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NR Nomination

LOCATION AND PROPERTY NAME
address:3628-3646 SE Hawthorne Blvd historic name:Frances Building & Echo Theater
Portland, Multnomah County current/other names:
assoc addresses:
block/lot/tax lot:
location descr: twnshp/rng/sect/qtr sect:1S 1E 1
PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS
resource type:Building height (stories):2.0 total elig resources:1 total inelig resources:
elig evaluation: eligible/significant NR Status: Individually Listed
prim constr date:1911 second date: date indiv listed:01/28/1994
primary orig use: Multiple Dwelling orig use comments:
second orig use: Theater
primary style: Commercial (Type) prim style comments:
secondary style: sec style comments:
primary siding: Brick:Other/Undefined siding comments:
secondary siding: Stamped Sheet Metal
plan type: architect:
builder:
comments/notes:
GROUPINGS / ASSOCIATIONS
Survey/Grouping Included In: Type of Grouping Date Listed Date Compiled
   Portland LGBTQ+ Historic Resources 2025 RLS Survey & Inventory Project 2025
   Portland Oregon's Eastside Historic and Architectural Resources, 1850-1938 MPD MPS 01/27/1989 1988
SHPO INFORMATION FOR THIS PROPERTY
NR date listed: 01/28/1994
ILS survey date:
RLS survey date: 05/19/2025
Special Assessment
Status Term End Yr
Closed 1st  2009
106 Project(s): None
Federal Tax Project(s): None
ARCHITECTURAL / PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
(Includes expanded description of the building/property, setting, significant landscape features, outbuildings and alterations)
3628-3646 SE Hawthorne Boulevard is a 1911 two-story commercial building with a flat roof, shallow parapet, and central vented dormer. Clad in painted brick with decorative horizontal banding, the building features slightly recessed entry bays with large transom windows, flanked by multi-pane storefront windows. A side elevation retains unpainted common bond brick and a faded historic painted sign. The facade includes colorful, theater-themed murals in the transoms and lower bays, and a metal-framed projecting sign identifies the main entrance. The building fronts directly onto the sidewalk with no setback.
HISTORY
(Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period - preferably to the present)
The Frances Building & Echo Theater has served as an LGBTQ+ arts and cultural space since the early 1980s. Beginning in 1984, it became primarily associated with Portland-based performance group Do Jump Movement Theater Troupe as its permanent location. Founder and creative director Robin Lane opened the studio to various queer groups and events, including: Portland Women’s Theatre Company founded by LGBTQ+ Portlander Sandra de Helen; Portland’s first gay and lesbian performance festival in 1990; dance nights hosted by queer djs; and film screenings by queer film directors. Already individually listed under National Register Criterion A in the areas of Community Planning and Entertainment, the Frances Building & Echo Theater is also significant at the local level in the area of LGBTQ+ history for its association with queer arts and entertainment.
RESEARCH INFORMATION
Title Records Census Records Property Tax Records Local Histories
Sanborn Maps Biographical Sources SHPO Files Interviews
Obituaries Newspapers State Archives Historic Photographs
City Directories Building Permits State Library
Local Library: University Library:University of Oregon
Historical Society: Other Respository:
Bibliography:
For further information on the events, people, and organizations mentioned in the LGBTQ+ historical narrative, see LGBTQ+ History in Portland, Oregon: A Historic Context Statement. Renee Cherry, “Women with fighting hearts,” Just Out, November 25, 1983, 10. Karen Belsey, “‘Off the Walls’ at Echo,” Just Out, May 1, 1987, 14. “Homo-genized: a gay and lesbian performance festival,” Just Out, June 1, 1990, 25. Various ads, Just Out, various dates.