Perspectives on Preservation

 

During a recent visit downtown, Jim Paynter, a dedicated reader of Building on History, captured an interesting that tells us much about the importance of preservation.  Thanks to his permission, you can enjoy the picture above.

 In the foreground is the Skidmore Fountain, a gift of the 19^th Century entrepreneur and Portland City Council member, Stephen Skidmore.  Its classical composition, no longer embraced by the modern art world, reminds us that people came before us who also had vivid artistic sense that we can still enjoy.

 Behind the Skidmore Fountain sits the cast iron colonnade that once was the ground floor face of the New Market Theater’s north wing.  The north wing was erected in 1874 and torn down in 1952.  Fortunately, the cast iron was saved, and a wonderful preservationist, William J. Hawkins III and his dedicated Portland Friends of Cast Iron Architecture, lobbied to have reinstalled at its original location on SW First Avenue.  Mission accomplished in 1983.

Like the Skidmore Fountain, the colonnade reminds us of elegant architecture in an age long gone.  It showcases a wonderful, lasting building material no longer used in contemporary architecture.  It reminds us again that people who care about our history and want it saved, like Bill Hawkins, can achieve victories, though their roads may be twisted and difficult.

In the background, of course, is Big Pink, the 42-story tower completed for U.S. National Bank in 1983.  It celebrates the victory of modern technology and building practices that allow us literally to reach into the skies.  Big and modern as it is, Big Pink is on its way to becoming a relic, too, given how the digital age has shrunken the number of employees who are required to show up at the office.

The beauty of Jim Paynter’s photographs is that it celebrates the beauties of the past while honoring the present as we currently know it.  People were here before us, and if we’re careful, we can enrich our lives by respecting their art and craft.  People will come after us, too, and perhaps there will be folks among them who battle to save Big Pink from whatever ravages of time await it.

----Fred Leeson

 Join Building on History’s email list by writing “add me” to faroverpar463@gmail.com