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Alberta’s Early Days
Alberta Street originally was part of
the town of Albina, which was laid out in 1872.The community on
Alberta thrived until the 1940s. Until then, Union Avenue was the
primary route to Vancouver, carrying traffic which brought people to
the businesses on Union and Alberta. When Interstate Avenue became
the designated route to Vancouver in the 1940s, it took away much of
the traffic that provided customers to area businesses. In 1948, the
streetcar line was replaced by buses. New retail practices that
included supermarkets and other volume stores also took their toll
on local shops. The completion of Interstate 5 in the 1960s took
most of the through north-south traffic from the local streets,
which further eroded the customer base for both Union and Alberta
Streets. As businesses moved or closed, neighborhood residents could
no longer shop locally for all of their needs.
The racial unrest of the 1960s took
its toll on the street when, in July of 1967, two days of violence
shook the Albina community. Many businesses on Alberta were
vandalized, looted or burned. Some, such as the Alberta Furniture
Store, never reopened. The street, and the surrounding neighborhood,
entered a downward spiral of decline.
By the 1980s, the neighborhood’s
derelict houses, neglected yards, abandoned cars, and turned-over
shopping carts gave Alberta a bad name. Businesses could not succeed
in a deteriorating neighborhood, and storefronts were boarded up.
With no place to shop or eat on Alberta, neighborhood residents went
elsewhere, leaving the street without people or activity.
New Signs
of Life
In 1989, residents were ready to take
back their neighborhood and formed the North/Northeast Economic
Development Task Force to provide input into the Albina Community
Plan.
By the early 1990s, new signs of life
were starting to take hold on the street which local business and
property owner Roslyn Hill called "an asphalt war zone." More than a
dozen new shops, cafes and non-profit agencies opened, including the
Rexall Rose Cafe, the Community Cycling Center and Roslyn’s Garden
Coffee House. The new Walnut Park Community Policing Center (on
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Killingsworth Street) added a
more visible police presence in the area.
In 1992, Sabin Community Development
Corporation (Sabin CDC) was formed to preserve and create affordable
housing in the community around Alberta Street. They quickly
expanded their role to support a broader goal of community
revitalization with an emphasis on Alberta Street as the backbone of
the neighborhood. Early efforts, such as organizing monthly litter
pick ups and helping property owners fix up their buildings, quickly
improved the appearance of the street and supported business
development.
Alberta Street Today
Long-time residents of the
neighborhood recall earlier times when Alberta was a "home town"
street: friendly, clean, lots of places to go and people stopping to
talk. Today, new and long-time residents of the neighborhood are
working together to regain some of the street’s earlier qualities.
Alberta is now characterized by a
grassroots, can-do attitude which can be seen in the banners, trash
cans, litter pick-up and other projects initiated and carried out by
residents, business and property owners, and nonprofit organizations
working together. The Alberta Street Fair, started by Sabin CDC in
1998, brought many of the merchants, property owners and residents
together as neighbors. This annual event also has generated
publicity for the street and businesses which promotes a positive
image of the street today.
New
Businesses Thrive
New businesses are appearing on the
street each month, and many are first-time business ventures for the
owners. A mix of businesses, including retail, restaurants,
services, commercial offices, and light industrial, co-exist on the
street. Alberta is developing a reputation for good food and art,
fueled in part by the Last Thursday Art Walk. Started in the spring
of 1997, the art walk features art in galleries, studios,
restaurants and cafes once a month. It generates awareness of the
businesses on the street, and more importantly, brings people out to
walk and talk on the street.
In the best tradition of Alberta
Street’s beginnings, the diversity of cultures continues with the
recent influx of Asian and Latino businesses. Buildings and
storefronts are being rehabilitated and painted. Gardens and
planters add color to the urban landscape.
While Alberta Street is clearly on
the upswing, many residents and business owners want to make sure
the success of the commercial district does not force out the small
businesses which have been an integral part of the street’s revival.
They see the area’s history and multicultural flavor as an asset to
be preserved and hope to promote an eclectic, neighborhood-serving
mix of businesses on Alberta Street.
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