Welcome to the 'New' Benson Polytechnic High School

 

It would be wonderful to think that the hundreds of people who lined up to tour the renovated Benson Polytechnic High School were all dedicated preservationists.

 More accurately, the visitors were mostly Benson grads from many decades who returned “home,” so to speak, to see what was new and what remained of the school they once attended.  Indeed, there was plenty of old AND new as the public got its first look at the sixth Portland high school to undergo thorough renovation.

For sure, the costly renovation was a preservation victory that will allow the building completed in 1916 to achieve many more years of vocational and pre-college education.  The most historic parts of the building – the foyer, west wing, gymnasium and auditorium -- retain their historic look and feel. 

Benson foyer

Several ancillary buildings that were added periodically over the years on the eastern side of the main hall were removed and replaced by new facilities including an attractive outdoor plaza between the historic wing and the new additions.

 “They did take out a lot of history,” said one alum who graduated in 2,000.  Regardless, she was pleased that the historic wing was carefully restored and reinforced for earthquake protection.

 

Benson auditorium

It is a lesson that preservationists wish the Portland School Board would apply at the historic Cleveland High School in Southeast Portland.  The school board has voted to demolish Cleveland and replace it with a new building.  A better model is the sort careful preservation/renovation projects already carried out Benson and at Grant, Roosevelt, Franklin, and McDaniel High Schools.

School district voters have yet to consider a bond measure that would pay for the Cleveland project.   In the meantime, preservation advocates hope there is still a chance for the school board to change its mind, especially if a preservation/renovation plan comes in with a better price tag.

In the meantime, take a careful look at Benson the next time you drive buy.  The building has been a valued piece of East Portland history for 108 years, and well worth keeping for its bygone architectural style and the countless memories created within it. 

New plaza looking east

----Fred Leeson

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'Historic Enlightenment' in Portland Parks

 

New light and pole, Irving Park

The Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation is nearing the end of a project to replace 250 light poles in 12 city parks, using new poles and lights that substantially replicate the design of predecessors that ranged up to 100 years old.

 The scope of the project ranges from 88 lights in Mt. Tabor Park and 65 in Irving Park, down to four in Ladd Circle.  While the new lights look like the old ones, they are lit with LED lights that a said to be 66 percent more efficient and bear sensors that automatically turn them on at dusk and off at dawn.  Most of the poles have been installed already; the remainder are scheduled to be finished by year’s end.

 In addition, the fixtures are designed to be “dark sky friendly,” meaning that the lights are restricted from sending light into the sky or bothering nearby residences.  While some LED lights can be glaringly white, the new installations offer a warmer, creamier nighttime glow.

Historic fixture at Architectural Heritage Center 

Trouble with the old light poles became an issue in June, 2022, when a babysitter and a young boy were resting in a hammock they had attached to a tree and a light pole, causing the pole to topple.  A city investigation concluded that dozens of the old poles were inadequately secured near the ground.  (It should be noted that attaching anything to a park light pole is a violation of the Portland City Code.)

 While nothing required the city to seek new poles and fixtures that looked comparable to the old ones, the decision carries an implicit suggestion that our parks have been important public spaces for decades.  The welcome historical symbolism suggests that the parks have been vital places for public recreation and respite for a long time – and should remain so for many decades to come. 

----Fred Leeson

 
Join Building on History’s email list by writing “add me” to fredleeson@hotmail.com