John B. Yeon

This article is about the timber businessman John B. Yeon. For the architect and son of the timber businessman, see John Yeon.

Jean Baptiste Yeon (also known as John B. Yeon) (24 April 1865 – 15 October 1928) was a Canada West-born, timber magnate who was a prominent citizen of Portland, Oregon, United States.[1]

Yeon was one of the principal financiers of the Columbia River Highway.[2] The John B. Yeon State Scenic Corridor was named for him, as was Yeon Avenue, which carries U.S. Route 30 through the Northwest Industrial neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.[2]

He financed the construction of the 1911 Yeon Building in downtown Portland,[3] and supervised the construction of the Vista House at Crown Point in 1918.

Yeon was the father of Portland architect and philanthropist John Yeon. Both are interred in the family vault at Portland Memorial Mausoleum.

The family name is pronounced "yawn", not "yee-on".

  1. ^ Ferriday, Virginia. Handmade Buildings: Glazed Terra Cotta in Downtown Portland p. 109, Rootsweb.com
  2. ^ a b "John B. Yeon State Scenic Corridor - Oregon State Parks and Recreation". Oregonstateparks.org. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  3. ^ Harrisburg's Big Day, The Eugene Guard 05 June 1926, p.4