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| Blackstone Apartments |
Lacking formal means of protesting the demolition of two
historic buildings on the Portland State University campus, preservation
activists are trying to appeal using old fashioned ways – writing letters and using
personal connections to build support.
PSU plans to demolish the Blackstone Apartments and the
Martha Washington, two buildings that have been used many years for student
housing, sometime after early July. Both
buildings have interesting historical pedigrees, but neither has been declared
a city landmark. Lacking such
designation, there is no formal public hearing to oppose the demolitions.
“We shouldn’t be tearing down housing in a housing crisis,”
said Heather Flint-Chatto, executive director of the Architectural Heritage
Center. The environmental impacts of
demolition and new construction also favor preserving the old buildings.
“This reckless move threatens PSU’s architectural heritage
and the integrity of the Portland Park Blocks,” according to an AHC web page
aimed at encouraging support for saving the two buildings. SAVE HISTORIC PSU HOUSING
— Architectural Heritage Center
PSU has demolished a few other old residence halls in recent
years, without adding any new units. The
university has an $80 million plan for new housing, but its development could
be many years away.
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| Montgomery Hall/nee Martha Washington |
Is there a better idea?
“From both a sustainability and economic point of view,
the Blackstone and Washington apartments could be redeveloped with the funding
provided through a lend-lease approach,” says Henry Kunowski, an
architectural historian and planning consultant. Under that concept, PSU would grant a lease of
up to 30 years to a developer or development team that would rehabilitate the
buildings and collect the revenue. At
the end of the lease, the buildings would revert to PSU.
Both buildings suffer from deferred maintenance and internal
repairs would be essential.
The Blackstone, built in 1931 by prominent developer Harry
Mittleman, faces directly on the South Park Blocks. PSU earlier demolished the Parkway Manor that
also faced the historic park, leaving a sad hole in the urban fabric. The Blackstone was designed by Elmer
Feig. His use of Egyptian symbols on the
façade reflects national interest in the discovery of the ancient tomb of King
Tutankhamun.
The Martha Washington was built in 1916 by the Portland
Women’s Union, a gathering of reasonably affluent “society” women in the early
20th Century who built the home for young women new to Portland who
needed safe, stable housing. It was
designed by A.E. Doyle, Portland’s leading architect at the time.
The Women’s Union later moved to another building and
Doyle’s building, subsequently renamed Montgomery Hall, became student housing
in 1970. An interesting video history
of the Women’s Union and its three housing locations is available here:
The
Martha Washington Hotel & The Women Who Built Her
-----Fred Leeson
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As I read your description of the two properties in question I saw mention of Harry Mittleman and it got me to thinking there might be a path forward for renovation. Schnitzer Properties, Inc. formerly known as Harsch Investment Properties and guided by Jordan Schnitzer who has deep ties in the Jewish Community of Portland and spearheaded the renovation and renewal of the Mittleman Jewish Community Center in SW PDX twenty years ago. It's possible they could be interested in revitalizing these two properties IF the university would entertain the notion.
ReplyDeleteI have no personal connections with any of the principals, but I was employed at the MJCC for a time when the renovations were near completion, and it was a great project that helped to restore the Jewish Community of Portland to prominence.
Just an idea.