on Bond Street now, and the hills in the background are across the Columbia river in Washington. Those wires that are a photographer's nemesis around here are also prominent.

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Looking Shiny

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 22, 2011

For a couple of years (seems like, anyway) this lovely old Victorian on Harrison Street has been under exterior renovation. I noticed yesterday that it is now free of scaffolding and the old gray paint has been replaced with a whole new scheme. This could be Part 2 in a series of pumpkins between holidays. See yesterday's post here if you missed it.

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With This Lot You Get Color in November

Astoria, Oregon ~ November 8, 2011

It's true - the colors are gorgeous on 11th Street and around Astoria. You also get one thing with this lot that I removed from the picture. I don't usually Photoshop out the power lines, but today I couldn't help showing the blue sky crystal clear. As I type this, the clouds are moving in.

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First Spring Flower Photo

Astoria, Oregon ~ March 12, 2011

Flowers are starting to "spring" up all over town. There are yellow daffodils, and the azaleas are starting to bloom. I found this bush of beautiful deep pink camelias on the way to Western Oregon Waste ("WOW"), where I was recycling the printer that broke last weekend. Sorry about the colors being faded - it's been either drizzling or pouring all week.

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Another of Astoria's Unique Victorians

Astoria, Oregon ~ January 23, 2010

Perched on a hill at approximately Lexington and 17th Streets, this house has an incredible view. One of the reasons I love Victorian houses is because each combines the elements so differently. Down the hill, you can see the house featured in this post.

Today I took the time to figure out how to correct the odd slanting angles made by the digital camera. I tried it in this photo, and it worked. Sometimes I like the crazy angles, you will continue to see some, but not all the time  :)

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Stylish

Astoria, Oregon ~ January 23, 2010

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Near the Top

Astoria, Oregon ~ January 23, 2010

I took a lot of photos on a long walk last January when Francisca was visiting. For some reason - maybe the lighting - a lot of them were usable. Here's a pretty home on a large piece of open land just before you go into the forest on the way to the top of Coxcomb Hill to see the Astoria Column. There was plenty of filtered sun that day. This was one of the cloudier moments, as I remember.

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Three in a Row

Astoria, Oregon ~ January 23, 2010

These three houses must have a story, and if anyone knows it, I'd be interested to hear it. They have similar design elements. If you use your imagination, they are approximately red, white, and blue. 

The first house has the "comedy/tragedy" masks on the pediment representing drama and/or other creative arts.

The second house has an eagle that reminds me of early Americana. The three houses are across Grand Avenue from yesterday's Buddha. They seem like a matched set, but of what?

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Cows on the Long Beach Peninsula

Long Beach Peninsula, Washington ~ October 30, 2001

I encountered these cows, steer, heifers, or whatever on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington shortly after I moooooved to Astoria from Colorado. Not that there were no cows in Colorado - there were plenty - but they didn't live in drippy rainforests. I found the mossy, licheny environment very enchanting and somewhat peculiar, as this scene is a scant couple of miles (if that) from the ocean. It was nice to see some friendly faces, and amusing to think that these bovines rated a home of their own, even though they didn't seem to take care of it very well.

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Photo Contest: "Halloween Scary 365 Days a Year"

Astoria, Oregon

Guest Photographer: Alex (aka B.G. Owens)

Alex wrote, "The old Flavel House is Halloween scary 365 days a year."

That's right, folks. We did not make this up for Halloween. It sits right in one of Astoria's hilly residential neighborhoods all year round! I know a lot of you out there have stories about this place. . . .

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An Opera House Stood Here

March 26, 2010

Corner of Commercial and 6th Streets

Built on the site of the Ross Opera House

which burned in October 1892,

These are the only Itailianate style

buildings in Astoria designed as

a multi-family residence.

Sorry about the wires. . . . When the sign says "these," I am sure it refers to the building on the far right as well as to the building with the plaque. I should have checked that building, too, but I was snapping photos rather than thinking.

Here's a close-up of the scrollwork, of which there is quite a bit in Astoria that seems to have been made by the same person.

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