New Future for the Airplane Factory?

 Three Portland-area real estate agents who paid $595,00 to buy a historic but badly abused landmark in Northeast Portland will be the latest to try reviving the 110-year-old building.

 The winning bid was revealed in late January but the apparent winner preferred to wait until the deal closed before disclosing ownership.  The registered deed lists a limited liability company with Joseph Tran, Tony Ngo and Henry Liu as company managers.

 They purchased the former Gordon’s Fireplace Shop, a three-story building that has been vacant since 2016 when the shop owner closed the business and sold the building.  Subsequent plans by an earlier buyer to renovate the building for ground-floor retail spaces and two floors of housing above collapsed apparently because of the Covic pandemic and possibly other factors.

 The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and sits at the prominent intersection of NE 33^rd Ave. and Broadway.  During its long vacancy, the building has been heavily plastered with graffiti and is viewed by many as an eyesore.  The building still retains a large vertical Gordon’s Fireplace Shop sign at the Broadway corner. 

An earlier owner had planned to remodel the upper stories into residential units and add retail spaces at the ground floor.  But that plan died with the COVID pandemic.  The latest buyers have not disclosed their plans

 Tran and Ngo are affiliated with the Real Estate Performance Group based in Clackamas.  Tran worked for 10 years as a pharmacist before switching to real estate 20 years ago.  Liu is an agent with a different real estate firm.

 The masonry building with heavy timbers used in interior post and beam construction was erected by the Oregon Home Builders firm in 1917, when the nearby neighborhoods of Irvington, Laurelhurst and Alameda were booming with new residential construction. The company president was O.K. Jeffrey.

In 1918, Jeffrey, whose homebuilding firm was suffering financially, converted the building to the O.K. Jeffrey Airplane Factory for the manufacture of wood and canvas wings and pontoons for World War I military airplanes. Its success was based on the region’s easy access to high-quality spruce timber used in airplane manufacturing of the era.  The building often was called the “airplane factory” for decades afterward.

 Oregon Home Builders eventually went bankrupt.  The building was used for many years for woodworking and retail furniture sales.  The upper stories were used for warehousing before Gordon’s Fireplace Shop took over in 1990.

The building appears to be sound structurally, but a new life likely will require earthquake bracing and new plumbing and mechanical systems.  Photographs posted before the auction showed that all interior partitions had been removed, thus reducing the need for internal demolition.

---Fred Leeson 

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Comment on Trump's Ballroom Plan

 

For what it’s worth, all of us who care have a chance to comment in writing about the Trump plan to build a massive ballroom in place of the East Wing of the White House that he tore down.  This topic falls outside the geographical boundaries usually discussed on this blog, but hey, we can still care.

 One can’t be too enthusiastic about the ultimate outcome since the National Capital Planning Commission that is seeking comments before the March 5 deadline has a majority of its members appointed by Trump.  Regardless here’s how to comment:

 https://www.ncpc.gov/participate/guidelines/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQBlNJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETJ0UjRqUjM0QU1YT08zbGlac3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpxNAp577e2MaPd2hZm0QewpuQMa266YbMMFVRpCN9mE9247x

 Click on the heading marked “review”.  Scroll down to “East Wing Modernization” and follow the directions.

 Some of my Facebook friends saw my post about this and have already responded.  The commission’s guidelines allow for public testimony on March 5, but my guess is that waiting for a turn to speak will be daunting.  Meanwhile, litigation is still pending that conceivably could halt the proposed plans. 

The commission earlier put images of the proposed design on its website, but has since taken them down.  To my eye, all the images were intended to minimize the project’s rather monstrous scale in relation to the historic White House. 

 The images, since removed, also showed landscaping for the grounds.  Alas, they spelled it “gorunds” which to me suggests the level of care that has been invested.  Make of it what you will. 

-----Fred Leeson

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A Step Forward for the Historic Zoo Train

 Chances for restoring a popular Portland family entertainment option – the Washington Park Zoo Railway – appear to be growing thanks to support from Portland Mayor Keith

Wilson and the Metro Council.

 Reviving the 3.5-mile recreational train loop through Washington Park may yet for a few years away.  However, momentum is growing to create a public-private partnership that would manage the popular train that dazzled riders from 1960 to 2013 when the park loop was closed.

 The Metro Council on Feb. 3 agreed informally to support a $50,000 contribution for a geotechnical study of the loop that is expected to cost $250,000.  The remaining $200,000 would have to be raised from other sources. 

 “So many of us have memories of the full loop,” said Christine Lewis, a Metro Councilor who served earlier on a task force that studied options for reviving the route.  “It was an iconic attraction for visitors and residents alike.”

 A short ride still exists within the zoo’s boundaries, but it lasts only a few minutes.  The long loop was closed in 2013 when other projects at the zoo altered the route.  The zoo itself has declined to maintain and operate the longer route that used to offer a stop within Washington Park.

The best option for running and managing the train appears to be a non-profit entity that can work out dealings with the zoo and the City of Portland, which owns the long loop as well as the train itself.  Friends of the Washington Park Zoo Railway is the likely candidate. The train presumably could operate profitably if preliminary problems can be resolved.

 Obstacles ahead include track and equipment repairs, and any safety issues uncovered by the geotechnical review.  That study would consider soil conditions, landslide risks and potential water problems and safety of retaining walls.

The Metro Council’s decision was supported by Olivia Clark, deputy Portland City Council president, who also served on the task force that studied revival of the train.  “It’s time to move forward,” she said.  “The public is ready.”

 ----Fred Leeson

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So Much History. But Now What?

 

Gus Solomon U.S. Courthouse

Buildings perched on two downtown Portland square blocks – both drenched with decades of legal history as well as architectural significance – sit empty these days with no new uses in sight.

 Between the two, Portlanders for decades swept into to two courthouses to engage in civil and criminal trials, visit local and federal government offices and attend public hearings.  But with state and federal courts having moved to high high-rise buildings, the Multnomah County Courthouse that dates to 1914 and the Gus J. Solomon U.S. Courthouse, finished in 1933, sit silent with doors and windows boarded over.

A Portland-based housing and real estate development firm headed by NBP Capital bought the old county building in 2018, and announced plans to convert it to office use.  That plan evidently died with the Covid pandemic and the ensuing collapse of the downtown office market.

 SKB, another real estate firm, bought the old U.S. Courthouse late last year, and plans to move its own office into the building.  The firm said it plans to retain much of the elegant marble-laden interior spaces, but what other uses might occur will take time to figure out.

Former Multnomah County Courthouse

Both buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Multnomah County building, facing at 1021 SW 4^th Avenue, was built in two L-shaped phases while an earlier courthouse dating to the late 1860s was gradually demolished.  The courthouse was one of the final buildings designed by the firm of Whidden & Lewis, the city’s most important architectural firm from the late 19^th Century past the turn of the 20^th. 

 The county courthouse suffered numerous makeovers over the decades, but the grand hallways and main staircase remain on floors one through six.  The two upper floors contain a holding jail and small offices.

 The former U.S. Courthouse design is an interesting blend of Neo-Classical elements with Art Deco flourishes, as it was created at a time when architectural tastes were moving away from historical elements to modern forms.  “Stylistic definition of the Courthouse is difficult. It is typical of many General Services Administration properties in its eclecticism,” states the National Register listing.

The design firm was headed by Morris Whitehouse, whose long career in Portland included work for high-end clients including the University Club, the Waverly Country Club and the Eastmoreland Golf Clubhouse.  

The building’s name was changed to the Gus J. Solomon U.S. Courthouse in honor of the judge who spent 37 years on the bench.  Known as a stickler for accuracy and rough treatment for ill-prepared lawyers, Solomon also had a sense of humor.  Watching a case in his court, your correspondent once heard him explain why he often ruled quickly from the bench. “I do what I think God would do, and when I get reversed by the Court of Appeals, I know where they are coming from.”

 Both these buildings deserve brighter futures, as does the neighborhood they share in Downtown Portland.  Great minds need to get to work to find answers.

----Fred Leeson

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A New Chapter at Montgomery Park

 

There was, quite simply, nothing like it in Portland when Montgomery Ward & Co. opened its big new building NW 27^th Avenue in 1920.  By square footage, the nine-story edifice – with a 10^th added on a bay on the western façade, was the largest edifice by square footage in Oregon.  It also featured three railway spurs heading into the ground floor for delivering merchandise for retail and mail order sales.

While many commercial buildings of the era still featured historical architectural details of some sort, Montgomery Ward’s bold reinforced concrete construction celebrated its unadorned, muscular strength. As the largest structure in Portland and, supposedly, anywhere west of the Rocky Mountains, it was “the finest extant example of period reinforced concrete industrial architecture in the city,” according to a historic review.

 Now a new owner hopes to revitalize the mostly-vacant behemoth that looms on an 8.59-acre site that was once part of the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition. Menashe Properties paid $33 million for the building in 2024 – virtually a fire-sale price in a commercial real estate market reeling from work-at-home popularity inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Entering the atrium from the west

“Our goal is pretty straightforward: to preserve the character of the building while continuing to invest in improvements that support a vibrant mix of tenants and activity,” said Lauren Tangvald Menashe’s property manager.  “Montgomery Park has such an important place in the city’s history, and we definitely want to keep that spirit alive. A lot of our recent work has been focused on freshening things up. There have been upgrades to some of the common areas, general maintenance, and adding new tenant amenities.”

The goal is to fill six stories with offices, and offer space for retail, medical and other uses on the lower floors.

The building’s name was changed to Montgomery Park in 1984, when a company headed by Bill and Sam Naito purchased it from Montgomery Ward.  Bill Naito, never inclined to waste money, was proud that he only had to change two letters on the giant rooftop sign. The Naitos also did research that added the building to the National Register of Historic Places.

 In its heyday, Montgomery Ward was the nation’s first and one of its largest mail order retailers.  The company used the first three floors for retail sales until 1976, and closed warehouse operations in 1982.  A north-side wing was added to the building in 1936, giving it the u-shaped floor plate it retains today.  A glass covered atrium greets visitors from the western side.

New life at Montgomery Park might not be the only change in the neighborhood.  The Portland City Council last December passed a Montgomery Park Area Plan intending to stimulate more housing, transit and mixed business opportunities in the vicinity.  Should much of plan come to pass, the Menashe Properties investment will look all the better.

------Fred Leeson

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Good News at Central Lutheran: The Deal is Done

 

What looked like potential good news last March has indeed come to pass:  The Portland Youth Philharmonic Orchestra has completed its purchase of the historic Central Lutheran Church in Northeast Portland’s Irvington neighborhood.

 The sale is great news a couple ways.  It marks the first permanent home for the youth orchestra that traces its roots to 1924 in the same Northeast Portland neighborhood.  The purchase likely means a caring, long-term owner of the church, designed in a Northwest Modern style by architect Pietro Belluschi in 1950.

 “We are honored to become stewards of this incredible piece of Oregon’s architectural history,” the PYP Executive Director Noreen Murdock said in a statement. “This is a wonderful opportunity to develop an excellent space for music education and performance while preserving a beautiful and important existing structure.”

 The purchase price has been reported as $1.5 million, comparable to the vale of many larger, older homes in the historic neighborhood that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 The non-profit music organization will use the building to house its own offices, provide teaching, rehearsal and instrument storage space and for public performances.  Some internal changes are expected to be made in coming months, but the building’s external envelope is protected by its historic architectural designations.

 Use of the building by the orchestra’s 300 young members is not expected to occur until modifications are finished late in 2026.

Belluschi, the building’s architect, earned a national reputation as a leading Modernist architect whose notable credits ranged from office towers to churches and houses.  One of his earliest “modern” designs was the Portland Art Museum in 1930.  His work is recognized for its use of modern building materials and sleek surfaces.  In his Pacific Northwest residences and churches, Belluschi favored “natural” materials including wood and bricks.  Some of his buildings added Japanese stylistic touches, such as the canopy over the entrance at Central Lutheran.

 Central Lutheran closed the building during the Covid epidemic and then put it up for sale.  In the preservation community, finding a suitable new purpose for a historic building that has outlived its original use – and an owner that will preserve its architectural integrity – is the best possible result. Portland is blessed by the outcome at Central Lutheran.

 ------Fred Leeson

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Reincarnation for Oregon Casket

 

An historic five-story building in Northwest Portland’s Old Town is expected to become the first example of a vacant downtown building to be converted to housing units.

While many have talked about the need to remodel vacant or mostly-vacation downtown for housing, the design and building code challenges are daunting.  Plans call for the former Oregon Casket Co. building to converted to 34 housing units, with two live-work units on the ground floor and 32 on the floors above.

The building at 403 NW 5^th Ave. was built in 1897 for the Oregon Casket Co. and has had several subsequent tenants that used it mainly as a warehouse.  Kalberer Hotel Supply Co. was a prominent the occupant from the mid-1940s into the 1970s.

Details show the elegant cornice and original windows

Whidden & Lewis, Portland’s most prominent architecture firm near the turn of the 20^th Century, designed the building with a knobby stucco finish on the upper floors and an elegant brick cornice and quoins adding definition to the building corners on floors two, three and four.  It ranks as one of the least-recognized Whidden & Lewis structures, given that others include Portland City Hall, the former Multnomah County Courthouse, Arlington Club, downtown office buildings and many high-end residences.

 The Oregon Casket project is expected to cost about $10 million.  Prosper Portland, the city’s development agency, has agreed to a $7 million low-interest loan with a 15-year term once final designs are approved.  A Prosper Portland resolution said “office-to-residential conversions and the development of middle-income housing are high priorities for the City and for the Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood,” and align with city development strategies.

 The project developer is Owen Gabbert, head of a real estate development firm that has experience working on historic properties as well as new buildings.  Design Research Office, a Portland firm, is working on the plans.

 Images on the Design Research website show that the interior with its heavy post and beam construction is substantially clear, leaving considerable flexibility for interior design. (Oregon Casket Building | Discover Historic Living Spaces — Design Research Office ) Given its 128 years, the building has been largely immune from unfortunate renovations.  Even the original multi-pane, double-hung windows remain.

Renovation of the building for its new life is expected to occur in 2026.

The building currently does not have a historic designation, but it’s age, design history and its role in the development of Northwest Portland would make it eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.  Preparation for a nomination reportedly is underway.

 ----Fred Leeson

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An Honor for the Balch Gulch Bridge

 A 400-foot-long bridge that many Portlanders use without giving a second thought has been added to the National Register of Historic Places based on its importance in the city’s development and its vintage construction method.

The Balch Gulch Bridge, completed in 1905, carries NW Thurman Street across the gulch between NW 29^th and 31^st Avenues.  Soon after its completion, the bridge became a popular and well-publicized viewpoint of the young city during the 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition.

“The city promoted the streetcar route into Willamette Heights as a scenic outing for fairgoers, and vantage points accessible only via the bridge were featured in promotional photographs of the fairgrounds,” historian Michael Taylor wrote in a comprehensive National Register document. “The bridge’s role in showcasing Portland’s natural beauty and development potential helped elevate the city’s image and encourage private investment, while the improved access to Willamette Heights accelerated the neighborhood’s first and most intensive phase of residential growth.”

A wooden predecessor built in 1892 was not strong enough to carry street cars.  Until the new bridge opened, trolley riders had to get off a streetcar, walk across the wooden bridge and board another car on the opposing side. Streetca tracks were removed in 1950. 

 The 1905 bridge is composed of two trusses of 160 feet and 60 feet in length, sitting on three steel towers atop concrete bases.  The deck of the bridge sits on top of the triangular truss structures. 

Drawing shows span trusses  and towers

Unlike modern bridge construction, the trusses were held together by pins – essentially large threaded bolts.  The pin system allowed for speedy erection and for some modest joint movement, based on load stresses.  As historian Taylor notes, pins in newer construction have been replaced by rivets that are considered stronger and less susceptible to wear.

Taylor wrote that pin construction “reflects the dominant connection method for truss bridges erected in the late nineteenth and very early twentieth centuries. By the early 1910s, most new bridges employed riveted joints, and over time Oregon’s inventory of pin-connected bridges has declined.”

The Balch Gulch Bridge underwent renovation s in the 1920s, the 1950s and again in 2014.  The 2014 work paid close attention to keeping or restoring original visual elements of the bridge, including reconstruction of decorative railings on the sides to match the originals removed in 1955.  The 2014 work also added new steel planks as the decking material.  

“Despite these alterations, the bridge maintains nearly all its character-defining features, including its Pratt deck truss design, pin connections, original steel trusses and towers with concrete footings, and location spanning Balch Gulch in northwest Portland’s Willamette Heights Addition,” Taylor wrote.  “It therefore retains integrity.”

------ Fred Leeson

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A Surprising Preservation 'Win'

 

Sometimes the “do nothing” option amounts to a victory for preservation.

In response to neighborhood concerns, Portland General Electric has decided not to demolish a historic electric substation building at 8856 SE 13^th Ave. Instead, the utility will let it muscular, 120-year-old pressed stone building remain “as is” for an unforeseeable and possibly lengthy spell.

The decision, announced at a meeting of the Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League (SMILE) on Sept. 21, was a welcome victory for the neighborhood association and its history committee, chaired by Eileen Fitzsimons.

David Neal, a PGE project manager, said the utility agreed to save the building after “overwhelming, organized and detailed” neighborhood comments, once the neighborhood learned at demolition was being considered as an outcome.

Despite deciding to retain it, Neal said PGE has no plans to re-use it, sell it or give it away.  “Our substation people will have to continue to deal with it” as it is, he said. The doors and windows appear to be tightly secured, but Neal said vandals occasionally have broken in.

 Neal said he went inside the building about a year ago.  “It’s not a very flattering building on the inside,” he said.  

The building was erected in 1905 by the Oregon Water Power & Railway Co.  It sits at the junction of Portland’s original streetcar system and the electric interurban railway that operated south of Portland from the 1890s to 1958.  The site is often referred to as Golf Junction, since it sits near the northern boundary of the Waverly Country Club.

Neal suggested that the historic building is not in jeopardy as long as the substation of which it is a part continues to serve its Southeast Portland territory successfully.  He said the area’s stable power consumption and limited growth opportunities mean that no date is yet on the horizon for substation renovation.  However, if renovation becomes necessary, the fate of the historic building would have to be reconsidered.

 Members of the SMILE committee offered a few suggestions for improving the looks of the building and cleaning the immediate vicinity that has been used occasionally for dumping unwanted items.  Alex Cousins, a PGE community engagement officer, took extensive notes and said the company would consider the suggestions and report back.

In the meantime, preservationists can take a couple encouraging messages from this episode.  First, community involvement CAN make a difference.  Second, there is hope that responsible officials will respond with positive action.

 ---Fred Leeson

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Remembering an Important Businessman

 

The next Portland house destined to land on the National Register of Historic Places tells us more about an important figure in the city’s development rather than importance of its architecture.

That doesn’t mean the house is chopped liver.  Built in 1891 by an undetermined architect or developer, reflects many details associated with Victorian-era Queen Anne homes.

For 17 years, it was the home of Arthur H. Devers, whose name is best known today because the $1 million he bequeathed in 1959 led to creation of the Devers Eye Clinic in Northwest Portland. 

From a career beginning in Portland in 1891, Devers was a successful coffee and tea importer for many years.  He was a relentless advocate for Portland’s growth and beautification, including serving on six committees that created the successful 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition that quickly stimulated Portland's growth.

Arthur Devers, 1905

An exhaustive National Register nomination written by Kristen Minor, a former City of Portland land-use planner and past member of the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission, described Devers as “a well-known, well-regarded and important businessman.”  Although he was a relative newcomer, Minor said Devers became part of a “small group of early Portland businessmen who were considered the de facto leaders of the city in the period from about 1890 to the mid-1910s.”

Among his activities, Devers helped create a “City Beautiful” committee that grew into the Civic Improvement League.  The league played an important non-governmental role in promoting Portland’s economic and urban development.

 The Portland Landmarks Commission unanimously supported the National Register nomination this month, sending it on to state and national officials who are highly likely to approve it.

 The Devers residence, at 1125 NW 21^st Ave., isn’t as large or elegant as other Queen Anne houses built for the economic elites.  Still, “The design of the house exterior, though no architect or builder information has yet been found, illustrates a layered, asymmetrical, surface-pattern approach typical of Victorian-era architecture in Portland,” the nomination states.

The house was divided into two apartments in 1947.  Regardless, “Most of the original material and workmanship are retained throughout the house, even at the interior.”  The house retains three stained-glass windows that reflect the style of the prominent Portland art glass Povey Brothers, though a conclusive link to the Povey firm has not been determined.

Landmarks Commission members applauded the idea of primarily basing the nomination on the importance of Devers’ life.  National Register rules allow nomination of properties “associated with lives of persons significant in our past.”

Regrettably in one sense, commercial uses near the Devers house have significantly changed the character of the immediate surroundings. 

-----Fred Leeson

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A "Victory" for Downtown Portland

 

Yes.  At long last, challenging work of restoring the David P. Thompson elk statue and fountain to its rightful place on SW Main Street has finally begun.

 The iconic landmark – donated by Thompson, an early Portland mayor --was severely damaged in 2020 during political protests and riots following the death of George Floyd in police custody.  Many Portlanders figured that the fountain and statue, then 120 years old, would be gone for good.  

As it turned out, the elk itself was not damaged.  However, nine of 52 granite elements that comprised the fountain were damaged beyond repair.  The elk and salvageable granite pieces put in custody of the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the Portland Parks Foundation raised $160,000 in donations to pay for detailed engineering and restoration drawings. 

Though the restored landmark is intended to look identical to the original, it will be different in a key respect.  The original fountain always ran fresh water, intended for drinking by horses (and presumably some humans) back in the day.

The revised model will use recirculated water that will be stored in a stainless-steel vault under the fountain.  The Portland Water Bureau says the recirculation system will save 18,720 gallons per day, adding up to 6.8 million gallons per year.

 Serious architectural restoration projects sometimes lead to interesting connections between the past and present. In this case, it turned out that the same quarry located in Barre, Vermont, that provided the original granite could still provide slabs that would essentially match the originals in texture and color.  The slabs will be carved to proper sizes by a firm in Cleveland, Ohio. The granite will be treated with a coating intended to deter graffiti.

The elk statue and fountain restoration has a budget of $2.2 million, including $1.5 million from the city’s general fund and a $700,000 settlement of an insurance claim.  At last report, the actual work is estimated to cost $1.79 million, with the rest allocated to contract management.

No target date has been set for project completion.  A recent peek through the chain link suggests there is a long way yet to go.  Maybe mid-winter?

---Fred Leeson

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