Peacock Lane, which has been billed ‘Portland’s Christmas Street,’ celebrated its 100-year anniversary at a media event Friday morning.
The Lane is made up of four residential blocks in Southeast Portland between Stark and Belmont streets and is home to one of the city’s largest and most popular holiday lights displays.
To honor its centennial, about a dozen Peacock Lane residents and Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan gathered for cookies and iced tea and then unveiled new historic street sign toppers, reading “Historic Peacock Lane.” The blue sign toppers have art depicting architecture from Peacock Lane on one side and a peacock on the other.
Ryan spoke with residents and read a proclamation on behalf of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler recognizing “the significance of the historic architecture, the value of cohesive neighborhoods and the importance of time-honored traditions.”
In the proclamation, Ryan also noted that former Portland Mayor Bud Clark proclaimed in 1989 that Aug. 12 would be recognized by the city as Peacock Lane Day.
A photocopy of the 1989 proclamation, with Clark’s signature, was posted on a trifold display along with archival photos, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia.
Resident Krista Brockwood, who put together the display, said she’s sort of become Peacock Lane’s archivist and has lived there for “20 Christmases.” Many of the residents refer to their tenure in the neighborhood in Christmases, not years.
Brockwood said she moved in when she was pregnant with her son, who turned 20 this year.
“For me, I love being part of something so much bigger than what we are. Seeing so many people come and enjoy it. Knowing my kids have grown up here and what this street has meant to them,” Brockwood said.
Peacock Lane was developed in 1924 by R.F. Wassell, who designed the houses in an English Tudor or cottage style. The steep roofs lined with Christmas lights give the street a storybook feel. In 2017, neighbors successfully petitioned to put the Lane on the National Register of Historic Places, hoping to preserve its unique charm.
Brockwood said residents of Peacock Lane are not required to put up holiday lights and decor. “We don’t sign anything,” she said. “This is all just because we love doing it.”
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