Friday, March 15, 2024

Another Hit on the Public Weal

 


Recent years have been tough on Portland’s works of public art.  Protests of one sort or another toppled statues of Presidents and damaged (seemingly permanently, at first) the beloved Elk statue and fountain.

 The latest victim is the smaller Shemanski Fountain located in the South Park Blocks between S.W. Main and Salmon Streets.  The attractive monument with the bronze statue of “Rebecca at the Well” is now surrounded by temporary chain-link fencing.

 “The fountain has been vandalized and has damage to the stonework – plus two of the three dog bowls are missing,” reports Mark Ross, a Parks Bureau spokesman.  “Portland Parks & Recreation is currently exploring restoration options with our partners at the Water Bureau and Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC).”

The monument was given to the city in 1926 by Joseph Shemanski, a Polish immigrant who founded the Eastern Outfitters store that served as a major Portland clothing and department store for more than 40 years.  The store closed about 1953, a few years after Shemanski’s death. 

In better days (Regional Arts & Culture Council)
 

Portland architect Carl Linde designed the trefoil stonework, and the sculpture by Oliver Lawrence Barrett, an art professor at the University of Oregon, was added in 1928.  Rebecca, shown with a water jug on her shoulder, was a Biblical character noted for her kindness to strangers and animals.

The monument has two layers of three fountains with bronze bowls, the lower three being at ground level intended for dogs or small animals.  Water service has been sporadic over the years as the Water Bureau places more importance on revenue-generating service than on public fountains.  The bronze bowls likely were stolen by people wanting to sell the metal as scrap.  The monument has been vandalized on earlier occasions and was substantially renovated in 2007.

Ross said figuring out a restoration plan might take a few weeks.  How long the repairs take after that is yet unknown.

 

Should you stop by in the near future, take a moment to remember how irresponsible behavior of the few can impair the beauty of the city and the enjoyment of all -- in a world of supposedly intelligent creatures. 

----Fred Leeson

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Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Everything Will Be New at Jefferson High

 

Heading for the dumpster

The people spoke.  The Portland School Board listened.

  As a result, a brand new Jefferson High School will rise somewhere on the school’s 14-acre North Portland campus, and the welter of existing old buildings dating as early as 1909 will be scraped off.

 Jefferson community members didn’t like the idea of their 700 students being shipped off to the old Marshall High School deep in Southeast Portland for three years while the historic Jefferson building was being remodeled – as well as possible – with historic architectural standards in mind.

The change in plans was all the more dramatic since architects and planners had already spent many weeks trying to figure the best means of preserving the historic 1909 building and adding new additions to the south of it.

“What was more important was keeping the Jefferson community intact,” Chandra Robinson, a principal of Lever Architecture, told the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission. 

There are some other factors to keep in mind, as well.  A new building is expected to be less expensive than restoring the old school and adding new elements it would need.    Further a detailed study by the Architectural Resources Group found that Craftsman-era architectural details of the 1909 that had been plastered over during a 1950s renovation were too damaged to be restored.  The unfortunate 1950s work also destroyed much of Jefferson High’s original roofline.

Original Jefferson High

Attempts were made to see if Jefferson students could be housed on or near the Jefferson site while the original restoration plans unfolded. Options were studied for using portable classrooms and spaces at the old Kenton School and Portland Community College, but no combination of options proved feasible, Robinson said. 

There is adequate space on the Jefferson campus to complete a new building before demolishing the old structures.   But the switch in planning poses a puzzle for the landmarks commission, which had jurisdiction over the project because the school sits in the Piedmont Conservation District.

One option for the commission would be to recommend revision of the historic district boundaries so that the school no long sat within it.  However, doing so would remove the landmarks commission as a body to hold public hearings over the new design that the community likely would want to attend.

 Another option is to leave the boundaries alone and declare the old Jefferson building to be “non-contributing” as a historic resource because its condition has been extensively changed from the original.  This strategy would let the commission continue to have a public review of the new plans, whatever they turn out to be.

 A key challenge to the new design will be what to do about the football field and running track that faces on N. Killingsworth Street.  Locating the school on the athletic site would put it close to the North Portland Public Library and Portland Community College.  The athletic filed could be moved farther south on the campus, but the field was funded years ago with a public fund drive. 

 One assumes that the Jefferson community will offer some opinions. Firmly, perhaps.

 ---Fred Leeson

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Saturday, March 2, 2024

Rebuilding Keller Auditorium

 

(Henneberry Eddy Architects)

A citizen’s group blessed with resources, determination and clout hopes to convince the Portland City Council this summer that rebuilding an impressive new Keller Auditorium and adding a public plaza are vital keys to reinvigorating downtown Portland.

 The push to rebuild the city’s largest performing arts venue is headed by the Halprin Land Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that strives to preserve four Halprin fountains in Portland – including the large and famed Keller (nee Forecourt) Fountain that sits directly west of the auditorium.

 Under the conservancy’s plan, the auditorium would be structurally braced and enhanced with a bold new lobby, more restrooms and eating opportunities.  In addition, S.W. Third Avenue in front would be closed into a pedestrian plaza offering opportunities for outdoor events more direct involvement with the big – and sometimes roaring --fountain.

Scott Andrews, co-chair of the Halprin Conservancy, said the new Keller would be “a world class performing arts destination” – a destination, he said, “Portland desperately needs to get back on track.”

 Presentations will be made to the City Council next month about two other potential sites owned by Portland State University or within Lloyd Center’s boundaries.  Either the PSU or Lloyd Center options could be constructed while tenants such as Portland’s ballet and opera companies could continue operating at the Keller.

 

View from above Keller Fountain (Henneberry Eddy Architects)

Reconstructing the Keller would take 19 months, according to the conservancy’s estimates.  The Keller’s estimated construction budget of approximately $250 million would be less than building a new structure at one of the competing sites, and would be more environmentally friendly, Andrews said.  The City Council is expected to select a site possibly by late June.

The Halprin Conservancy has invested several years of time and money on the planning.  It hosted a design competition in 2018 that led the preferred new design with a bold, cantilevered addition in front.   The conservancy also partnered with the city on a seismic study to determine the best means of securing the building that dates to 1917.  It was remodeled most recently in 1967-68.

 So far, there appears to have been little discussion about what would happen to the Keller Auditorium block if one of the other sites is selected.  The dramatic Keller Fountain nearby was hailed as one of America’s greatest urban designs when it opened when it opened in 1970.

 From preservation perspective, it's important to recognize the context of the original fountain design.  It was intended to be a grand front door to the (then) Civic Auditorium, and to be a delight for viewers at almost all hours of the day.  It makes complete sense to keep the auditorium coupled with the dramatic fountain that was designed specifically to sit on the block facing the auditorium's frontage.  The Architectural Heritage Center’s advocacy committee has unanimously endorsed the “new Keller” plan.

 Sadly, the Portland Water Bureau and Bureau of Parks have had difficulty repairing a pump that circulates water at the fountain.  One hopes that the city can get it figured out.  Combined with the "new" Keller, the fountain would be an absolute "must" for visitors to enjoy.  

 ----Fred Leeson

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Sunday, February 25, 2024

Hard Times Come Again

Montgomery Park (nee Ward) circa 1927

Portland’s urban core clearly isn’t what it used to be.  A recent consultant’s report suggested that office vacancies will hit 40 percent this year, and it might be higher already with unexpired leases going unused.  Fewer workers downtown mean fewer business opportunities for others.

 A dramatic example is the nine-story Montgomery Park building in Norwest Portland, which sold for $255 million in 2019..It was flipped recently back to the lender for $37.7 million.  “The bargain price points to the woeful state of Portland’s commercial real estate market,” wrote Jeff Manning, an outstanding “Oregonian” business reporter.

Montgomery Park joins Jackson Tower, the J.K. Gill Building and the Loyalty Building as prominent office sites that have been turned back to their lenders without winning any alternative bids.  Clearly, big-money investors currently are keeping their wallets in their pockets..

The new entry won't happen

Swept way with the pandemic was a plan approved by the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission to revitalize the old Montgomery Ward building by adding a glassy new western entrance and several new retail and restaurant spaces.  Plans once approved by the commission for renovating four other historic sites in or near downtown also appear to be dead or on hold. (Notable examples include re-use proposals for the former Multnomah County Courthouse and First Church of Christ Scientist.)

For the most part, central cities evolve organically.  Offices bring workers downtown who eat lunch, drink coffee, go to bars and restaurants after work, and frequent nearby retail shops.  All those ancillary enterprises suffer and close when workers and shoppers disappear.

What also is lost is the communal experience Portlanders used to feel by shopping downtown at the major department stores, going to movie theaters and concerts.  As people become more entrenched and isolated on their cell phones and computers what Portland – and other cities – lose is a “sense of place” that makes a city feel different and special.   

What does the future hold?  The “pandemic-induced deterioration” described by one analyst does not appear to have speedy solutions.  Substantial numbers of workers have found it preferable to work from home, and internet-based shopping shows no signs of ebbing.   Downtown and its important historic buildings could take on much more of a “ghost town” feel unless smart minds can conceive of new ways to make the urban core vibrant again.

 Faced with the glut of new shopping opportunities in the suburbs, Portland more than 50 years ago launched a wide-ranging “Downtown Plan” aimed at retaining its urban importance.  Its major conclusions at the time led to the creation of Waterfront Park, the downtown transit malls and development regulations that sought to place taller buildings in the heart of the core – all good ideas at the time.

 Now it might be time to gather concerned citizens and smart minds from many specialties to undertake a new long-range plan, taking into consideration the unavoidable consequences of the current trends.

 What’s at stake is the loss of urban reputation that could lead someone speaking of Portland to borrow the famous line from Gertrude Stein:  “There is no there there.”  It would be a communal loss ranging beyond our pocketbooks. .    

 ---Fred Leeson

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Monday, February 19, 2024

Is this the 'Long Goodbye?'

 

Gone...soon to be forgotten?

Thousands of residents apparently responded when Portland officials asked late last year for responses to an internet survey  about whether to return historic statutes that had been illegally removed from city parks in 2020.

 Alas, now that the survey deadline has passed, the survey results evidently never will be disclosed.  Many people apparently objected to the bias they believed they saw and independent number-crunchers found that none of the answers met the standards of statistical significance.

 Thus the City Council is expected on Feb. 28 to wade into public review of a proposed two-page policy that clearly makes public impressions about diversity, inclusion and equity more important than someone’s historical significance.

 On the face of it, that means goodbye, Abe Lincoln; adios, Teddy Roosevelt; and farewell, George Washington.   You can review the proposed policy here:  https://www.portland.gov/ryan/news/2024/1/30/immediate-release-commissioner-ryan-proposes-draft-policy-criteria-review

 The policy tries to include some other options, like expanding the historical context for public figures who have come under attack for views that were not publicly prominent in their own eras.   There are people who think the issue of “presentism” of modern political correctness, so to speak, should not outweigh the historical significance of an important person.   The proposed policy includes a cumbersome review process for artworks that have been called into question by residents who feel offended by them, ultimately leading to a recommendation to the Portland City Council.

 But the overriding reason for disqualifying a work of public art is this: “The subject or impact of a piece of artwork is significantly at odds with (the) City’s values of antiracism and equity. 

 Compromises may be possible.  One idea being explored informally is the “president’s exception” that would allow the return of Lincoln and Roosevelt to their historic bases in the South Park Blocks, and moving George Washington to Washington Park.  (The Thomas Jefferson statue belongs to Portland Public Schools, so the school board would have jurisdiction.)

Experts who have studied the proposed city policy say it contradicts some other codified city planning regulations.  One requirement is that statues listed on the city’s own historic inventory would have to be reviewed by the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.  The landmarks commission is scheduled to discuss this point at a meeting on Feb. 26.  Anyone interested in testifying at the Zoom meeting can sign up here:  https://www.portland.gov/bds/landmarks/events/2024/2/26/2-26-24-historic-landmarks-commission-hearing-agenda

 Just two days later, the City Council is scheduled to consider the proposed policy submitted by Commissioner Dan Ryan.  One can imagine that no speedy or lasting answer can be expected quickly.

 ----Fred Leeson

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Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Square one...again


 The subject of a heroic Portland architectural preservation “save” finds itself in limbo again thanks to the pandemic and disarray downtown.

The 1883 Ladd Carriage House, one of downtown’s last and most artistic wooden buildings, is now up for sale following the closure of the upscale Raven & Rose restaurant and bar near the end of 2021.  While its landmark status likely will save it from demolition, there is now way of knowing what its future holds until a new buyer takes control. 

Though its windows are now boarded up for protection, the building is still turn-key ready for use as a restaurant and bar.  But in its many earlier decades, the one-time horse and carriage barn also housed retail shops, a dance hall, architectural office, construction office and a law office.

The historic three-story building was threatened with demolition starting in 2004.  After considerable hand-wringing and advocacy by preservation advocates, the building was jacked up and moved three blocks where it sat in a parking lot in 2007 and 2008 while underground parking was constructed on its original site.   

Upon its return, the building needed a lot of restorative help.  A tremendous amount of time and treasure went into saving the building and converting it into a first rate restaurant,” said Paul Falsetto, an architect deeply involved in the project.  “I can only hope the eventual new ownership would continue with that use.”

Among old-building lovers, the carriage house is significant for its interesting design and exterior craftsmanship, as well as for its historic connections to downtown and to William S. Ladd, a pioneer businessman, banker, developer and early Portland mayor.  The glorified horse barn as built across what was then S.W. 7th Ave. (now Broadway) from Ladd’s 30-room mansion that was demolished in the 1920s.

Falsetto said the carriage house “displays its historic value to the city through its elaborate exterior visage, and the advantage of a restaurant use is that people can experience its interior as well. The second floor ‘hayloft’ is one of the great historic spaces of its era, with its original and unique truss work in full display.”

 Unlike the long-departed Ladd mansion, the carriage house was designed in the English Stick Style by architect Joseph Sherwin, a native of England.  It is Sherwin’s only known work in Portland. In its original guise, the structure included space for twelve horses, Ladd’s personal carriages, a hayloft, and residential quarters for the estate’s coachman and gardener. 

The Raven & Rose restaurant, which opened in 2011, was hurt economically by the pandemic and by homeless campers who set up tents along the Columbia Street frontage.  While Portland has made efforts to clean up the tent sites, downtown remains less populated during daytime and evening hours because many employees continue working from home instead of downtown offices.

Those of us who believe that vibrant urban centers mark a pinnacle of civilization have to wonder how downtown Portland and urban centers will survive in the years ahead.

 “For downtown Portland to regain its stature after a challenging past few years, we need our important buildings to return back to full life,” Falsetto says.  “A reenergized Ladd Carriage House would be a shining example of this, and show yet again that reinvigorated historic properties link past civic pride with positive hope for our city’s future.”

 By the way, the asking price is $3.5 million, should you be interested. Is it negotiable?  Likely so. You can see more images of the building at the real estate listing site here: https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1331-SW-Broadway-St-Portland-OR/28306478/

 ----Fred Leeson

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Monday, February 5, 2024

'Enlightenment' in Portland Parks


New pole and light (Portland Parks Bureau)

 Preservation advocates had good reason to be worried last year when the Portland Parks Bureau started removing iconic vintage light poles from several parks, citing and damage from water and rust.

 The Parks Bureau’s spotty record on preservation over the years prompted concerns about what the new lights might look like.  But now there is good news: For all but the most particular observers, the new poles and lights will look substantially indistinguishable from the old ones.

 Of course a lot of people simply won’t care what the new ones look like.  However, lights are a contributing element to the appearance of a historic park … especially at night when their electric glow adds an attractive ambiance.

 Because 88 lights and poles will be replaced in and near Mt. Tabor Park, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the new equipment needed approval from the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.

By a vote of 4-1, the majority found that the proposed poles and lights were “close enough” in appearance to the old ones that date to the mid-1920s. (The park itself was created in 1909.)  Brett Horner, the Parks Bureau planning manager, said the new poles already have been placed in Duniway and Laurelhurst Parks, and also will be used as replacements elsewhere.

Old light and pole (Portland Parks Bureau)

 The only significant difference in appearance is that the old poles showed a slightly taller polygonal base.  Otherwise the poles and glass fixtures are substantially indistinguishable. One advantage of the new fixtures is that they will not allow light to escape from their tops to help reduce light pollution at night.

Horner said the old poles were attached to steel wires wrapped around rebar staples inserted in concrete.  As water inevitably worked its way into the concrete poles, the steel wire suffered from corrosion, making them eligible for falling over.  Water intrusions also leads to cracking and flaking in the concrete.  Horner said the old anchoring system was a “very deficient design.”

 Unlike the old poles, the new ones will be sunk five feet into the ground.  Horner said holes will be bored only slightly larger than the bases of the new poles.

 Maya Foty, the landmarks commissioner who voted against the light plan, said she wasn’t convinced the Parks Bureau had done enough research to determine that all lights in Mt. Tabor Park needed to be replaced.  She also noted the differing appearance of the poles at ground level.

 ----Fred Leeson

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Monday, January 29, 2024

Fred Meyer's 'Mistake' Earning Acclaim

 

Alderway Building


The economy was booming in 1927 when a Portland entrepreneur with a background in selling groceries undertook his real desire at the time: property development.

 Fred G. Meyer assumed the 99-year lease on the Pantages Theater at the corner of SW Broadway and Alder Street.  He used the steel structure of the former 1400-seat vaudeville theater to build a four story building with ground floor retail – still a somewhat novel idea for SW Broadway as Portland’s retail core was shifting westward from Third and Fourth Avenues.

 Today the Alderway Building is Portland’s latest nomination to be considered for the National Register of Historic Places.  Completed in 1928, its upper stories with large Chicago-style windows, metal spandrels and brick pilasters are substanti8ally unchanged.  The nomination form finds the building notable for its architecture and for its history in the evolution of downtown retailing.

 Alas, the timing wasn’t good for Fred Meyer.  The building had been completed for hardy one year when the Great Depression heavily crippled the national economy for more than a decade.  One of the Alderway’s successful ground floor tenants, however, was Fred Meyer Toiletries and Remedies, an early venture into self-service sales of nostrums and cosmetics. 

 

(National Register Nomination Form)

Meyer eventually convinced druggists to join his stores as prescription-selling pharmacies, which became a key ingredient in Meyer’s slowly evolving concept of one-stop shopping.  His tenure at the Alderway Building also included a dry-cleaning and laundry outlet, from which he began selling men’s underwear – and got him interest in the apparel business.

Meyer was asked once when he first thought of the one-stop shopping concept.  His answer: Never – he was taking advantage of opportunities as he came across them.

With his growing success as a regional merchandising giant, Meyer seldom mentioned his failures.  His mindset was always looking ahead.  At some point in the Depression, he gave up control of the Alderway lease and once said he lost $50,000 – likely his largest business “mistake” in his long career.  The episode terminated his interest in property development for its own sake.  All his “development” thereafter was building Fred Meyer stores.

 Architects for the Alderway Building were Claussen & Claussen, two brothers who operated successfully in Portland for many years.  During the Depression the Claussens renovated a few buildings that Meyer purchased and converted to Fred Meyer stores before his big Post World War II boom. 

------Fred Leeson

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Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Recognizing Portland's LGBTQ+ History

 

Former Majestic, Now Crystal, Hotel (National Register form)

In its quest to recognize Portland’s historical diversity, the city is proposing to add to the National Register of Historic Places two sites frequently used by the city’s LGBTQ+ residents in an era between 1948 and 1985.

One is the former Majestic Hotel – now known as the Crystal Hotel at 1217 SW Harvey Milk St. -- which from 1969 to 1985 offered baths, hotel rooms, a bar and restaurant aimed at serving LGBTQ+ customers.  The area came to be known informally known as Portland’s gay triangle.  One of its enterprises was the Club Portland bathing site that operated from 1969 to 1985, and is believed to be the city’s first LGBTQ+-associated business.

Today, the Crystal Hotel, which was renovated in 2009, is part of the McMenamin entertainment and lodging chain.  The building itself was added to the National Register in 2009 as a contributing member to downtown Portland’s commercial growth.  The LGBTQ+ history would be an addendum to the earlier listing.

“The building, more than any other in Portland, provided an affirming focus on an LGBTQ+ population, hosting a unique combination of uses supporting and protecting the queer community,” the nomination states.  The hotel and baths were vital places where socio-medical workers strived to provide information about HIV and AIDS in the early 1980s.

Brandon Spencer-Hartle, the city's historic resources manager, said the federal government is encouraging local jurisdictions to make their historic landmark designations more inclusive concerning human diversity.

 

Normandale Field, 1948 (National Register form)

The second site proposed for the national listing is the Erv Lind Field in Northeast Portland’s Normandale Park.  Built in 1948 a national American Softball Association women’s championship tournament, it was first called Normandale Field.  The name was changed in 1965 in honor of Portland businessman whose Erv Lind Florists team was a frequent national competitor in women’s fast-pitch softball competition.

Erv Lind died in 1964 and his team imploded.  At their peak in the early 1960s, the Florists drew several thousand paying customers to their games in Normandale Park. The field continues in active softball use, despite the decline of women’s softball as a semi-professional sport.  

Competitive team sports opportunities were rare for young women in the 1950s and 60s.  While some players were lesbians or bisexual, they were instructed to appear neat, tidy and well behaved.

“Players, whether they were lesbian, bisexual, or straight, grew up together and stood outside of the societal norms together for this period of time, because they were athletes. The 1950s caricature of the mannish lesbian athlete affected all of the players, reminding them to publicly maintain a heterosexual, feminine identity,” the nomination states.

Regardless of their sexuality, the teammates developed comradery and lasting friendships.  The softball field became a welcome place to socialize and enjoy sport.  National interest in the sport declined after the middle 1960s.

 Detailed histories of both these sites were researched and written by Kristen Minor, a former member of the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission.  With approval from the commission, the nominations will be forwarded to the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation on Feb. 16.  If approved by the state committee, the nominations will be sent to the Interior Department for final consideration.

-------Fred Leeson

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Saturday, January 13, 2024

Update on the David Campbell Memorial

 

The good news is that temporary chain-link fencing has reduced vandalism, graffiti and trash inflicted on the David Campbell Memorial that has stood at SW Alder and 18th Ave. since 1928.

The better news is that sometime in the future, the fencing will disappear and a new Portland Firefighter’s Memorial Plaza will adjoin the Campbell monument that honors the city’s fire chief who lost his life fighting a major Southeast waterfront fire in 1911.

Ironically, most Portlanders know nothing about Campbell or efforts to honor 76 Portland firefighters killed over the years while trying to save Portland residents and property.  Plans developed by the David Campbell Memorial Association seek to do a better job honoring all fallen firefighters while bringing more attention to David Campbell. 

There is no deadline for completing the plaza.  Don Porth, a retired firefighter and president of the memorial association, hopes to raise roughly another $1 million to pay for the improvements.

Rendering of proposed plaza (David Campbell Memorial Association)

“We are not doing anything difficult,” he says of the plan.  “It will reflect the character of Portland firefighters – hard-working, determined, reliable – not fancy.”  He added, “Our goal is to provide better explanations and to make it more inviting.”

So far, Portland firefighters have raised $131,000 for the project, and the Portland City Council has added $350,000.  Porth, who has been working steadily on plans for over two years, hopes to raise additional funds from businesses and neighborhood groups in the area and from interested citizens.  Potential donors can find how to contribute at DavidCampbellMemorial.org.

The historic memorial and its bronze urns (now removed for restoration) were designed by Paul Cret, a University of Pennsylvania professor who was a leading Beaux-Arts designer of the era.  Porth said retired Portland architect William J. Hawkins III, who is deeply devoted to protecting Portland’s public artworks, helped design the new plaza to be finished as soon as funds are available.

Porth said he also hopes to develop sufficient money to provide an endowment for future maintenance. 

 Legally, the irregular triangle on which the memorial sits is part of a right-of-way owned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation.  Porth said a stewardship agreement has been reached with the city that allows the Portland Fire Bureau and the Portland Firefighters’ Association more control over the memorial’s maintenance. 

Chances are, almost every Portland citizens recognizes this memorial, but few know what it is about.  The improvements will be a welcome change.  

-----Fred Leeson

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Wednesday, December 27, 2023

New Life at The Sandy Jug

 

There is no need for architectural vocabulary to describe the Sandy Jug.  One glance says it all. 

After serving for decades as a strip club, this 96-year landmark at 7414 NE Sandy Blvd. is being remodeled into a new business where patrons and servers will be fully clothed.  More on that later.

 The Jug (also called by punsters The Sandy Jugs during its stripper era) was one of three unusual buildings erected in the 1920s that visually represented the businesses inside.  The Big Shoe at NE 20th Ave. (now long gone) was a shoe repair shop.  The Steigerwald Dairy building with its big milk bottle at NE 37th Ave. remains, but the bottle was encircled decades ago with a newer façade.  (A little-known fact is that the bottle still survives inside.)

The Steigerwald Dairy before remodeling

 Both The Big Shoe and the Steigerwald Dairy were designed by the company owners.  The Sandy Jug was different.  It was designed by the architectural firm of Bennes & Herzog, well known in the era for Portland theaters (including the Hollywood), several imposing residences of differing styles and for several buildings on the Oregon State University campus.

One theorizes that the Jug did not rank highly to Bennes & Herzog on their personal list of accomplishments.  Nevertheless, it ranks as a well-known Northeast Portland landmark even without formal designation; losing it would have been sad, indeed.

 The jug originally served as a refreshment venue for an adjacent gas station, known as the Gusher, which presumably was the primary business.  To attract motorists, the small triangular lot included an 80-foot faux oil gusher that was removed long ago.    

 Today, the Sandy Jug is being remodeled by a company headed by Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby, who in recent years have revitalized several old-school bars in Portland including The Alibi, The Sandy Hut and Holman’s.  Their business philosophy is to take old so-called dive bars and to revive them into attractive, popular destinations.

 So far, the exterior of The Sandy Jug has been tastefully repainted and narrow vertical windows that were boarded up during the strip club years have been restored with glass bricks, largely restoring the jug to its original appearance.  A covered patio has been added with outdoor seating – for clientele when the weather is appropriate.  An opening date for the new enterprise has not been announced.

Those of us who enjoy a tall cold one from time to time may well be able to help usher The Sandy Jug into its second century. 

 -------Fred Leeson

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