Mallory Avenue Christian Church records

Collection

Identifier: Coll 1131

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of records of the Mallory Avenue Christian Church of Portland, Oregon, and its building. Materials include administrative and program records, publications, photographs and memorabilia, and architectural drawings.

Administrative and program records include correspondence, financial documents, reports, minutes, attendance records of the church's Sunday School, and records of the "People Are Beautiful" program that was held in the church space. The bulk of the publications in the collection are church bulletins from the 1940s-1950s, directories, newsletters from the 1940s-1960s, and yearbooks. One of the photographs in the collection is of the Woodlawn Church of Christ, one of the churches that merged into the Mallory Avenue Christian Church. Other memorabilia includes a history of the church; an abiding memorials book with dedications to parishoners who died from the 1950s to the 1980s; two scrapbooks of photographs, clippings, and ephemera; a Sunday school student's project book; and clippings. Building records include architectural drawings; funding records for the building's construction; a program for the church building's dedication; and records and architectural drawings of an HVAC installation done in 2019, by which time the space was being used by the performance and arts venue Alberta Abbey.

Dates

Creation: 1919-2019

Creator

Mallory Avenue Christian Church (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 Mallory Avenue Christian Church, a Disciples of Christ Church, was formed in May 1920 through the merger of the Rodney Avenue Christian Church and the Woodlawn Church of Christ. The church completed construction of a basement at the corner of Alberta Street and Mallory Avenue in 1925, and services were held in this basement until the church's superstructure was completed in 1949. In the 1970s, the church became the site of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) "People Are Beautiful" program. In the 1990s, the church space was used by Portland Parks & Recreation for after-school programs. By 2012, the building was no longer in use. It was subsequently made into the art and performance venue Alberta Abbey.

Sources: Collection materials; "Alberta Abbey reintroduces itself," by Mike Acker, Oregonian, November 19, 2021, page R2; "Building History" section, About page, Alberta Abbey website (undated, accessed April 2026), https://www.albertaabbey.org/about

Extent

4.2 Cubic Feet (2 record cartons; 1 legal document case; 1 slim legal document case; 1 flat box (13x16); 1 flat box (14x18); 2 oversize folders (20x24) in shared flat box; 3 oversize folders (24x36))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Records of the Mallory Avenue Christian Church, a Disciples of Christ church in Portland, Oregon, and its building at the corner of Alberta Street and Mallory Avenue. Collection contains administrative records including reports and correspondence; church bulletins, directories, and yearbooks; photographs and memorabilia; and architectural drawings. The Mallory Avenue Christian Church was formed in 1920 through the merger of the Rodney Avenue Christian Church and the Woodlawn Church of Christ. Its building was completed in 1949. By 2012, the building was no longer in use. It subsequently became the site of the art and performance venue Alberta Abbey.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in 4 series:

Administrative and program records
Publications
Photographs and memorabilia
Building records

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Alberta Abbey Foundation, July 2025 (RL2025-069).

Processing Information

Processed by Jeffrey Hayes in April 2026. Preservation measures taken during processing included: Removing pages of abiding memorials book from binder and plastic sleeves after photographing the binder; removing photographs from magnetic album pages after photographing the album pages to show original order and captions; and placing sheets of archival acid-free paper between pages of scrapbooks and Sunday school student project book that included photographs.