Change comes to (our) Hollywood

Yesterday's newspaper included a well-written news-feature story on Portland's Hollywood neighborhood, a compact area of town that we've lived in or patronized since moving here in 1985.

We live just a few blocks north of Hollywood, in the Grant Park neighborhood, but for all intents and purposes we consider ourselves part of Hollywood as well. After all, we sent our kids to the neighborhood schools: Hollyrood (yes, spelled with an "r") Elementary, Fernwood Middle and Grant High School. And just last night we walked to dinner -- a leisurely round-trip of 10 blocks on quiet, tree-lined streets that took us past the public library. On the way home, we ran into one of Jordan's teachers as he was doing an evening bike ride and chatted about each other's kids serving in the military. It's that kind of tight-knit neighborhood.

Anyway, the story by Anna Griffin, with photos by Stephanie Yao Long, presents a good overview of Hollywood's recent history and current challenges, revolving around economic development and livability. Read it here -- "Hollywood district struggles to retain star image" -- and be sure to click on the Sandy Boulevard and Broadway hyperlink below so you can see a map of the area. An excerpt from the story:

For generations, Hollywood has been the quintessential Portland neighborhood, a place where all your basic services — barbershop, hardware store, wine bar, etc. — rest within an easy walk.

Hollywood's town center, a collection of shops at the intersection of Sandy Boulevard and Broadway that radiates out in every direction, is the stuff planners sweat and scramble to re-create elsewhere.

Here, it happened naturally: a wave of construction after the 1920s, as working-class families flocked to affordable homes along Portland's new streetcar line. Then another wave in the 1950s, as World War II veterans started businesses.

Hollywood has long been its own place. Neighbors pride themselves on being more family-friendly than Hawthorne and more down-to-earth than Northwest 23rd.

But the recession hasn't been kind. There aren't any more "for lease" signs here than other Portland business districts, but they're more obvious. The vacant Hollywood Music Center, for example, sits right on Sandy Boulevard, its windows offering wide views of empty space.