Bye, Bye Bungalow

 

(Gensler image)

Portland’s new 12-member City Council will have its first adventure in historic preservation when it will be asked in January to allow demolition of a small bungalow dating to 1908 at 118 S.W. Porter St. in the South Portland Historic District.

Alas, the hearing won’t tell us much the council’s attitudes about preservation since a decision favoring demolition is essentially assured. Ukandu, an agency that provides counseling, recreation and social services to families with children suffering from cancer, plans to build a two-story addition on the site.

 A four-member panel of the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission took the unusual step of supporting the demolition proposal at a hearing Nov. 25.  All four agreed that the valuable service provided by Ukandu outweighed preservation of what one called “a ho-hum bungalow” offering little architectural or historic significance the South Portland district.

 The landmarks commission has a history of trying to protect contributing elements in historic district from demolition.  The bungalow proved to be an exception. 

“Losing it is a cut,” said Andrew Smith, commission chairman.  “Districts die by a thousand cuts.”  But he agreed with others that the merit of Ukandu’s proposal outweighed the significance of the 936-square foot bungalow.

In a detailed report to the landmarks body, Gensler/Portland, an architecture firm working on Ukandu’s expansion, said cost for moving the bungalow to a new location would cost about $1 million.  In addition, the small structure that has been used as an office for the past 40 years is not in good condition and no nearby site is available.

Proposed brick building on right would replace bungalow (Gensler)

The new building replacing it would be connected to u existing location at 3015 S.W. First Ave.  A final design for the brick-faced addition will be offered for Landmarks Commission consideration for at some future date. Commissioner Maya Foty urged the designers to find historic design models from within the district as inspiration for window and door treatments to enliven the Porter Street frontage.

---Fred Leeson

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Remembering Chinese History at Lone Fir Cemetery

Long-awaited plans for a Chinese memorial and historical site in the southwest corner of Lone Fir Cemetery have received enthusiastic endorsements from the Portland Historical Landmarks Commission and Chinese Americans who helped with the plans.

 The one-block section of the historic pioneer cemetery, known as Block 14, served as a Chinese burial ground from the 1860s to the late 1950s.   It was bulldozed for the construction of a Multnomah County building erected in 1952, and it wasn’t until that building was demolished that details resurfaced about its history as a Chinese burial site.

 Historic plaques proposed for the site will describe the importance of Chinese labor in Portland’s development as well as racism that barred further immigration and land ownership.  Chinese workers played major roles in the region’s mining and railroad construction. 

“The Block 14 Memorial is intended to honor marginalized people buried at Lone Fir and authentically share their stories, while striving to create a space that will foster understanding and healing,” wrote Gary Shepherd, a lawyer for Metro, the public agency that oversees the cemetery.

 Close to 2,900 Chinese were buried on the block.  Of those, remains of some 700 men were repatriated to China in accord with traditional custom.  Most of the other remains – the exact number not known – were of woman and children.

Funerary burner and alter (Oregon Historical Society phto)

An altar and funerary burner were erected on the block by the Chinese in the 1870s, but were destroyed by the 1950s.  No remains of them have been found.  The location of the altar will be recognized in the proposed design.

 Plans call for the original entrance of the block to be restored between two stone columns located north of the intersection of SE 20th Ave. and Morrison St.  A memorial pavilion near the entry would hold 3,000 metallic spiritual tablets representing people buried there.  Some will be identified by name, but many will be nameless because their names were never recorded by cemetery officials at the time.

Proposed memorial pavilion

 An arching footpath will traverse across raised ground from the west entry to the eastern side of the block.  New soil will be added to create the mound so as not to bother any gravesides.  The meadow will be planted with gingko and yulan magnolia trees and perennial shrubs.  Michael Yun, a landscape architect, said the magnolias provide beautiful white flowers in the spring and gingkoes add dramatic color in the fall.  Both species have long histories in the Chinese culture. 

 The proposed plan presented to the Landmarks Commission represented a 30 percent stage of design.  The commission unanimously supported the plan, using terms such as “lovely” and “wonderful.”  Details about a starting and completion date are not yet known.

----Fred Leeson

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