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| (Multnomah County) |
Two diminutive, octagonal towers each a mere 11 feet wide
rate high among Portland’s best-known landmarks.
Ask almost any Portland resident where the image above is
located and the answer likely will be: “Burnside Bridge.”
Two operator’s towers with tile roofs were built on the two
heavy bridge piers to provide controls for opening and closing bascules large
ships pass. Both have small staircases;
one has a bathroom and the control equipment while the other is used for
storage.
Neither will survive when Multnomah County builds its new “earthquake
ready” bridge now in the preliminary design stage. The “new” Burnside will replace the one that opened
in 1926.
There is no need nor space for retaining the historic towers
in whatever form the new bridge takes. Which
begs the question: Will they be demolished or can a new use be found for or
even both?
The county is well aware of the significance of the towers
to the city’s landscape. However, the
budget for the new bridge must be limited to new bridge construction, and not
for potential preservation and re-use of the towers somewhere else.
However, because the bridge and towers are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, the county cannot destroy historic fabric
them willy-nilly. Steve Dotterrer, a board
member of the Architectural Heritage Center, sits on a committee charged with
monitoring what happens to the bridges historic elements, including the towers
and balustrades (railings). He said there have been “exploratory” talks with
the county, but it is clear that the county budget cannot be used for erecting
a tower at a new location.
Heather Flint Chatto, the AHC’s executive director, said
preservationists probably need to figure out a public/private venture that
could preserve one of the towers perhaps in Waterfront Park as some sort of
kiosk that includes a historic description.
The towers were designed by the Portland architectural firm of
Houghtaling and Dougan. They may have
been added when one of the bridge design engineers criticized Portland for
having ugly bridges. Houghtaling and
Dougan also are known for designing the former Washington High School and the
classical downtown Portland Elks Lodge that is now part of the Sentinel Hotel.
While destruction of the operators’ towers is not eminent,
it is a good time to start working on a preservation plan. Given their compact size, it amounts to a “small” but important project.
-----Fred Leeson
Join Building on History’s email list by writing “add me” to
fredleeson@hotmail.com
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