Frank Dekum
Frank Dekum | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Deiderfeld, Rheinfalz, Germany |
| Died | October 19, 1894 (aged 64) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, banker, real estate investor |
| Known for | Fruit merchant, president of Portland Savings Bank, founder of Commercial National Bank of Portland, real estate development including the Dekum Building |
Frank Dekum (November 5, 1829 – October 19, 1894) was a notable 19th-century entrepreneur in Portland, Oregon, known for his ventures as a fruit merchant, banker, and real estate investor. Originating from Germany, Dekum relocated with his family to the American Midwest before moving westward in pursuit of gold. Eventually, he founded a prosperous fresh-fruit enterprise in Portland. His commercial success enabled him to diversify into banking, real estate, and early railroad investments. Dekum held leadership roles such as president or board member across various city institutions and was among the fifteen individuals appointed to Portland’s inaugural municipal water committee.
Dekum played a key role in several construction projects in downtown Portland. The Dekum Building, which served as the city's government offices during the 1890s, gained recognition on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. He contributed financially to the Portland and Vancouver Railway, which ran along the east bank of the Willamette River connecting East Portland with the Columbia River. Northeast Portland honors him with Dekum Street named after him. Additionally, he led the German Song Bird Society, facilitating the introduction of numerous German songbird species to Oregon. Following substantial financial setbacks during the Panic of 1893, Dekum passed away in 1894.
Early life
Born on November 5, 1829, in Deiderfeld, Rheinfalz, Germany, Dekum emigrated alongside his siblings to a farm near Belleville, Illinois. Subsequently, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where both his parents died. After completing an apprenticeship as a confectioner in St. Louis, Dekum joined Frederick Bickel in prospecting for gold in California and Idaho. Eventually, they settled in Portland.
From fruit to real estate
In 1853, Dekum and Bickel opened a fruit and confectionery shop in downtown Portland that prospered for a quarter-century. Leveraging the success of what became the region’s largest wholesale fresh-fruit business, Dekum began investing significantly in real estate throughout the 1860s. His holdings included several notable buildings bearing his name. In partnership with Simeon Reed in 1875, he financed what was then Portland’s most costly construction—the Dekum and Reed Block.
Historian Joseph Gaston highlighted Dekum’s participation in nearly every major building project between First and Third on Washington Street. These included the Gadsby and Commercial blocks, the Waldo Building, and most prominently the 1892 Dekum Building. Situated at Southwest Third Avenue and Washington Street, this eight-story edifice was built exclusively from Oregon-sourced materials at an expense of $300,000. Its Romanesque architectural style features rough-hewn sandstone on lower floors paired with red brick and unglazed terracotta above, capped by ornamental machicolations along the parapet.
Between 1893 and 1901, Portland’s municipal government operated out of the Dekum Building—temporarily called the Council Building during that period. The building’s exterior underwent restoration in 1987, while its interior was linked to the adjacent Hamilton Building during renovations in the 1990s. Due to its architectural importance, the Dekum Building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and is included within Portland’s Skidmore/Old Town Historic District.
Banks and Business Ventures
In 1880, Dekum played a key role in founding the Portland Savings Bank and took over as its president in 1886, following David P. Thompson. He was also instrumental in establishing and leading the Commercial National Bank of Portland. Both institutions operated with overlapping directors and shared facilities, featuring prominent individuals such as John McCraken, George H. Williams, and Cyrus A. Dolph.
Dekum’s leadership extended to various companies including the Columbia Investment Company, Oregon Land and Investment Company, Columbia Fire and Marine Insurance Company, Portland and Vancouver Railway Company, Trinidad Asphalt & Paving Company, and Portland Exposition Company. In 1885, the Oregon Legislative Assembly appointed him to the Portland Water Committee to supervise the city’s municipal water system acquisition and management.
Portland and Vancouver Railway
In 1888, Dekum collaborated with Richard L. Durham and John B. David to construct the narrow gauge Portland and Vancouver Railway, which ran from East Portland northward through Albina to the Columbia River. The railway’s southern end connected with the Stark Street ferry crossing between Portland and East Portland on the Willamette River, while its northern terminus served ferries linking Oregon to Vancouver, Washington.
Through their Oregon Land and Development Company, Dekum and Durham invested in developing Albina’s Woodlawn District adjacent to the railway line. Much of the track initially passed through undeveloped forested land, particularly north of Albina. To mitigate frequent flooding near the river, the northernmost 8,000 feet of track was elevated on trestles. In 1892, ownership transferred to the Portland Consolidated Street Railway Company, which upgraded the line to a broader gauge and began electrifying it for trolley operations.
Family Life and Additional Interests
Dekum married Fanny Reinig from St. Louis in 1859; together they had eight children. Their home in Portland, constructed around 1864 well beyond the city’s core, featured unique architectural details such as staggered quoins, a three-bay porch, arched windows, and a conservatory facing south. After Fanny’s death in 1877, Dekum remarried in 1881 to Phoebe M. Humason (1840–1920), widow of Orlando Humason.
As president of the German Song Bird Society, Dekum sponsored the importation of German songbirds—including thrushes, starlings, and nightingales—into Oregon. The society released approximately 500 birds into parks around Portland; although these populations endured for several years, they eventually vanished. Additionally, Dekum held the presidency of Portland’s German Aid Society.
Passing and Enduring Impact
Amidst the Panic of 1893, when numerous banks collapsed, Dekum’s Portland Savings Bank narrowly avoided failure. According to Portland historian E. Kimbark MacColl, Frank Dekum endured significant financial losses and passed away in 1894 partly due to pressures from the economic downturn. With assistance from David P. Thompson, he managed to recover enough assets from the bank’s failure to leave an estate valued at over $1 million—primarily invested in downtown real estate—although his railway ventures did not succeed. Thompson, who had served as bank president from 1880 to 1886, sold all his shares before becoming American Minister to Turkey in 1891; he returned in 1893 as receiver for the bank.
In 1910, Oregon Governor Jay Bowerman accused Thompson, Dekum, and Jonathan Bourne Jr. of fraudulent activities involving the looting of Portland Savings Bank assets and leaving many depositors impoverished through inflated asset valuations and risky lending practices. The bank reopened briefly in May 1894 but shut down again by October. MacColl suggests Bowerman believed Thompson’s reopening favored certain creditors.
In January 1894, Wells Fargo purchased Dekum’s other institution—the Commercial National Bank of Portland. Dekum died on October 19 that year and was laid to rest at Lone Fir Cemetery in southeast Portland.
Northeast Dekum Street in Portland bears his name as a tribute to his legacy.
External links
- Legacy of Candy Man Dekum in Portland, Oregon Live LLC
- Dekum Building, Emporis Corporation
- Dekum Building featured in The Oregon Encyclopedia