City Of Portland / Portland Downtown Historic District

In 1833, Elisha Newman filed a federal land grant for extensive land around the Looking Glass and Grand Rivers that would later become the village of Portland. Early Ionia County histories state that Philo Bogue built a trading post on the Grand River later that year, selling New York goods to local travelers. Settlers began arriving in larger numbers in 1836, and in 1837 a post office opened in the new town under the name “Portland.” The village incorporated in 1869. The railroad added a stop at Portland that same year, spurring industrial growth. Mills, furniture factories, metal foundries and a washing machine manufacturer were among the successful businesses. Cultural centers such as an 1880 Opera House and the 1905 Carnegie Library enriched village life. Continuing to grow, Portland incorporated as a city in November 1969. Portland Downtown Historic District Portland’s Downtown Historic District is located along Kent and Maple Streets, between Academy Street and West Grand River Avenue, where the Looking Glass and Grand Rivers once powered planing mills, sawmills and gristmills. Early downtown structures were built of wood, but brick buildings replaced these after several major fires occurred in the late nineteenth century. The district contains a variety of architectural styles, from late Victorian era blocks to a Neoclassical and an International style bank and a Modern movie theater. In 1890 the Groton Bridge and Manufacturing Company of New York built the iron bridge across the Grand River that became known as Veterans Memorial Bridge. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.