In the early morning of June 26, 1911, a fire alarm sounded. An oil pump threw a spark that ignited the Union Oil distributing plant on Southeast Salmon Street and Water Avenue. Engine companies from around the city arrived at the scene where Fire Chief David Campbell would battle his last fire. As the conflagration raged, Campbell rushed into the building to save his crew, but the structure collapsed.
A memorial to Campbell’s service is currently located at the corner of Northwest 18th Avenue and Burnside Street, but a new memorial was recently designed through a competition, organized in part by Portland State’s Department of Architecture, to honor the 36 Portland firefighters who have died in the line of duty since 1881.
Jeff Schnabel, associate professor of architecture, coordinated the competition in partnership with Portland Fire and Rescue and the David Campbell Memorial Association. Read more...
