Retrospect: Remnants of burnt store were removed

Fifty years ago this week, the remnants of The Boston Store were being cleared away. 

Local contractor Jim Walker was tasked with demolishing what little remained of the building, which had gone up in flames and been hit by a gas explosion in December 1967. 

On Feb. 20, 1968, Walker and his crew attempted to tear down the building’s chimney, which gave them some resistance. Workers had to dig away at the supporting wall’s underpinnings before the chimney finally fell that night after dark. 

The Boston Store, a 35-year-old department store located at 202-206 S. Meridian St. in Portland, went up in flames just after midnight on Dec. 5, 1967. It took three hours just to get the fire under control, and by 8:30 a.m. the building was destroyed. 

The three-story building was one of the city’s oldest, according to a story in The Commercial Review. It had previously served as the home of the Portland Moose Lodge and was owned by Bill Silvers. 

A later article gave the probable cause of fire as as a problem with the furnace in the building’s basement. Firefighters were unable to get to the basement and turn off the gas valve, which constantly fed the flames. Eventually, the gas pressure from the fire built up in the basement and led to the explosion that destroyed the building. 

The estimated loss of The Boston Store’s contents and fixtures was about $50,000 — around $365,000 today, adjusted for inflation.