Boise Neighborhood Association records

Collection

Identifier: Coll 1121

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the records of the Boise Neighborhood Association of Portland, Oregon. The majority of materials are from the late 1990s or early 2000s, though the collection includes some photocopies of historic photographs of the Boise neighborhood. Records include correspondence, meeting minutes, meeting attendance records, reports, and planning records. Subjects covered in the collection include the revitalization of the Mississippi Avenue business district, the association's dispute with the community development corporation Housing Our Families, and the 2004 Boise-Eliot Multicultural Fair and Mississippi Avenue Street Fair. The collection also includes police reports and crime statistics for north Portland neighborhoods, and some photographs of cleanup work and a carnival and rummage sale in 1998.

Dates

Creation: 1910-2004
Creation: Majority of material found within 1997-2004

Creator

Boise Neighborhood Association (Portland, Or.) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Administrative History

The Boise Neighborhood Association, initially sometimes called the Boise Neighborhood Improvement Association, had formed by late 1972. It represents the Boise neighborhood in North Portland, Oregon, which includes parts of N. Mississippi Avenue and is bordered by the Overlook, Humboldt, King, and Eliot neighborhoods.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the association was involved in the Mississippi Avenue Target Area project, which sought to revitalize the area. Around that time, it was also involved in a dispute with Housing Our Families, a community development corporation that had two rental properties in the neighborhood. The association opposed development of a third rental building by Housing Our Families, alleging that the existing properties had been a source of crime and drug activity. Housing Our Families eventually canceled the planned development in Boise and instead built a housing unit in an adjacent neighborhood. These actions, along with the association's proposed land use policies, spurred concerns that gentrification might displace Black residents who had historically made up a large part of the neighborhood's population.

Sources: Collection materials; caption in Oregon Journal, December 23, 1972, page 2; Willamette Week cover story by Chris Lydgate, "The Battle of Boise," March 17, 1999; television documentary review, "Gentrification vs. Revitalization," by Barry Johnson, Oregonian, August 23, 2002, page E1; "No room for displacing folks in Mississippi Avenue revival," by Wade Nkrumah, Oregonian, December 27, 2002, page E2; map of Boise neighborhood on Boise Neighborhood Association website (accessed January 2025), https://bnapdx.com/boise-neighborhood-boundary

Extent

1.5 Cubic Feet (3 legal document cases; 1 20x24 folder in shared flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Records of the Boise Neighborhood Association, an organization in the Boise neighborhood of North Portland, Oregon. The association, initially called the Boise Neighborhood Improvement Association, was formed in the early 1970s. Most records in the collection are from the late 1990s and early 2000s, and include correspondence, minutes, and bylaws, as well as materials relating to the association's dispute with Housing Our Families, efforts to revitalize the Mississippi Avenue business district, and the Boise-Eliot Multicultural Fair and Mississippi Avenue Street Fair. The collection also includes photographs of events in 1998 and photocopies of historical photographs of the neighborhood.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Boise Neighborhood Association, April 2025 (RL2025-034).

Processing Information

Collection processed by Jeffrey A. Hayes in January 2026. Materials that had been originally stored in binders were rehoused in archival folders for preservation purposes.