It didn't take a wrecking ball to bring down the gas station that hasn't sold gas for years at the corner of SW Capitol Highway and SW 32nd Avenue. The long-vacant building crumpled quickly as a single earth mover pushed the walls down just before noon on Thursday.

The vintage gasoline pump on display at the gas station before the demolition has been preserved by LMC Construction and will be on permanent display at the apartment complex that will be built on the site across 32nd Ave. from The Lucky Lab.

That apartment complex will be called The Multnomah Station Apartments. There will be a ground floor for two retail outlets and four floors with 39 apartment units. There will be a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Under Portland's inclusionary zoning regulations, one three-bedroom unit must also be available and three of the 39 units must qualify as affordable, according to Iris O'Neill the Project Manager for the Multnomah Station Apartments.

Construction could be completed and units could be available to rent in Spring of 2020. said O'Neill

There will be no off-street parking spaces provided. O'Neill says Portland not requiring any parking for tenants is a trade off for the inclusion of affordable rental units.

The site has been a gas station for as long as Multnomah Village residents can remember.

An updated version of this story will appear in the February 1 issue of the SW Community Connection.

If you've got questions or comments about development projects in SW Portland, contact Bill Gallagher at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..