Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.
This virtual cache celebrates 150 years of the Pearl District, which began in 1869 as part of Couch's Addition, an area with one and two-story houses that were home to blue-collar European immigrants. The area is home to Union Station and various rail yards and depots that have been converted to housing, the Park Blocks which contained a dedicated park block accessible exclusively for women and children, Tanner Springs Park which documents the Pearl's origins as a wetland, the Henry Weinhard brewery (as well as various others such as Bridgeport and Deschutes), numerous art galleries, and various iconic brick buildings that are now on the historic register. This cache takes you to several buildings on the historic register, each of which has a plaque that you need to find.
Tanner Springs Park
Starting point
Make your way to the Crystal Ballroom. This space was originally built as Ringler's Cotillion Hall, a ballroom used for jazz music and then square dances. From the 1970s onward, the building became home to squatters, artists and bohemians, until it was purchased by McMenamins. The Crystal Ballroom is now one of Portland's premier concert venues, Did you know ballroom dance lessons are still offered here?
Site 1
From the corner, under the Crystal Ballroom sign, walk one block directly North. Here you will find a plaque shaped like the state of Oregon, marking the site where Oregon's excellent history of medical education began. The title of this plaque has four words. Write down the FIRST letter of the FOURTH word. (That's the third word on the second line because the title is broken into two lines)
Site 2
Walk one block East and then one block North. One of the many historic warehouses in the Pearl District, this 1910 building once housed a paint company. In 1999 it was renovated with a vision inspired by Warhol's famous NYC Factory. Today it is home to Portland's most famous advertising company whose Nike ads have won Emmy Awards. The title of this plaque has three words. Write down the FIFTH letter of the SECOND word.
Site 3
Walk one block North and then half a block West. Built during the last year of World War II, this building once housed a utility company. Today this is a centrl location that has witnessed the birth of a number of local startups. The title of this plaque has five words. Write down the FIRST letter of the FOURTH word.
Site 4
Walk half a block back East and then one block North. You are now looking at one of the Pearl's famous brick buildings that is better known by the name of a hardware company. If you walk a little further North and look back, you'll see two of the last three remaining water towers on its roof. Find the plaque by the front door, which has the building's original name. The title of this plaque has four words. Write down the FIRST letter of the FIRST word.
Site 5
Walk to the North-West corner of the building at Site 4, and locate the place where you can buy some of the best hiking shoes in Portland. This beautifully restored building that dates to 1907 has ghost paint on its brick listing some of the original products you could find here, from steamship supplies to waffle irons. The plaque for this building has two words and a year. Write down the FIFTH letter of the FIRST word.
Site 6
The five letters you have collected spell a word which is prominently written on the brick wall of another building in the Pearl Historic District. You don't need to go far. Email me the name of this historic building and you will be allowed to log this cache.
You do not need to wait for approval, but if the answer is wrong, I will reach out with a hint and ask you to correct your log.