Dr. Hawthorne donated land for the Oregon Hospital for the Insane near the modern day Colonel Summers Park in 1862.

[6][5] The street was "completely macadamized" (paved) by 1907, and SE 39th Avenue was improved as part of the Good Roads Movement in 1910.

These, as well as other factors, led to the demise of the streetcar, and by 1918 Hawthorne was one of the busiest streets for car traffic in Portland.

The sidewalks were narrowed to give room to car traffic in 1931, and the streetcar tracks were removed as part of a WPA project in 1936.

39th Avenue was widened in 1950, a traffic light was placed at the intersection with Hawthorne, and the modern Fred Meyer superstore opened in 1951.

[5] Notable buildings on Hawthorne include the Spanish Mission Revival Santa Barbara Apartments, and the similarly-styled Bagdad Theater, built in 1927.