Vanport Square businesses are proud to play a role in the
revitalization of inner northeast Portland, supporting a Portland
Development Commission-backed project that has its roots in the
City of Vanport. A bustling shipbuilding community of the 1940s,
Vanport was home to many of the area’s African American citizens
until the flood of 1948–and discriminatory housing practices–drove
them into Portland’s inner north and northeast neighborhoods.

Led by developers, Ray Leary and Jeana Woolley, the Vanport Square project has involved
the renovation of the former Marco Manufacturing Building, adding new office and retail
space on NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. The 42,000-square-foot space, which broke
ground in November 2006 in the heart of the King Neighborhood and opened in January 2008,
is home to a diverse array of locally-owned retail and commercial businesses. The first phase
of the Vanport Square development has been designated as Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) gold by the U.S. Green Building Council.