PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Pearl District in NW Portland is one of the city’s most upscale neighborhoods — but it wasn’t always that way. How it came to be known as “the Pearl” is a big part of where we live.
From world class restaurants to luxury condos and art galleries that host the famous First Thursday Art Walk and Street Fair, the Pearl District is an area that has truly transformed within the past 2 decades.
“It’s phenomenal, and some days I can’t believe it!” real estate broker Debbie Thomas said.
Until the mid-1980’s, the Pearl was a gritty warehouse district called the Northwest Industrial Triangle. The area attracted artists and creative types throughout the years, and eventually the city began luring development to the area.
But what’s now regarded as the Pearl District emerged faster than anyone could have anticipated.
So, how did the Pearl get its name?
“I’m going with Thomas Augustine’s theory,” Thomas said.
Augustine worked as a local art gallery owner in the Pearl. At a party in 1985, a freelance writer reportedly asked Augustine about the area’s name. The writer later quoted Augustine’s answer in a travel magazine.
“Think about it. These old, crusty exteriors on the buildings are like the exterior of the oyster shell. But inside it’s amazing: There are literally thousands of people inhabiting them, some illegally …not only painters and sculptors but software-makers, wine distributors, poets and musicians. That’s a wonderful metaphor,” Augustine was quoted saying.
But it wasn’t the full story. Augustine told KOIN 6 News the area’s name is also a tribute to an Ethiopian missionary he met in New Orleans. Her name was Pearl Marie Amhara.
When Augustine moved to Portland, Pearl would come stay for long visits. She became his inspiration during their 31-year friendship.
However the Pearl District got its name, it’s an appropriate description of what this part of NW Portland has become, and what it can be in the future.
Augustine currently lives in Eugene. He insists Pearl Marie Amhara did exist, and she died in 1996.