Portland’s Sellwood Mausoleum (shot with Pentax 6x7)

[Creagerj]

For the last few years I have made an annual pilgrimage to Portland’s Sellwood Mausoleum, also known as Wilhelm Portland Memorial Funeral Home. The mausoleum is an eight story structure built on a hill overlooking Oak’s Bottom in Portland Oregon. Inside you will find a slice of Portland’s History.

This year I picked up a Pentax 6x7 and knew that I needed to take it with me to the mausoleum. Here are a couple of pictures of Portland’s Sellwood Mausoleum shot with a Pentax SMC 45mm on a Pentax 6x7. I hope you enjoy them.

View the complete gallery here.

An old cadaver lift.

Some chairs in a dark hallway.

View the complete gallery here.

 

[markus_h_photography]

Very nice images Joe.

 

[Creagerj]

Thanks! Here is another that I didn't put in the original post. View the full gallery here.

 

[Steve M.]

Wonderful work. Thanks for posting this.

 

[Nokton48]

Yes very cool

 

[Creagerj]

A little bit of backstory about these photographs. I first learned of Portland's Sellwood Mausoleum five years ago. I was researching locations for urban exploration in the Portland area, and this place turned up in my search. At the time, the mausoleum was only open to the public on Memorial Day due to problems with vandalism. Imagine my disappointment learning this information a week after Memorial Day had passed. I anxiously waited for an entire year to see the Mausoleum. The day finally arrived and it was far more surreal than I expected or hoped for. I explored for hours. At every turn I was surprised by a hallway or room that I didn't expect to be there or something unique and captivating. This couch always reminds me of the wonder I experienced the first time I visited.

Unfortunately, the building has suffered from vandalism and water damage. Some windows are repeatedly vandalized with graffiti while others have been broken, harming the beautiful stained glass images. In some images you can see extensive water damage and standing water. When I returned this year, the water damage was much worse than previous years. I hope the damage can be repaired and prevented so that others can experience this place as well.