Jamison is the vision of the essential Pearl District restaurant from Christopher Handford and Gavin Ledson. Taking inspiration from the bounty that the Northwest has to offer, Jamison showcases the best in what Oregon prides itself: food and wine. Warm, comfortable service along with an unpretentious yet with a modern new American menu, Jamison offers one of best dining experiences in Portland.

The name, Jamison, is inspired from the location on Jamison Square Park. Offering the best outdoor dining experience in the city, the park is named in honor of William Jamison, a well-known Portland art dealer who passed away in 1995. William Jamison was pivotal in the development of Portland’s River District and in founding “First Thursday,” Portland’s monthly, art-focused street fair.

Most of the interior takes inspiration from a series of barns that were being torn down not far from the restaurant. As the Schmidt Brothers Pellet Mill, the barns were an integral farm to the local community. Jamison takes great pride in being able to have salvaged the majority of the barn wood and much of the farming equipment. Together with a beautiful example of modern Pearl District architecture, Jamison is the quintessential Pearl District dining experience.

A Brief History of: Schmidt Bros. Pellet Mill
In the early 1950’s Paul & Otto Schmidt, who were farming livestock, fodder crops and timber on 400 acres in Beavercreek, decided to begin processing their own timber, hay and grain. Initially they chose to establish a small farm sawmill in a stand of uncut timber on the banks of Buckner Creek. An in-feed rollway, 56” circle saw, a carriage and out feed devices were assembled under a primitive roof. Timber was selectively logged, and lumber, slab-wood and sawdust began to emerge from the rollways at the end of the sawmill. The motivation behind the sawmill was merely to create a sustainable use of the local timber. There was no thought given to commercial pursuits, rather the need for beams and boards with which to create shelter for livestock, hay storage and a feed milling facility was the driving force behind the Schmidt brother’s vision.

In 1955 at the age of 30 and 32, Otto and Paul began construction of the feed mill. A small grain elevator and storage bins were erected over a hammer-mill.

By 1959 the mill buildings and feed pelleting plant was complete and in operation.

It became apparent to Paul & Otto that there was a significant demand for the processing available in their feed plant. Schmidt Bros. Pellet Mill became a commercial operation specializing in custom milling and the manufacture and sale of a line of specially formulated feed pellets for dairy farms, feedlots, show horses and livestock of all forms. The Pellet Mill ran for 40 years, then was abandoned when Paul retired.

Below are a series of photos collected immediately prior of the disassembly and salvage of the old buildings in the fall of 2011. These boards and beams are the result of that salvage operation.