Lunabean Media

Pearl District

pearl
The name of Portland’s best known art district, The Pearl, suggests urban legend. Perhaps an oyster canning factory once sat amidst the aging warehouses, or Chinese seafarers hid pearls beneath cobble stoned Twelfth Street. Whatever the origin, there’s the suggestion of both beauty and ugliness in the name—an elegant gem nestled in a drab, rough shell.

The story goes like this: A local gallery owner coined the phrase years ago to suggest that the buildings in the warehouse district were like crusty oysters, and that the galleries and artists’ lofts within were like pearls. As local business people were looking to label the growing area—the “warehouse district” or the “brewery district” were two suggestions—a travel writer borrowed the phrase and the name stuck.

More about the Pearl

Current Listings in the Pearl (pretend)
Video Tour of the Pearl District
Map of Portland’s Pearl District
Lunabean Media