Good Bye Pattie’s Home Plate

Posted on

For 22 Years Pattie’s Home Plate has been my neighborhood’s local greasy spoon. Of friend of mine used to refer to Pattie’s as the Wailing Wall of St. Johns. It stood as the quintessence of the North Portland working-class neighborhood. It had existed as a local lunch counter and soda fountain long before Pattie owned it. Old-timers have told me of how they used to eat there when it was Rexall Drugs before World War II..

An empty restaurant building shot through the window. The light is dim and moody. The room is litter with debris.
Pattie’s Home Plate restaurant empty after all these years.

The building certainly has seen better days. I’m guessing that the new owner will be razing it to replace with something that can be rented for a higher price. Pattie told me that she was told her lease would not be renewed because of the sale of the building.

Three people sitting at a counter. Left to right is a man in is 60's with glasses. A middle-aged woman smiling (this is Pattie) and a young woman dressed as a waitress.
Here’s a photo of Pattie (center) at the lunch counter seen in the previous picture. This image was captured way back around the turn of the century — 2003 to be exact.

Pattie has found a new place to open her restaurant. Sadly it’s in a different neighborhood and the St. John’s crowd won’t be able to walk there anymore.

No Comments

Post a Comment