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| Blackstone |
A decision by Portland State University officials to
demolish two more historic residential buildings shows the university’s
continuing pattern of benign neglect for its historic architecture.
Last year PSU pulled down the interesting Parkway Manor
building to make way for – well, nothing.
The school says the site facing the South Park Blocks at Market Street might
become a community garden for 10 years or so.
Next on the demolition list is the 1916 Martha Washington
building, now called Montgomery Hall, designed by Portland’s leading architect
of the era, A.E. Doyle. Also on the
chopping block is the interesting 1931 Blackstone apartment building designed
by Elmer Feig. It faces the South Park
Blocks two blocks south of the old Parkway Manor and features interesting
Egyptian-inspired façade decorations inspired by ancient archeological
discoveries of the era.
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| Montgomery Hall |
The Blackstone and Montgomery Hall presumably will be
replaced by a new student housing building designed to hold more than 500
students. Drawings of that proposal have
not been shown, but it faces the difficult design decision of abutting the
historic Simon Benson house.
Both Montgomery Hall and the Blackstone are currently used
for student housing. It is ironic that
they should be replaced with “new” student housing when remodeling the interiors
of the two historic structures could probably provide a comparable number of
attractive student accommodations. The
Montgomery building was equipped with seismic bracing in 2005, and the Blackstone
appears to be built with reinforced concrete with brick facades.
Neither of the buildings headed for demolition bear historic
designations. That means the public has
no apparent opportunity to voice objections and ask for interior renovations,
instead. However, now that word is out
about the demolitions, it is possible that senior PSU officials will hear about
any apparent discontent.
Further, the plans for the new building likely will be
presented for hearings and deliberations by the Portland Design
Commission. At that point, architects
will need to address how an L-shaped new structure will relate to the wooden
Victorian-era Benson house that is home to the PSU visitor center.
With the demise of the Blackstone and Montgomery Hall, there
is little historic fabric left on the downtown campus for the university to
destroy. Let’s just pretend that Old
Main (1911) and Shattuck Hall (1915) are not old.
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| What's left of Parkway Manor |
----Fred Leeson
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I am so glad to see this article. I felt that the destruction of Parkway Manor was tragic. I wrote emails to both the new incoming president of PSU and the director of student housing - crickets.
ReplyDeleteThe benign neglect of schools and hospitals is a tragic attitude. Having seen what Brown University has gotten away with over the years, makes me less than hopeful that anything or anyone could ever have any effect on PSU. And the fact this is apparently going forward at a time when the school is facing a serious deficit, which is leading to layoffs of faculty and support staff, makes this all the more troubling and painful.
ReplyDeleteJanuary 30, 2025
Hon. Ann E. Cudd
President
Portland State University
1825 S.W. Broadway
Portland, Oregon 97201
Dear President Cudd:
I am writing to you today as a former faculty member of PSU, Executive Director of the Oregon Historical Society, a member and leader of several city, state, and federal organizations, and (even) as a former student at BU, UO, and PSU.
As you might imagine, I am deeply concerned with the possibility that Portland State may demolish Blackstone and Montgomery halls. While it could be a minor challenge to raise the funds necessary for renovating these two historic buildings for student housing, it would even less of a challenge for you to stop this further erosion of our city's historic landscape. Alas, it won't stop with these two buildings. A bad precedent will be set.
I join many others––including current and former students as well as active community members––in reminding you of the relative simplicity of doing so. Further, you now have on your staff, in Earl Blumenauer, a proven leader in urban affairs who, I believe, will be a strong advocate for such preservation and reuse, as he was while on the City Council and in Congress.
I could say much more but I won't. You know what is best for PSU's strategic purposes and I can only presume that you will do your best to lead the University in the preservation of so much that makes the South Park Blocks live up to their ideal: a place that helps preserve some of the best of our city.
Thank you.
With highest regards,
Chet Orloff
cc: Hon. Earl Blumenauer