Mississippi/Albina (N)

Tuesday, I treked 4.5 miles around the trendy Mississippi neighborhood. I chose the boundaries of Fremont to Skidmore, the Missouri Ave (I-5 freeway wall) to Kerby Ave. This is the Boise-Eliot neighborhood and has long been steeped in a rich African-American culture, but has undergone recent urban revitalization which has made the area uber-trendy with boutiques, cafes, music venues, and all the other trappings of yuppydom, and now straddles the two cultures, seemingly amicably.

Surprisingly, even with all the money and affluence dumping into Mississippi, the neighborhood is rather pockety. Seven - ten years ago many of the houses were inexpensive and in a deferred state of repair, intrepid buyers purchased many of them and fixed them up. Some still stay the same. It gives Mississippi a gritty edge and anchors it in reality, which I think is pretty cool. Because of this, there's still untapped potential in the neighborhood and I suspect as the economy rights itself this neighborhood will lose much of it's grit, and blossom. I can't say if that's good or bad, I see the beauty in grit.

Architecturally, it's a mixed bag, but mostly turn-of-the-century with a few infill ranches, dwell-style moderns,  lots of bungalows, and myriad apartment complexes of varying eras. There are many victorian homes, both grand and working class, some perched atop hills and others tightly edged in amongst the rest. There are small shot-gun shacks harkening back to a simpler existance, and over-the-top modernist structures cohabitating side by side rather nicely.

It's a rather artsy area and I was pleasantly surprised to find a gnome-diarama built in the garden retaining wall of house. The pics are included.



I went to the Shire!



Industrious lil' fellows!

Rooftop garden, how 'green' of him!

Ripe with potential!

If you like these, you'll really love my website's Mid-Mod or Period-Perfect picks of the week!