Haskell Shopping Center: Where did Beaverton residents go shopping in 1947?
Consumer buying opportunities have changed significantly since 1947. From small, individually owned, brick and mortar businesses, shopping transformed into mega-malls, big-box stores, shopping centers, and online retail not dreamed of in earlier times.
The first regional suburban shopping mall in the United States, was the outdoor Northgate Mall (now Northgate Station) which opened in Seattle, Washington in 1950 during the post-World War II building boom. This was followed by the first indoor facility, Southdale Mall in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1957. Beaverton’s retail landscape was about to change in the late 1940s from its downtown commercial core with a new look for the city’s 2,572 residents.
Howard Haskell, a construction contractor and Beaverton resident, built the first local retail center on part of his acreage and gave it his name, the Haskell Shopping Center. The one -story concrete building was slightly outside municipal limits, “1,200 feet beyond the east Beaverton ‘Y’ “ on the north side of SW Canyon Road.
The first section of the “Shop where parking is easy” enterprise was constructed in early 1947, occupied by Flatt’s Furniture. The second, added that summer, included:
- Teresi Food Center, owned by Frank and Mary Teresi, previously proprietors of a Portland grocery store
- Falk Hardware Company, owned by Melvin and Barbara Falk and managed by M.F. McCamley
- Canyon Drugs, Inc., owned by Mitz and LaMerne Alexander
- Barney’s Gun and Sports Shop, owned by Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Barnett
Hundreds of people attended the Grand Opening for the “Complete One Stop Shopping Headquarters” in September.
Everyone received a gift; special drawings were held for household furniture and appliances, fishing equipment, toys, radios, groceries, and more. For the next three years the mini mall attracted shoppers and new tenants: Paxson’s Finance; P & P Trading Post; Harrell Beaverton Studio, photography services; a Musical Kindergarten, where youngsters were “Singing Their Way Thru School”; Starkie Tot Shop; and Porter’s Clothing Closet. The Beaverton Enterprise newspaper lauded the block-long building as “attractive,” and “modern,” where oak trees provided shade for the parking lot on a hot summer day. Ample parking was emphasized.
Three years later, disaster struck! At 3:30 a.m. on September 1950, a fire broke out fire on Haskell’s east end in or behind the food center. It spread to the tarred roof and adjoining businesses. Teresi’s and Falk’s stores were destroyed and others, smoke-damaged, causing $125,00 loss ($1.659 million today). Twenty Beaverton fire fighters and three pumpers could only stand by, not able to extinguish the flames due to insufficient water supply from a main water pipe that was too small.
Twelve cases of shotgun shells at Falk’s and canned foods at Teresi’s exploded, further hampering efforts. Ironically, work to install a larger main pipe was to begin that very day.
The remaining businesses continued.
In January 1951, William and Winnie Luther announced plans to build a fourth Stop and Shop chain on the demolished Teresi and Falk site. When it opened in April 1951, the 14,000 sq ft structure costing $150,000 would stock groceries and sundries. Five years later, the Luther’s purchased the part of the center that had jewelry, hardware, and optical stores plus additional developable property nearby. Apex Stores bought Luther’s a few years later who in turn was eventually purchased by A-Boy Stores.
Today, Aaron’s Rent to Own, Pop Signs, and PJ Sleep Shop occupy the site of a pioneering concept that met emerging shopping habits and demands those many years ago.
By Ann Koppy, local historian. www.historyofbeaverton.org info@historyofbeaverton.org.
