Bear House Burns in Portland | Portland News

Portland News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 16, 2026 · 1m

A historic Portland landmark, the Bear House from the old zoo, was destroyed in a fire Sunday morning — a poignant loss for city history. Once a beloved relic and a familiar sight in Washington Park, the vacant structure had long been neglected amid Portland’s massive infrastructure funding gap. Though the blaze was contained, neighbors feared worse if conditions had been drier. With no plans for restoration and years of squatting, the building’s demise marks the end of a chapter — some even welcomed its removal. Now, a piece of Portland’s past is gone, leaving a void in the city’s historical…