Ladd's Addition

Infobox nrhp
name = Ladd's Addition Historic District
nrhp_type = hd

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caption = The central traffic circle in Ladd's Addition.
location = Portland, Oregon
nearest_city =
lat_degrees = 45
lat_minutes = 30
lat_seconds = 31
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 122
long_minutes = 38
long_seconds = 58
long_direction = W
area =
built = Apx. 1891
architect =
architecture =
added = August 31, 1988
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
refnum = 88001310
mpsub =
governing_body =

Ladd's Addition is one of the oldest residential districts in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is located in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood, near the southeast part of the city. Ladd's Addition is known in Portland for its peculiar diagonal street pattern relative to the rest of the area. It is roughly eight blocks (east-west) by ten blocks (north-south) in size (by reference to the external grid) and is bordered by SE Hawthorne, Division, 12th, and 20th. Locally, Ladd's Addition is known as the neighborhood to get "lost" in, since unsuspecting drivers who enter the development commonly find themselves disoriented as they drive around in circles trying to get out.

Ladd's Addition is named after William S. Ladd, a nineteenth-century Portland mayor. He originally owned a 126 acre (500,000 m²) farm on this land, and in 1891 decided to subdivide the land for residential use. Rather than follow the grid that the majority of Portland was based on, Ladd was inspired by Pierre L'Enfant's plan for Washington, D.C. Ladd designed the plat based on a diagonal "wagon wheel" street system, with four small diamond shaped rose gardens and a central park.

The narrow streets in Ladd's Addition are lined with American Elm trees and many lead to a large traffic circle in the center. Other streets lead to four smaller, diamond-shaped "circles" located to the east, west, north, and south. Each of these "circles" contain one of Portland's test rose gardens,citeweb|title=Ladd's Addition Rose Garden|publisher=Portland Rose Festival Association|url=http://www.rosegardenstore.org/laddsaddition.cfm|accessdate=2007-08-30] with the northern garden's rose bushes being in a slightly different layout than the other three.

Friends of Ladd's Addition Gardens (FLAG), raises money and volunteers to maintain the rose gardens,citeweb|title=Friends of Ladd's Addition Gardens|url=http://www.laddsadditiongardens.com/|accessdate=2007-08-30] and Save Our Elms inoculate the elm trees yearly for Dutch elm disease.citeweb|title= History of Save Our Elms|url= http://www.saveourelms.org/faq.html|accessdate=2007-08-30]

The entire neighborhood was designated a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.citeweb|title=Oregon National Register List|url= http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/NATREG/docs/oregon_nr_list.pdf |accessdate=2007-08-30]

ee also

*Ladd Carriage House

References

[Portland Monthly, Adpril 2007, 20 Best Neighborhoods, pages 78-79.] reflist

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/workingonthepast/case_studies/laddsaddition1.htm Illustrating Four Treatments in Oregon: Community History, Ladd's Addition, Portland] from the National Park Service
* [http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=221&c=38308 Ladd's Circle and Squares] from Portland Parks and Recreation