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 car barns 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 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 definitely adjacent to the East Twenty-Eighth and Couch location. I have yet to come across any mention of moving the barns from 24th to 28th, so I can only assume that it was always located at 28th, and the early reports were not accurate.
Eventually, a complex of three different car barns built up over a period of time – the replacement barn for the one lost to the 1894 barn to the east of 28th between Burnside and Couch (1894); one to the east of 28th between Burnside and Couch (1910); and one to the west of 28th Avenue between Burnside and Ankeny (1911).
The north-eastern unit was built in 1894 and was enlarged in 1901 and 1903, eventually filling half the block. The building was rebuilt in brick in 1912. After decommissioning, the barn was converted into a supermarket in 1952, and today houses a Whole Foods Market.
The south-eastern unit is first mentioned as being built in 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.
The first reference I can find to the north-western unit is from 1911, when the PRL&P purchased the entire block between 26th and 28th for the construction of a new barn. Only one bay of this barn remains as the Burnside Trolley Building, which is listed the National Register of Historic Places as “West Ankeny Car Barns Bay E”.
Google Earth .kmz file overlaid on a map showing the ultimate track layout of the Ankeny car barns.
| Founding Company: | ‣ |
|---|---|
| Dates Opened: | January 26, 1893 (first barn) |
| 1894 (replacement NE unit) | |
| 1910 (SE unit) | |
| 1911 (NW unit) | |
| Date Closed: | 1954 |
| Dates Demolished: | First barn burned down on April 22, 1893; Frame car barn of NE unit demolished in May 1912, replaced with brick barn later that year. The easternmost bay of the NW unit burned down in a blaze that was suspected of arson on September 29, 1958. Other units are still structurally intact though heavily modified. |