All Saints Catholic Church

Name: All Saints Catholic Church
Address: 3847 NE Glisan Street
City: Portland
Year of Construction: 1967
Architect: Franks and Norman
Original Use: Religious (Church)
Status: In Use
National Register of Historic Places: Not Listed / Non-Contributing Resource in the Laurelhurst Historic District
Description: All Saints Catholic Church stands on a large site near the center of the predominantly residential Laurelhurst neighborhood. The building comprises a low-slung base with brick walls, above which rises the rectangular nave with vertical windows of dalle de verre glass. The narthex containing the baptismal font bears a crown of shaped clerestory windows, and it features a large dalle de verre window depicting the Holy Spirit.

A Catholic church has stood on this same site since 1917. According to the National Register of Historic Places designation form for the Laurelhurst Historic District:

“All Saints Catholic Parish was founded in 1917 by Archbishop Alexander D. Christie, who had previously founded the University of Portland. Christie purchased several lots from the Laurelhurst Company on Block 1 northwest of Coe Circle. These lots became the location of the first church, part of the school building, and parish playground. Portland architect Joseph Jacobberger designed the initial All Saints church and rectory in the Tudor Gothic style in 1917, and the chapel was dedicated in January 1918. […]

“The Parish architecture represented an excellent response to the building restrictions in the neighborhood in the early 20th century. Its Tudor Gothic style echoed the styles of many of the surrounding residences in the neighborhood so that the Church could fit into its environment. It featured cedar shakes and a steeply-pitched roof. The original Jacobberger church was demolished prior to construction of the existing church in 1966.

“The All Saints parochial school opened in 1936, according to their own parish history, with 100 students in attendance. The school was taught by the Sisters of the Holy Names, who initially did not reside in Laurelhurst. A convent was founded by 1947, in a residence on the property at Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Glisan between the current church and school. The Oregonian reported that the C. K. Henry House at the corner of Laddington and Glisan, sold in 1913 to the Harvey Scott family, was in use by the All Saints parish as a school by 1945. The house was demolished in 1966 to make way for the expansion of All Saints Parish church and school. That was the remaining residential use on Block 1 near the center of Laurelhurst.”

All Saints was among the first generation of Catholic churches to be built in the Portland area following the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, which introduced significant liturgical reforms. The progressive architecture of the church reflects the spirit of that era. Artworks incorporated into the church design included ceramic stations of the cross by Italian sculptor Ugo Marinangeli and stained glass windows by French artist Gabriel Loire.