Pearl District Neighborhood Association

Faux Pearl or Authentic Community

Jan 12, 2004

The Activist
The Pearl Talks
January 2004


Lynnette Fusilier, Board Member of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association

Faux Pearl or Authentic Community

The Pearl District has been criticized as being a ?“false neighborhood?”. It has been accused of being trendy, flaccid, and devoid of its original creative character. These criticisms are quite compelling, but are they accurate?

?“Neighborhood?” is a geographical term ?– the Pearl District is defined by physical boundaries just like all of the other Portland neighborhoods. There is also a social component of ?“neighborhood?” defined as a group of people with shared interests and common characteristics. This group becomes a community through shared experiences often manifested as events and special programs.

Portland neighborhoods have unique social components that are integral to their community identity. If you consider neighborhoods such as Irvington, Laurelhurst, or Hawthorne a specific community identity will come to mind. Developing a community identity takes time ?– giving a relatively new neighborhood a negative connotation seems more destructive than supportive.

The landscape of the Pearl District and its inhabitants has changed dramatically over the past 12 years, but the character of creativity remains. Although many of the artists who lived and worked here 12 years ago have relocated to other areas of the city due to increased property values that does not mean the neighborhood is void of creativity. The Pearl District is home to three large art organizations: Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, The Art Institute and the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Housed in these walls are students of fine art ?– their campus work studios appear throughout the neighborhood. There are many neighborhood art galleries that support more mature artists, but there is a groundswell of businesses and organizations which support the younger and less exposed artists of the neighborhood: World Cup Coffee, Umpqua Bank, Starbucks, and even the local homeowners associations are good examples.

If the definition of ?“creativity?” is the ability or capacity to bring about something new and if an artist possesses such creativity, then the Pearl does have creativity in even the narrowest of definitions. This is evidenced by commonly accepted art genres in the Pearl such as painting, sculpting, glassblowing and performance art.

In addition, the residents of the neighborhood are inherently creative and are artists in their own right. For obvious reasons, most of the lofts and condominiums in the Pearl do not give residents outside of the neighborhood the opportunity to experience the creative energy within the Pearl District unless they are invited guests. Of course there are a few buildings in the neighborhood that offer exceptions to this rule due to their historic status. Chown Pella, Irving Lofts, Flanders Lofts and Modern Confectionery Lofts are all required to host public open houses once yearly in exchange for historic designation and tax credits.

Whatever the case, within any given residential community in the neighborhood there are graphic designers, architects, space planners, furniture designers and other creative professionals. Many of these people live and work in their Pearl District address. This is a unique aspect of our community.

Within each building, the entire resident population is creating its own identity as both a residence and part of the neighborhood. The creation of community is foreign to more established neighborhoods in Portland, but it is part of daily life in the Pearl District. Each building in the community is actively engaged in community-creating endeavors: increasing livability, interior architecture and design, floor parties, newsletters and community gatherings are hallmarks of these creative efforts. Creative professionals and creative individuals blend their ideas and achieve stunning results. In the Marshall Wells Lofts, for example, the residents have created their own artwork, designed architectural signage for their building entrance, created a newsletter produced by and for the community and have even hosted their own private art show of local artists. The level of energy and creativity within the walls of this building is undeniable and makes it an incredible place to live. This is just one example of the typical lifestyle of each building in the Pearl District.

There are also community organizations focused on providing opportunities for residents to build their community. The Zimmerman Community Center designs events and programs that mirror the interests of neighborhood residents: book clubs, resident art exhibits, yoga, monthly supper clubs and an array of other programs and events. The neighborhood association provides opportunities for residents to improve neighborhood livability, define the landscape of their neighborhood and get involved in the civic aspect of neighborhood life. Both of these organizations have a legion of community volunteers.

Criticism is interesting, but it is often based on observation rather than first hand knowledge. On the surface, the Pearl District is judged on external events or the business community, such as First Thursday, shopping, the art galleries and restaurants. Beyond this initial perception there is a living, breathing and creative community tucked away in the gentrified warehouses and new development. It is amazing how well the neighborhood name still reflects the hidden treasures of our community.