Early newspaper reports place the first “East Ankeny” car barn at East Twenty-fourth and Ankeny, opening on January 26, 1893, but I’m becoming increasingly skeptical of that placement. By 1894, the location is noted as East Twenty-eighth between Burnside and Couch and it is here that a fire burned down the wooden structure on April 22, 1894. Reporting on a subsequent insurance court case moves the barn back to Ankeny and dates the fire erroneously to April 2, 1894, which adds to the confusion. The damaged property named in the insurance case was owned by a Mr. John Schmurr, and was sold by him in November 1894. Records show that this property was adjacent to the East Twenty-Eighth and Couch location. I have yet to come across any mention of the barn being relocated from 24th to 28th—which surely would be newsworthy!—so I can only assume that it was always located at 28th, and the early reports were inaccurate.

Eventually, a complex of three different car barns was built up over a period of time: the replacement barn for the one lost to the 1894 fire to the east of 28th between Burnside and Couch (1894, rebuilt in 1912); one to the east of 28th between Burnside and Ankeny (August 1910); and one to the west of 28th Avenue between Burnside and Couch (September 1911).

The northeastern unit was rebuilt by May 1894 and was enlarged in 1901 and again in 1903, eventually filling half of the block between 28th and 29th streets. The old wooden frame building was demolished and rebuilt in brick, with the new structure opening in September 1912. After decommissioning, the barn was converted into a supermarket in 1952, and today houses a Whole Foods Market.

The southeastern unit was completed in August 1910. In later years when less car storage was needed it was converted into traction company offices, and was sold off when the Portland Traction Company became Rose City Transit in 1954. It survives today in a heavily-remodeled form as the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon building.

PRL&P purchased the entire block between 26th, 28th, Burnside and Couch for the construction of a new barn in July 1911. This two-bay barn was completed by October 1911 and became the northwestern unit of the complex. The eastern bay of this unit was lost to suspected arson in September 1958; the western bay remains today as the Burnside Trolley Building, which is listed the National Register of Historic Places as “West Ankeny Car Barns Bay E”.

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It is interesting to note that this was always known as the “Ankeny” or “East Ankeny” barn right from the early years, even when the only structure was located between Burnside and Couch streets. My theory is that the first barn was named after the East Ankeny carline that it served, rather than its physical location.

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Google Earth .kmz file overlaid on a map showing the ultimate track layout of the Ankeny car barns.

Lines Housed

• Beaumont (1911–1936)
• East Ankeny (1892–1913*)
• East Twenty-Eighth (1913–1936)
• Irvington (1890–1914, 1933–1940)
• Montavilla (1892–1948)
• Mount Tabor (1889–1948)
• Rose City Park (1907–1936)
• Sunnyside (1888–1933*)

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